The Tempest – Act 1 Scene 1

MASTER

Boatswain!

Bosun!

BOATSWAIN

Here, master: what cheer?

I’m here, master: how you doing?

MASTER

Good, speak to the mariners: fall to't, yarely,

I’m good; speak to the sailors: do it quickly,

or we run ourselves aground: bestir, bestir.

or else we’ll run aground. Get on with it.

BOATSWAIN

Heigh, my hearts! Cheerly, cheerly, my hearts!

Chin up, boys! Cheer up, cheer up, my boys!

Yare, yare! Take in the topsail. Tend to the

Act lively! Take in the topsail. Follow the orders

master's whistle. Blow, till thou burst thy wind,

from the master’s whistle. Blow as hard as you like then, wind,

if room enough!

so long as you don’t make us run aground!

ALONSO

Good boatswain, have care. Where's the master?

Good bosun, take care. Where’s the master?

Play the men.

Put the men to work.

BOATSWAIN

I pray now, keep below.

I urge you to stay below deck now.

ANTONIO

Where is the master, boatswain?

Where is the master, bosun?

BOATSWAIN

Do you not hear him? You mar our labour: keep your

Didn’t you hear him? You’re making our job harder: stay in your

cabins: you do assist the storm.

cabins, else you’ll be helping the storm.

GONZALO

Nay, good, be patient.

No, good man, be calm.

BOATSWAIN

When the sea is. Hence! What cares these roarers

I’ll be calm when the sea is calm. Go below! Do these waves

for the name of king? To cabin: silence! Trouble us not.

care you are a king? Go to your cabin: silence! Don’t bother us.

GONZALO

Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard.

Good man, remember who you have on board.

BOATSWAIN

None that I more love than myself. You are a

There’s no one on board I love more than myself. You are a

counsellor; if you can command these elements to

person of authority; if you can order the wind to

silence, and work the peace of the present, we will

die down and reach agreement with the current storm, we will

not hand a rope more; use your authority: if you

no longer pull the ropes. Use your authority: if you

cannot, give thanks you have lived so long, and make

cannot, give thanks that you’ve lived this long, and prepare

yourself ready in your cabin for the mischance of

yourself in your cabin for a potential disaster

the hour, if it so hap. Cheerly, good hearts! Out

that might occur. Cheer up, good boys! Get out

of our way, I say.

of our way, I tell you.

GONZALO

I have great comfort from this fellow: methinks he

I have great confidence in this chap: I think he

hath no drowning mark upon him; his complexion is

doesn’t look like a man who might drown; he looks more like

perfect gallows. Stand fast, good Fate, to his

someone who’d be hanged. May fate hold on until

hanging: make the rope of his destiny our cable,

his hanging: make his hanging rope the rope we are using,

for our own doth little advantage. If he be not

for it’s not helping us right now. If he is not

born to be hanged, our case is miserable.

destined to be hanged, our situation is precarious.

BOATSWAIN

Down with the topmast! Yare! Lower, lower! Bring

Lower the topmast! Quickly! Lower it down! Steer

her to try with main-course.

the ship close to the wind.

[A cry within]

A plague upon this howling! They are louder than

God damn those people shouting! They are louder than

the weather or our office.

the storm or our orders.

[RE-ENTER SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, AND GONZALO]

Yet again! What do you here? Shall we give o'er

Back again? What do you want here? Shall we give up

and drown? Have you a mind to sink?

and drown? Do you want us to sink?

SEBASTIAN

A pox o' your throat, you bawling, blasphemous,

I hope you fall sick, you shouting, blasphemous,

incharitable dog!

ungrateful dog!

BOATSWAIN

Work you then.

Get to work then.

ANTONIO

Hang, cur! Hang, you whoreson, insolent noisemaker!

Go hang yourself, mongrel! You son of a bitch! Snotty shouter!

We are less afraid to be drowned than thou art.

We’re less afraid of drowning than you are.

GONZALO

I'll warrant him for drowning; though the ship were

I bet he’ll never drown, even if the ship was

no stronger than a nutshell and as leaky as an

no stronger than a nutshell and as leaky as a

unstanched wench.

slag on her period.

BOATSWAIN

Lay her a-hold, a-hold! Set her two courses off to

Steer the ship close to the wind! Steer her two degrees out to

sea again; lay her off.

sea again, keeping her close to the wind.

MARINERS

All lost! To prayers, to prayers! All lost!

Everything is lost! We have to start praying! Everything is lost!

BOATSWAIN

What, must our mouths be cold?

What, must we die in this cold water?

GONZALO

The king and prince at prayers! Let's assist them,

The king and prince are praying! Let’s pray with them,

For our case is as theirs.

For their plight is the same as ours.

SEBASTIAN

I'm out of patience.

I’m done here.

ANTONIO

We are merely cheated of our lives by drunkards:

We’ve been cheated to death by drunken sailors:

This wide-chapped rascal – would thou mightst lie drowning

This big-mouthed rascal – you should drown ten times

The washing of ten tides!

From rising water of ten tides!

GONZALO

He'll be hanged yet,

He’ll be hanged,

Though every drop of water swear against it

Though every drop of water tries to drown him

And gape at widest to glut him.

And swallow him up whole.

[A confused noise within:]

'Mercy on us!' –

‘Have mercy on us!’

'We split, we split!' – 'Farewell, my wife and children!' –

‘The ship is breaking up!’ – ‘Bye, wife and children!’

'Farewell, brother!' – 'We split, we split, we split!'

‘Goodbye, brother!’ – ‘We’re breaking up, we break up!’

ANTONIO

Let's all sink with the king.

Let’s all drown with the king.

SEBASTIAN

Let's take leave of him.

Let’s say goodbye then.

GONZALO

Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an

I’d give fifteen thousand square miles of sea for an

acre of barren ground, long heath, brown furze, any

acre of barren ground, long heathered moor, brown shrubbery,

thing. The wills above be done! But I would fain

anything but this. The will of God must be done! But I would

die a dry death.

rather die a dry death.