GONZALO, to Alonso
“Beseech you, sir, be merry. You have cause—So have we all—of joy, for our escape Is much beyond our loss.”
🟢 Simple meaning: Please, sir, try to be cheerful. We all have a reason to be happy—we survived, and that’s more important than what we lost.
🧠 Analysis:
- Gonzalo is trying to comfort Alonso, reminding him that their survival is a blessing.
- Theme: Hope vs. Despair, Gratitude.
- Language device: Contrast – “escape” (positive) vs. “loss” (negative).
“Our hint of woe Is common; every day some sailor’s wife, The masters of some merchant, and the merchant Have just our theme of woe.”
🟢 Simple meaning: Our kind of sadness is not rare. Every day, sailors’ families, merchants, and ship owners face the same type of grief.
🧠 Analysis:
- Gonzalo uses universal suffering to normalize their pain.
- Theme: Human suffering as a shared experience.
- Language device: Repetition and generalization – “some sailor’s wife… the merchant…” to show it’s a common tale.
“But for the miracle—I mean our preservation—few in millions Can speak like us.”
🟢 Simple meaning: But surviving such a shipwreck is a miracle—something only a few people out of millions can say they’ve experienced.
🧠 Analysis:
- He highlights the rarity and miracle of their survival.
- Theme: Fate and Providence, Gratitude for life.
- Language device: Hyperbole – “few in millions” emphasizes how rare their survival was.
“Then wisely, good sir, weigh Our sorrow with our comfort.”
🟢 Simple meaning: So, please, balance your grief with the comfort that we are alive.
🧠 Analysis:
- Gonzalo is being rational and trying to gently shift the perspective from loss to gratitude.
- Theme: Reason vs. Emotion.
- Language device: Juxtaposition – “sorrow” and “comfort”.
ALONSO
“Prithee, peace.”
🟢 Simple meaning: Please, be quiet.
🧠 Analysis:
- Alonso is not ready to hear comfort. His grief for Ferdinand overwhelms any gratitude.
- Theme: Grief and Loss.
- Language device: Alliteration in “prithee, peace” softens the harsh dismissal.
SEBASTIAN, aside to Antonio
“He receives comfort like cold porridge.”
🟢 Simple meaning: He takes comfort as badly as someone eating cold porridge.
🧠 Analysis:
- Sarcastic remark; Sebastian mocks Alonso’s inability to be comforted.
- Theme: Disrespect for authority.
- Language device: Simile – compares comfort to cold porridge (unappealing).
ANTONIO
“The visitor will not give him o’er so.”
🟢 Simple meaning: This “visitor” (Gonzalo) won’t stop trying to cheer him up.
🧠 Analysis:
- Antonio continues mocking Gonzalo for his persistence.
- Theme: Power struggle, Mockery of wisdom.
- Language device: Metaphor – calling Gonzalo a “visitor” suggests he’s unwelcome in Alonso’s emotional space.
SEBASTIAN
“Look, he’s winding up the watch of his wit. By and by it will strike.”
🟢 Simple meaning: Look, he’s preparing another speech, like winding a clock. Soon it will go off.
🧠 Analysis:
- More sarcasm aimed at Gonzalo.
- Theme: Mockery of idealism.
- Language device: Extended metaphor – compares Gonzalo’s thinking to a clock.
GONZALO, to Alonso
“Sir—”
🧠 Analysis:
- Gonzalo tries again to speak, despite the sarcasm directed at him.
SEBASTIAN
“One. Tell.”
🟢 Simple meaning: One o’clock. Say it.
🧠 Analysis:
- Continuing the clock metaphor, he mocks Gonzalo as if his speech is a scheduled event.
- Language device: Sarcasm, continuation of metaphor.
GONZALO
“When every grief is entertained that’s offered, comes to th’ entertainer—”
🟢 Simple meaning: When you accept and welcome every sorrow, it truly affects you.
🧠 Analysis:
- Wise reflection: dwelling on grief invites more suffering.
- Theme: Emotional wisdom, Power of mindset.
- Language device: Personification – “grief is entertained” makes it sound like a guest.
SEBASTIAN
“A dollar.”
🟢 Simple meaning: A pun on “dolor” (Latin for pain). He jokingly offers money, as if Gonzalo is selling sorrow.
🧠 Analysis:
- Wordplay mocks Gonzalo’s philosophical tone.
- Language device: Pun – “dollar” sounds like “dolor”.
GONZALO
“Dolor comes to him indeed. You have spoken truer than you purposed.”
🟢 Simple meaning: Pain does come to such a person. You were more right than you intended.
🧠 Analysis:
- Gonzalo recognizes the accidental truth in Sebastian’s joke.
- Theme: Irony, Wisdom in jest.
- Language device: Irony – even mockery can reveal truth.
SEBASTIAN: You have taken it wiselier than I meant you should.
👉 You’re being wiser than I expected or wanted.
- Analysis: Sebastian mocks Gonzalo for twisting his joke into wisdom.
- Device: Sarcasm, irony.
- Theme: Mockery, disrespect, social hierarchy.
GONZALO, to Alonso: Therefore, my lord—
👉 So, my lord— (he tries to continue giving comfort)
- Gonzalo is sincere and hopeful.
- Theme: Loyalty vs cynicism.
ANTONIO: Fie, what a spendthrift is he of his tongue.
👉 Ugh, he talks way too much.
- Analysis: Antonio complains about Gonzalo’s excessive talking.
- Device: Metaphor (“spendthrift of his tongue”).
- Theme: Wit, mockery.
ALONSO, to Gonzalo: I prithee, spare.
👉 Please, stop.
- Alonso is still mourning and has no patience.
- Theme: Grief, isolation.
GONZALO: Well, I have done. But yet—
👉 Alright, I’ll stop. But still—
- He can’t resist trying again to be optimistic.
- Device: Ellipsis shows persistence or interruption.
- Theme: Hope vs Despair.
SEBASTIAN, aside to Antonio: He will be talking.
👉 He won’t shut up.
- Private mocking.
- Theme: Disrespect, power dynamics.
ANTONIO, aside to Sebastian: Which, of he or Adrian, for a good wager, first begins to crow?
👉 Bet on whether Gonzalo or Adrian speaks first like a rooster?
- Comparing them to noisy roosters.
- Device: Animal metaphor, mockery.
- Theme: Foolishness, superiority complex.
SEBASTIAN: The old cock.
👉 Gonzalo (the older one).
- Continuing the rooster metaphor.
ANTONIO: The cockerel.
👉 Adrian (younger one).
- Witty wordplay.
- Device: Pun.
SEBASTIAN: Done. The wager?
👉 Deal. What’s the bet?
ANTONIO: A laughter.
👉 Whoever loses owes a laugh.
SEBASTIAN: A match!
👉 Deal!
- Shows how lightly they take the situation (mocking even when a prince is grieving).
- Theme: Cruelty, detachment.
ADRIAN: Though this island seem to be desert—
👉 Even though the island seems deserted—
- Adrian begins a thoughtful observation.
ANTONIO: Ha, ha, ha.
👉 Laughing — he wins the bet.
- Theme: Trivializing serious moments.
SEBASTIAN: So. You’re paid.
👉 You got your laugh, bet’s over.
ADRIAN: Uninhabitable and almost inaccessible—
👉 It seems hard to live on and hard to reach.
SEBASTIAN: Yet—
👉 But— (interrupts mockingly)
ADRIAN: Yet—
👉 Still—
- Adrian tries to continue positively.
ANTONIO: He could not miss ’t.
👉 He couldn’t resist finishing that sentence.
- More mocking, implying Adrian is predictable.
ADRIAN: It must needs be of subtle, tender, and delicate temperance.
👉 The island must have a gentle and mild climate.
- Language: Elevated, poetic.
- Theme: Nature, perception.
ANTONIO: Temperance was a delicate wench.
👉 Temperance sounds like a dainty woman.
- Pun on “temperance” (climate vs a woman’s name).
- Device: Personification, pun.
- Tone: Irreverent.
SEBASTIAN: Ay, and a subtle, as he most learnedly delivered.
👉 Yes, and she’s subtle — just as he “so wisely” said.
- Making fun of Adrian’s fancy language.
ADRIAN: The air breathes upon us here most sweetly.
👉 The air here smells sweet.
- Poetic, appreciative of nature.
SEBASTIAN: As if it had lungs, and rotten ones.
👉 Yeah — like something dead is breathing on us.
- Device: Dark metaphor.
- Theme: Contrast in perception, cynicism.
ANTONIO: Or as ’twere perfumed by a fen.
👉 Or like it smells of a swamp.
- Imagery: Twisting Adrian’s poetic lines into something gross.
GONZALO: Here is everything advantageous to life.
👉 This place has everything we need to live.
ANTONIO: True, save means to live.
👉 Yes, except food or shelter.
- Irony. Contradicts Gonzalo’s optimism.
SEBASTIAN: Of that there’s none, or little.
👉 There’s nothing here, really.
- Pessimistic and practical.
GONZALO: How lush and lusty the grass looks! How green!
👉 Look how full and healthy the green grass is!
- Positive tone.
- Device: Alliteration (“lush and lusty”).
- Theme: Beauty in nature, hope.
ANTONIO: The ground indeed is tawny.
👉 Actually, it looks brown to me.
- Undercuts Gonzalo’s positivity with realism.
SEBASTIAN: With an eye of green in ’t.
👉 Just a little green, maybe.
- Mocking exaggeration.
ANTONIO
“He misses not much.”
👉 Explanation: Antonio sarcastically says that Gonzalo is not far off in his statements.
👉 Analysis: This is sarcasm—Antonio actually means the opposite.
👉 Language Device: Irony/Sarcasm
👉 Theme: Mockery and deception—Antonio uses sarcasm to belittle Gonzalo’s optimistic view.
SEBASTIAN
“No, he doth but mistake the truth totally.”
👉 Explanation: Sebastian joins in, saying Gonzalo completely misunderstands the truth.
👉 Analysis: Another sarcastic jab—he’s not being kind, just mocking.
👉 Language Device: Verbal irony—he pretends to agree but means the opposite.
👉 Theme: Power and ridicule—mocking someone to feel superior.
GONZALO
“But the rarity of it is, which is indeed almost beyond credit—”
👉 Explanation: Gonzalo is amazed that their clothes still look so good, despite being soaked.
👉 Analysis: He’s being sincere and expressing wonder at the strange beauty of the situation.
👉 Language Device: Hyperbole (“almost beyond credit”)—to show his amazement.
👉 Theme: Nature and the supernatural—strange things are happening on the island.
SEBASTIAN
“As many vouched rarities are.”
👉 Explanation: Sebastian says many rare things people talk about are often unbelievable.
👉 Analysis: Again, he’s mocking Gonzalo, suggesting this “rarity” is just another overblown tale.
👉 Language Device: Cynicism, Interruption
👉 Theme: Skepticism vs. belief
GONZALO
“That our garments, being, as they were, drenched in the sea, hold notwithstanding their freshness and gloss, being rather new-dyed than stained with salt water.”
👉 Explanation: He’s surprised their clothes still look new and shiny—almost like they were just dyed, not soaked in sea water.
👉 Analysis: Gonzalo continues admiring the miracle-like event.
👉 Language Device: Imagery (freshness, gloss), Simile (“new-dyed”)
👉 Theme: The supernatural, Miracles in nature—suggesting the island may be magical.
ANTONIO
“If but one of his pockets could speak, would it not say he lies?”
👉 Explanation: Antonio jokes that if Gonzalo’s clothes could talk, they’d call him a liar.
👉 Analysis: Antonio is making fun of Gonzalo’s story by personifying his pocket.
👉 Language Device: Personification, Sarcasm
👉 Theme: Ridicule, Perception vs. reality
SEBASTIAN
“Ay, or very falsely pocket up his report.”
👉 Explanation: Sebastian puns on the word “pocket”—saying Gonzalo might “pocket” the truth, meaning he’s hiding or twisting it.
👉 Analysis: Wordplay to insult Gonzalo’s credibility.
👉 Language Device: Pun (double meaning of “pocket”)
👉 Theme: Truth and deception
GONZALO
“Methinks our garments are now as fresh as when we put them on first in Afric, at the marriage of the King’s fair daughter Claribel to the King of Tunis.”
👉 Explanation: Gonzalo remembers how fresh their clothes looked during the royal wedding in Africa.
👉 Analysis: He is tying the memory of the wedding to the current freshness of their clothes, reinforcing the miracle.
👉 Language Device: Flashback, Simile
👉 Theme: Memory, The power of nature/supernatural
SEBASTIAN
“’Twas a sweet marriage, and we prosper well in our return.”
👉 Explanation: Sebastian sarcastically says it was a nice wedding and their return journey is going great.
👉 Analysis: He’s bitter—they just survived a shipwreck, so this is heavy sarcasm.
👉 Language Device: Irony
👉 Theme: Discontent and sarcasm
ADRIAN
“Tunis was never graced before with such a paragon to their queen.”
👉 Explanation: Adrian genuinely praises Claribel as a perfect queen for Tunis.
👉 Analysis: Unlike Antonio and Sebastian, Adrian seems sincere.
👉 Language Device: Flattery, Hyperbole (“paragon”)
👉 Theme: Royalty, Idealism
GONZALO
“Not since widow Dido’s time.”
👉 Explanation: Gonzalo refers to Dido, the legendary queen of Carthage, saying Claribel is the first great queen since her.
👉 Analysis: He’s making a historical/mythological comparison.
👉 Language Device: Allusion (reference to classical mythology)
👉 Theme: History and storytelling
ANTONIO
“Widow? A pox o’ that! How came that ‘widow’ in? Widow Dido!”
👉 Explanation: Antonio mocks Gonzalo’s poetic phrasing, especially the use of “widow.”
👉 Analysis: He is nitpicking Gonzalo’s choice of words just to insult him.
👉 Language Device: Mockery, Exclamation
👉 Theme: Undermining wisdom
SEBASTIAN
“What if he had said ‘widower Aeneas’ too? Good Lord, how you take it!”
👉 Explanation: Sebastian jokes about how ridiculous Gonzalo sounds, imagining an even sillier phrase.
👉 Analysis: He continues to ridicule.
👉 Language Device: Mockery, Hyperbole
👉 Theme: Disrespect, Comic relief
ADRIAN, to Gonzalo
“‘Widow Dido,’ said you? You make me study of that. She was of Carthage, not of Tunis.”
👉 Explanation: Adrian politely questions Gonzalo’s accuracy—Dido ruled Carthage, not Tunis.
👉 Analysis: He is gently correcting Gonzalo, still being respectful.
👉 Language Device: Corrective dialogue
👉 Theme: History vs. misremembered facts
GONZALO
“This Tunis, sir, was Carthage.”
👉 Explanation: Gonzalo insists that Tunis is the same place as ancient Carthage.
👉 Analysis: Possibly an intentional simplification, or a mistake.
👉 Theme: Confusion of history and geography
ADRIAN
“Carthage?”
👉 Explanation: He’s surprised and doubtful.
👉 Analysis: Adrian still doesn’t agree with Gonzalo’s historical claim.
👉 Language Device: One-word question—adds comic effect.
GONZALO
“I assure you, Carthage.”
👉 Explanation: Gonzalo repeats confidently, even if he’s wrong.
👉 Theme: Certainty in error
ANTONIO
“His word is more than the miraculous harp.”
👉 Explanation: Antonio mocks Gonzalo again, saying people believe him like a magical legend.
👉 Analysis: This is a sarcastic way of saying Gonzalo is full of unbelievable stories.
👉 Language Device: Allusion (to legendary musical harps), Sarcasm
👉 Theme: Truth vs. exaggeration
SEBASTIAN
“He hath raised the wall, and houses too.”
👉 Explanation: Sebastian says Gonzalo is building an imaginary city with his words.
👉 Analysis: Sarcasm about Gonzalo “constructing” Carthage from thin air.
👉 Language Device: Metaphor
👉 Theme: Language and illusion
ANTONIO
“What impossible matter will he make easy next?”
👉 Explanation: Antonio wonders sarcastically what unbelievable thing Gonzalo will say next.
👉 Language Device: Rhetorical question
👉 Theme: Cynicism, Mocking optimism
SEBASTIAN:
“I think he will carry this island home in his pocket and give it his son for an apple.”
Explanation: Sebastian mocks Gonzalo by exaggerating—saying he praises the island so much, he might as well carry it home like it’s a small souvenir and give it to his son like a toy.
Device: Hyperbole (extreme exaggeration), satire.
Theme: Mockery of idealism and gullibility.
ANTONIO:
“And sowing the kernels of it in the sea, bring forth more islands.”
Explanation: Antonio joins in the mocking. He sarcastically suggests that if Gonzalo plants island seeds in the sea, more islands will grow.
Device: Sarcasm, imagery (planting seeds in the sea is a silly image).
Theme: Rationalism mocking fantasy.
GONZALO:
“Ay.”
Explanation: Gonzalo, likely not realizing or ignoring the sarcasm, simply agrees.
Theme: Shows his calm and hopeful nature, even when mocked.
ANTONIO:
“Why, in good time.”
Explanation: A dismissive, possibly sarcastic way of saying “sure, okay,” keeping up the ridicule.
GONZALO, to Alonso:
“Sir, we were talking that our garments seem now as fresh as when we were at Tunis at the marriage of your daughter, who is now queen.”
Explanation: Gonzalo brings up the strange fact again: their clothes still look clean and new, like they did at Claribel’s wedding.
Device: Supernatural realism – reflects the magical tone of the island.
Theme: The power of the island, divine or magical intervention.
ANTONIO:
“And the rarest that e’er came there.”
Explanation: He sarcastically calls Claribel (the daughter) the rarest or most wonderful person ever to go to Tunis. He likely doesn’t mean it sincerely.
Device: Irony – said without real admiration.
SEBASTIAN:
“Bate, I beseech you, widow Dido.”
Explanation: Sebastian cuts in with a mocking reminder about Gonzalo’s earlier historical error—confusing Carthage (Dido’s city) with Tunis. “Bate” means “hold on” or “stop there.”
Device: Allusion to classical myth (Dido from Virgil’s Aeneid).
Theme: Conflict between myth/fantasy and reality/reason.
ANTONIO:
“O, widow Dido? Ay, widow Dido.”
Explanation: Antonio joins in again, echoing the joke mockingly, still teasing Gonzalo for his mistake.
GONZALO, to Alonso:
“Is not, sir, my doublet as fresh as the first day I wore it? I mean, in a sort.”
Explanation: Gonzalo again asks Alonso if his jacket (doublet) doesn’t look as new as the first time he wore it. “In a sort” shows he knows it’s not exactly like new.
Theme: Shows Gonzalo’s good-natured optimism.
ANTONIO:
“That ‘sort’ was well fished for.”
Explanation: Antonio mocks Gonzalo’s hesitation and phrasing. “Well fished for” means he’s trying too hard to make his statement sound believable.
Device: Sarcasm.
GONZALO, to Alonso:
“When I wore it at your daughter’s marriage.”
Explanation: Gonzalo reminds Alonso of when he last wore the clothes—at Claribel’s wedding in Tunis.
ALONSO:
“You cram these words into mine ears against
The stomach of my sense.”
Explanation: Alonso finally speaks. He’s saying they are forcing him to listen to things that make him feel sick and go against his emotions.
Device: Metaphor – “stomach of my sense” means emotional discomfort.
Theme: Grief, loss, emotional pain.
**“Would I had never married my daughter there, for coming thence
My son is lost…”**
Explanation: He regrets marrying his daughter off to a faraway king in Tunis, as their return journey led to the shipwreck and the loss of his son Ferdinand.
Theme: Regret, family ties, consequences of political alliances.
**“…and, in my rate, she too,
Who is so far from Italy removed
I ne’er again shall see her.”**
Explanation: Alonso says that in his estimation, he has lost both his children—his son to the sea, and his daughter to distance (he feels he’ll never see her again).
Device: Irony – he doesn’t realize Ferdinand is alive.
Theme: Parental sorrow, exile, separation.
**“O, thou mine heir
Of Naples and of Milan, what strange fish
Hath made his meal on thee?”**
Explanation: He grieves for Ferdinand, imagining some sea creature has eaten him.
Device: Imagery, metaphor.
Theme: Nature’s power, loss, death at sea.
FRANCISCO:
“Sir, he may live.
I saw him beat the surges under him…”
Explanation: Francisco tries to comfort Alonso, saying he saw Ferdinand fighting the waves and possibly surviving.
Theme: Hope, survival.
**“And ride upon their backs. He trod the water,
Whose enmity he flung aside…”**
Explanation: Ferdinand swam strongly, even mastering the hostile sea.
Device: Personification – “enmity of water.”
Theme: Human strength, resilience.
**“and breasted
The surge most swoll’n that met him.”**
Explanation: He pushed against the biggest waves with his chest (bravery and effort).
Device: Imagery.
**“His bold head
’Bove the contentious waves he kept, and oared
Himself with his good arms in lusty stroke…”**
Explanation: Ferdinand’s head stayed above water as he swam energetically. “Lusty stroke” = strong swimming.
Theme: Physical courage.
“…To th’ shore, that o’er his wave-worn basis bowed,”
Explanation: He swam toward a shore that was itself worn down by waves—emphasizing the struggle.
Device: Personification of the shore.
Theme: Man vs. nature.
“As stooping to relieve him. I not doubt / He came alive to land.”
Speaker: Gonzalo
Explanation: Gonzalo tries to comfort Alonso by saying he believes Ferdinand survived the storm and made it to shore alive.
Theme: Hope, Compassion
Language Device: Positive imagery; tone of reassurance
ALONSO: “No, no, he’s gone.”
Explanation: Alonso insists Ferdinand is dead. He’s overcome with grief.
Theme: Grief, Loss
Tone: Hopeless, sorrowful
SEBASTIAN:
“Sir, you may thank yourself for this great loss,
That would not bless our Europe with your daughter,
But rather lose her to an African,”
Explanation: Sebastian blames Alonso for his son’s death. He says Alonso should’ve married his daughter to a European prince, not allowed her to marry an African king.
Theme: Racism, Politics, Blame
Language Device: Sarcasm, criticism
Note: The line reflects the colonial and racial prejudices of the time.
“Where she at least is banished from your eye,
Who hath cause to wet the grief on’t.”
Explanation: Sebastian says at least your daughter is far away, so you don’t have to look at her and be reminded of the grief.
Tone: Cruel, harsh
Language Device: Irony
ALONSO: “Prithee, peace.”
Explanation: “Please, be quiet.” Alonso begs Sebastian to stop.
Tone: Exhausted, pleading
SEBASTIAN:
“You were kneeled to and importuned otherwise / By all of us;”
Explanation: Sebastian says they all begged Alonso not to marry off his daughter to an outsider.
Language Device: Accusation
Theme: Regret, Political decisions
“And the fair soul herself / Weighed between loathness and obedience”
Explanation: Alonso’s daughter was torn between obeying her father and her own dislike for the marriage.
Theme: Duty vs Personal Desire
Language Device: Contrast (loathness vs obedience)
“We have lost your son, / I fear, forever.”
Explanation: Sebastian bluntly says Ferdinand is probably dead.
Tone: Cold, matter-of-fact
“Milan and Naples have / More widows in them of this business’ making / Than we bring men to comfort them.”
Explanation: He exaggerates that more men died in the storm than survived.
Language Device: Hyperbole
Theme: Loss, Consequence of Power
“The fault’s your own.”
Explanation: He blames Alonso directly.
Tone: Harsh
Theme: Accountability
ALONSO: “So is the dear’st o’ th’ loss.”
Explanation: Alonso replies that yes, and the most painful loss (his son) is his too.
Language Device: Wordplay — “dearest” meaning both beloved and most costly.
Theme: Grief, Ownership of Suffering
GONZALO: “My lord Sebastian, / The truth you speak doth lack some gentleness / And time to speak it in.”
Explanation: Gonzalo tells Sebastian he’s being too blunt and unkind — this isn’t the time.
Theme: Kindness, Sensitivity
Language Device: Euphemism
“You rub the sore / When you should bring the plaster.”
Explanation: Gonzalo says Sebastian is making the wound worse when he should be trying to heal it.
Language Device: Metaphor
Theme: Healing vs Harm
SEBASTIAN: “Very well.”
Explanation: Sarcastic response — he’s not really agreeing.
Tone: Mocking
ANTONIO: “And most chirurgeonly.”
Explanation: “You’re acting like a surgeon” — sarcastically agreeing that Sebastian is doing more harm than good.
Language Device: Irony
GONZALO (to Alonso):
“It is foul weather in us all, good sir, / When you are cloudy.”
Explanation: Gonzalo says everyone is affected when Alonso is sad, like bad weather.
Language Device: Extended metaphor (weather = mood)
Theme: Emotional leadership, Empathy
SEBASTIAN: “Foul weather?”
ANTONIO: “Very foul.”
Explanation: More sarcasm — mocking Gonzalo’s poetic language.
GONZALO: “Had I plantation of this isle, my lord—”
Explanation: Gonzalo daydreams about creating a perfect society on the island.
Theme: Utopia, Idealism
ANTONIO: “He’d sow’t with nettle seed.”
SEBASTIAN: “Or docks, or mallows.”
Explanation: They mock Gonzalo, saying he’d grow useless or annoying plants.
Tone: Derisive
GONZALO: “And were the king on’t, what would I do?”
SEBASTIAN: “Scape being drunk, for want of wine.”
Explanation: Gonzalo says if he were king, he’d rule well. Sebastian jokes that he’d just avoid getting drunk due to no wine.
Language Device: Insult, Mockery
GONZALO:
“In the commonwealth I would by contraries / Execute all things…”
Explanation: Gonzalo describes his utopia where everything is opposite: no rich/poor, no rulers, no trade, no work.
Theme: Utopian society, Anti-authoritarianism
Language Device: Paradox (governing by doing the opposite)
“All men idle, all, / And women too, but innocent and pure;”
Explanation: Everyone would live without work, and women would be innocent. Reflects idealized gender roles.
Theme: Gender, Simplicity
“No sovereignty—”
SEBASTIAN: “Yet he would be king on’t.”
Explanation: Sebastian points out the contradiction — Gonzalo says no rulers, but wants to rule himself.
Language Device: Irony
ANTONIO: “The latter end of his commonwealth forgets the beginning.”
Explanation: Antonio agrees — Gonzalo contradicts himself.
Theme: Flawed Utopias
GONZALO:
“All things in common nature should produce / Without sweat or endeavor…”
Explanation: He dreams that nature will provide everything freely without hard work.
Theme: Natural abundance, Innocence
Language Device: Pastoral imagery
“Treason, felony, / Sword, pike, knife, gun… would I not have;”
Explanation: No crime or weapons in his ideal world.
Theme: Peace, Innocence
SEBASTIAN: “No marrying ’mong his subjects?”
ANTONIO: “None, man, all idle: whores and knaves.”
Explanation: They mock Gonzalo again, suggesting his lazy society would be immoral.
Language Device: Crude humor
GONZALO: “I would with such perfection govern, sir, / T’ excel the Golden Age.”
Explanation: Gonzalo believes his society would be better than the mythical perfect era (Golden Age).
Theme: Idealism, Innocence
Language Device: Classical allusion
SEBASTIAN: “’Save his Majesty!”
ANTONIO: “Long live Gonzalo!”
Explanation: Sarcastic cheers, mocking him like he’s a king.
Tone: Satirical
GONZALO: “And do you mark me, sir?”
Explanation: Gonzalo asks if Alonso is paying attention.
Tone: Earnest
ALONSO: “Prithee, no more. Thou dost talk nothing to me.”
Explanation: Alonso asks him to stop — he’s not comforted or interested.
Theme: Grief, Emotional detachment
GONZALO
“I do well believe your Highness, and did it to minister occasion to these gentlemen, who are of such sensible and nimble lungs that they always use to laugh at nothing.”
- Explanation: Gonzalo says he believed the King (Alonso) and made the comment earlier just to give the other men (Antonio and Sebastian) a reason to laugh, since they laugh even when there’s nothing funny.
- Language Device: Sarcasm – He mocks Antonio and Sebastian’s habit of laughing at others.
- Theme: Mockery and Foolishness – Shows how wit is used for social power.
ANTONIO
“’Twas you we laughed at.”
- Explanation: Antonio bluntly says they were laughing at Gonzalo, not at nothing.
- Tone: Rude and direct.
- Theme: Disrespect for elders or wisdom.
GONZALO
“Who in this kind of merry fooling am nothing to you. So you may continue, and laugh at nothing still.”
- Explanation: Gonzalo says if he means nothing to them, they can keep laughing at nothing.
- Language Device: Irony – He knows they’re being cruel but still speaks kindly.
- Theme: Wisdom vs. mockery, dignity in the face of rudeness.
ANTONIO
“What a blow was there given!”
- Explanation: Antonio makes a joke, as if Gonzalo’s comment was a strong verbal blow.
- Tone: Sarcastic, teasing.
SEBASTIAN
“An it had not fallen flatlong.”
- Explanation: He adds that the blow (Gonzalo’s joke) would’ve hurt—if it hadn’t fallen flat. He’s calling Gonzalo’s words ineffective.
- Language Device: Metaphor – comparing words to a physical blow.
- Theme: Undermining authority.
GONZALO
“You are gentlemen of brave mettle. You would lift the moon out of her sphere if she would continue in it five weeks without changing.”
- Explanation: He sarcastically praises their boldness. He says they’re so ambitious they’d pull the moon from the sky if it stayed full too long.
- Language Device: Hyperbole, Metaphor.
- Theme: Ambition, hubris (excessive pride), satire.
[Enter Ariel invisible, playing solemn music.]
- Explanation: Ariel enters unseen, playing music that causes the characters to feel sleepy.
- Theme: Magic, illusion, supernatural influence.
SEBASTIAN
“We would so, and then go a-batfowling.”
- Explanation: Sebastian plays along and jokes that after taking the moon, they’d go hunting at night using it.
- Language Device: Pun / wordplay – batfowling is hunting birds at night, fitting the moon idea.
ANTONIO (to Gonzalo)
“Nay, good my lord, be not angry.”
- Explanation: Pretending to care, Antonio tells Gonzalo not to be mad.
- Theme: False politeness, manipulation.
GONZALO
“No, I warrant you, I will not adventure my discretion so weakly. Will you laugh me asleep? For I am very heavy.”
- Explanation: Gonzalo says he won’t waste his wisdom by getting angry. Then he jokes – maybe their laughter can help him sleep, because he feels drowsy.
- Language Device: Irony, gentle sarcasm.
ANTONIO
“Go sleep, and hear us.”
- Explanation: Another mocking comment. Tells Gonzalo to sleep and listen to them joke.
[All sink down asleep except Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian.]
- Explanation: The magical music causes everyone except these three to fall asleep.
ALONSO
“What, all so soon asleep? I wish mine eyes would, with themselves, shut up my thoughts. I find they are inclined to do so.”
- Explanation: Alonso is surprised at how quickly everyone fell asleep. He wishes his eyes could also shut off his sad thoughts.
- Theme: Grief, mental exhaustion – he’s mourning his son.
SEBASTIAN
“Please you, sir, do not omit the heavy offer of it. It seldom visits sorrow; when it doth, it is a comforter.”
- Explanation: Sebastian tells the king not to reject sleep—it rarely comes to sad people, and when it does, it comforts.
- Language Device: Personification of sleep.
- Theme: Rest from emotional pain.
ANTONIO
“We two, my lord, will guard your person while you take your rest, and watch your safety.”
- Explanation: Antonio assures Alonso they’ll watch over him as he sleeps.
- Theme: Deception – he’s pretending to care.
ALONSO
“Thank you. Wondrous heavy.”
- Explanation: He thanks them and says he feels incredibly sleepy (because of Ariel’s magic).
[Alonso sleeps. Ariel exits.]
SEBASTIAN
“What a strange drowsiness possesses them!”
- Explanation: Sebastian finds the sleepiness strange.
ANTONIO
“It is the quality o’ th’ climate.”
- Explanation: Antonio blames the weather for the drowsiness.
- Language Device: Dismissive excuse.
- Theme: Suspicion – they ignore the oddness.
SEBASTIAN
“Why doth it not then our eyelids sink? I find not myself disposed to sleep.”
- Explanation: Sebastian questions why they’re not sleepy too.
ANTONIO
“Nor I. My spirits are nimble.”
- Explanation: Antonio says he feels energetic and alert.
ANTONIO
“They fell together all, as by consent. They dropped as by a thunderstroke. What might, worthy Sebastian, O, what might—? No more.”
- Explanation: Antonio notes how everyone dropped off to sleep together, as if by some spell. He begins to suggest something bold to Sebastian, then stops himself.
- Theme: Temptation, foreshadowing treason.
ANTONIO
“And yet methinks I see it in thy face what thou shouldst be. Th’ occasion speaks thee, and my strong imagination sees a crown dropping upon thy head.”
- Explanation: Antonio says he sees royal potential in Sebastian and imagines a crown falling on his head.
- Language Device: Imagery, Metaphor.
- Theme: Ambition, power, manipulation.
SEBASTIAN
“What, art thou waking?”
- Explanation: He jokes Antonio must be dreaming to say something so bold.
ANTONIO
“Do you not hear me speak?”
- Explanation: Antonio affirms that he’s serious and awake.
SEBASTIAN
“I do, and surely it is a sleepy language, and thou speak’st out of thy sleep. What is it thou didst say?”
- Explanation: Sebastian jokes that Antonio sounds half-asleep and repeats strange things.
- Theme: Disbelief, mocking ambition.
SEBASTIAN
“This is a strange repose, to be asleep with eyes wide open—standing, speaking, moving—and yet so fast asleep.”
- Explanation: Sebastian plays with the idea that Antonio’s words seem like sleepwalking.
- Language Device: Metaphor – mocking the strange behavior and bold suggestions.
ANTONIO
“Noble Sebastian, thou let’st thy fortune sleep, die rather, wink’st whiles thou art waking.”
- Explanation: Antonio says Sebastian is letting his chance for power die while he’s awake.
- Language Device: Personification of fortune.
- Theme: Missed opportunity, temptation.
SEBASTIAN
“Thou dost snore distinctly. There’s meaning in thy snores.”
- Explanation: Jokingly, Sebastian says Antonio’s speech is like loud snoring—it might seem nonsense, but there’s a message in it.
ANTONIO
“I am more serious than my custom. You must be so too, if heed me; which to do trebles thee o’er.”
- Explanation: Antonio insists he’s serious and tells Sebastian he’ll gain great rewards if he listens.
- Theme: Persuasion, treachery, desire for power.
SEBASTIAN
“Well, I am standing water.”
- Explanation: Sebastian says he’s still and undecided, like unmoving water.
- Language Device: Metaphor.
ANTONIO
“I’ll teach you how to flow.”
- Explanation: Antonio says he’ll show Sebastian how to take action.
- Language Device: Continuing the water metaphor – he’ll turn his passiveness into ambition.
- Theme: Corruption, awakening desire for power.
SEBASTIAN:
“Do so. To ebb / Hereditary sloth instructs me.”
- Explanation: Sebastian is sarcastically agreeing to something Antonio suggested. “To ebb” means to decline or recede, and “hereditary sloth” refers to the laziness or reluctance passed down through generations. Sebastian is saying that laziness has taught him to act in a certain way.
- Themes: Inherited traits and laziness. This suggests that some behaviors or patterns in life are passed down from family to family.
ANTONIO:
“O, If you but knew how you the purpose cherish / Whiles thus you mock it, how in stripping it / You more invest it. Ebbing men indeed / Most often do so near the bottom run / By their own fear or sloth.”
- Explanation: Antonio responds by pointing out that Sebastian is mocking or rejecting something (a goal or purpose) while also secretly nurturing it. The more Sebastian rejects it, the more he invests in it because fear or laziness keeps him from moving forward.
- Literary Devices:
- Irony: Antonio uses irony to show that Sebastian’s behavior, even if it seems like mockery, is actually helping the thing he mocks.
- Metaphor: “Ebbing men” is a metaphor for people who are stuck or hesitant, not advancing in life.
- Themes: Fear, hesitation, and self-sabotage.
SEBASTIAN:
“Prithee, say on. / The setting of thine eye and cheek proclaim / A matter from thee, and a birth indeed / Which throes thee much to yield.”
- Explanation: Sebastian invites Antonio to continue speaking. He observes that Antonio’s facial expressions (the way his eyes and cheek look) are revealing something deeply troubling that Antonio is struggling to deal with.
- Literary Devices:
- Body Language: Sebastian reads Antonio’s face as an indication of something deeply troubling that Antonio wants to express.
- Symbolism: The “setting of thine eye and cheek” symbolically indicates emotional turmoil.
ANTONIO:
“Thus, sir: / Although this lord of weak remembrance—this, / Who shall be of as little memory / When he is earthed—hath here almost persuaded— / For he’s a spirit of persuasion, only / Professes to persuade—the King his son’s alive, / ‘Tis as impossible that he’s undrowned / As he that sleeps here swims.”
- Explanation: Antonio is explaining that even though the King (Alonso) has nearly convinced them that his son (Ferdinand) is alive, it is as impossible for Ferdinand to be alive as it is for someone sleeping to swim. He compares the situation to an absurd impossibility.
- Literary Devices:
- Metaphor: “As he that sleeps here swims” is a metaphor for something impossible.
- Allusion: Antonio uses the idea of persuasion to show that the King is only trying to comfort himself with a false hope.
SEBASTIAN:
“I have no hope / That he’s undrowned.”
- Explanation: Sebastian plainly says that he has no hope that Ferdinand is alive.
ANTONIO:
“O, out of that no hope / What great hope have you! No hope that way is / Another way so high a hope that even / Ambition cannot pierce a wink beyond, / But doubt discovery there. Will you grant with me / That Ferdinand is drowned?”
- Explanation: Antonio argues that Sebastian’s lack of hope about Ferdinand’s survival gives him a greater hope—one that’s beyond ambition. This new hope is so high that even ambition cannot touch it, but doubt will help uncover the truth. He asks Sebastian to agree that Ferdinand is dead.
- Literary Devices:
- Contrast: Antonio contrasts Sebastian’s hopelessness with a greater hope, illustrating the difference between despair and new opportunity.
- Rhetorical Question: Antonio asks if Sebastian agrees with his claim that Ferdinand is dead.
SEBASTIAN:
“He’s gone.”
- Explanation: Sebastian agrees that Ferdinand is dead.
ANTONIO:
“Then tell me, / Who’s the next heir of Naples?”
- Explanation: Antonio immediately shifts the conversation to a more practical concern—if Ferdinand is dead, who inherits the throne of Naples?
SEBASTIAN:
“Claribel.”
- Explanation: Sebastian answers that Claribel, the Queen of Tunis, is the next heir.
ANTONIO:
“She that is Queen of Tunis; she that dwells / Ten leagues beyond man’s life; she that from Naples / Can have no note, unless the sun were post—”
- Explanation: Antonio mocks the situation by emphasizing that Claribel is far away, ruling in Tunis, which is very far from Naples. He suggests that she is out of reach and irrelevant to their situation.
- Literary Devices:
- Hyperbole: “Ten leagues beyond man’s life” is an exaggeration to show how distant and unreachable Claribel is.
- Sarcasm: Antonio’s tone is sarcastic, as he’s pointing out how unlikely it is that Claribel could be involved in their plans due to her distance.
SEBASTIAN:
“The man i’ th’ moon’s too slow—till newborn chins / Be rough and razorable; she that from whom / We all were sea-swallowed, though some cast again, / And by that destiny to perform an act / Whereof what’s past is prologue, what to come / In yours and my discharge.”
- Explanation: Sebastian is reflecting sarcastically on the passage of time, implying that the man in the moon (a metaphor for time or fate) is too slow. He talks about being swallowed by the sea, referencing the shipwreck that brought them to the island. The phrase “what’s past is prologue” means that what has already happened sets the stage for what will come next, implying that their current actions (planning to kill Alonso) are inevitable.
- Literary Devices:
- Metaphor: The “man in the moon” symbolizes the slow passage of time.
- Allusion: The phrase “what’s past is prologue” is an allusion to fate, indicating that everything that has happened is preparing them for what is to come.
- Foreshadowing: The mention of “what’s past is prologue” suggests that the events unfolding are setting the stage for something larger, likely the murder of Gonzalo.
SEBASTIAN:
“What stuff is this? How say you? / ’Tis true my brother’s daughter’s Queen of Tunis, / So is she heir of Naples, ’twixt which regions / There is some space.”
- Explanation: Sebastian is trying to grasp what Antonio is suggesting. He acknowledges that Claribel, his brother’s daughter, is the Queen of Tunis and the heir to Naples, but there’s distance between the two places. He seems somewhat confused but agrees to what Antonio is saying.
- Literary Devices:
- Rhetorical Question: “What stuff is this?” indicates Sebastian’s skepticism or confusion about the plan.
- Contrast: The “space” between Naples and Tunis highlights how far Claribel is from being involved in Naples’ affairs.
ANTONIO:
“A space whose ev’ry cubit / Seems to cry out “How shall that Claribel / Measure us back to Naples? Keep in Tunis / And let Sebastian wake.” Say this were death / That now hath seized them, why, they were no worse / Than now they are.”
- Explanation: Antonio is emphasizing how far Claribel is and how irrelevant she is to their plans. He suggests that even if the people of Naples are dead, they are no worse off than they are now, implying that they could easily take over Naples without Claribel’s involvement.
- Literary Devices:
- Imagery: “Every cubit seems to cry out” creates a vivid image of space as something that separates them from Claribel’s rule.
- Metaphor: Antonio compares death to the situation they’re in, suggesting it would be no worse.
- Irony: There is an ironic twist to Antonio’s thinking—he argues that taking over Naples is no more destructive than the current situation of the people being dead.
ANTONIO:
“There be that can rule Naples / As well as he that sleeps, lords that can prate / As amply and unnecessarily / As this Gonzalo.”
- Explanation: Antonio dismisses the idea that only certain people are capable of ruling Naples, comparing it to Gonzalo, who is often talkative and useless. Antonio suggests that anyone, even someone who talks too much, can rule Naples.
- Literary Devices:
- Alliteration: “Prate as amply and unnecessarily” uses repetitive sounds to emphasize Gonzalo’s useless chatter.
- Irony: Antonio mocks Gonzalo’s talkativeness as an ineffective quality, suggesting that ruling requires little more than occupying the throne.
ANTONIO:
“I myself could make / A chough of as deep chat. O, that you bore / The mind that I do, what a sleep were this / For your advancement! Do you understand me?”
- Explanation: Antonio continues to flatter Sebastian, saying that he could talk as much as Gonzalo does, but it would be much more effective for Sebastian if he took action instead of staying passive. Antonio is encouraging Sebastian to act, to take advantage of the situation.
- Literary Devices:
- Metaphor: “A chough of as deep chat” suggests that Antonio can talk as much as anyone, but it’s not productive unless there’s action.
- Flattery: Antonio is subtly flattering Sebastian by suggesting that he could advance further if he took action like Antonio does.
SEBASTIAN:
“Methinks I do.”
- Explanation: Sebastian confirms that he understands Antonio’s point, although his agreement is somewhat passive.
ANTONIO:
“And how does your content / Tender your own good fortune?”
- Explanation: Antonio asks how satisfied Sebastian is with his current situation and whether he is happy with his prospects.
- Literary Devices:
- Rhetorical Question: Antonio asks a question that is meant to push Sebastian toward a decision.
SEBASTIAN:
“I remember / You did supplant your brother Prospero.”
- Explanation: Sebastian reminds Antonio that Antonio overthrew his own brother, Prospero, in order to take control of Milan, which encourages Sebastian to consider the possibility of doing the same for Naples.
ANTONIO:
“True, / And look how well my garments sit upon me, / Much feater than before. My brother’s servants / Were then my fellows; now they are my men.”
- Explanation: Antonio proudly boasts that his new position, after betraying Prospero, has made him more prosperous. He even compares his current success to how much better he looks now that he has gained power.
- Literary Devices:
- Metaphor: “Garments sit upon me” metaphorically reflects how well Antonio has adjusted to his new status.
- Contrast: The contrast between being “fellow” to his brother’s servants and now commanding them highlights Antonio’s rise to power.
SEBASTIAN:
“But, for your conscience?”
- Explanation: Sebastian brings up Antonio’s conscience, questioning how he justifies his actions. He seems concerned about Antonio’s moral state.
ANTONIO:
“Ay, sir, where lies that? If ’twere a kibe, / ’Twould put me to my slipper, but I feel not / This deity in my bosom. Twenty consciences / That stand ’twixt me and Milan, candied be they / And melt ere they molest! Here lies your brother, / No better than the earth he lies upon.”
- Explanation: Antonio dismisses the idea of conscience, saying it’s a trivial thing that doesn’t affect him. He feels no guilt for what he’s done. He even compares the consciences of those who might accuse him to something that melts away easily.
- Literary Devices:
- Metaphor: “If ’twere a kibe, / ’Twould put me to my slipper” uses a metaphor to suggest that conscience is like a minor irritation that can be easily dealt with.
- Hyperbole: “Twenty consciences” exaggerates how many moral obstacles Antonio has overcome to gain power.
ANTONIO:
“If he were that which now he’s like—that’s dead— / Whom I with this obedient steel, three inches of it, / Can lay to bed forever; whiles you, doing thus, / To the perpetual wink for aye might put / This ancient morsel, this Sir Prudence, who / Should not upbraid our course.”
- Explanation: Antonio suggests that Gonzalo, whom he calls an “ancient morsel” and “Sir Prudence,” is no longer an obstacle. He even talks about killing Gonzalo with his sword, showing his willingness to commit murder for power.
- Literary Devices:
- Metaphor: “Ancient morsel” is a dismissive metaphor for Gonzalo, implying he is old and insignificant.
- Irony: Antonio uses “obedient steel” (his sword) to justify the murder of someone who would otherwise be a moral hindrance.
SEBASTIAN:
“Thy case, dear friend, / Shall be my precedent: as thou got’st Milan, / I’ll come by Naples. Draw thy sword. One stroke / Shall free thee from the tribute which thou payest, / And I the King shall love thee.”
- Explanation: Sebastian agrees to follow Antonio’s lead. He decides that just as Antonio gained Milan by betraying his brother, he will do the same for Naples. He urges Antonio to act.
ANTONIO:
“Draw together, / And when I rear my hand, do you the like / To fall it on Gonzalo.”
- Explanation: Antonio and Sebastian prepare to kill Gonzalo, and Antonio tells Sebastian to act when he does.
SEBASTIAN:
“O, but one word. / They talk apart.”
- Explanation: Sebastian pauses for a moment, likely to reconsider the act or to ensure their plan is set.
Enter Ariel, invisible, with music and song.
ARIEL (singing):
“My master through his art foresees the danger / That you, his friend, are in, and sends me forth— / For else his project dies—to keep them living.”
- Explanation: Ariel reveals that Prospero, using his magic, has foreseen the danger that Gonzalo is in. Ariel is sent to keep Gonzalo alive because Prospero’s plan depends on it.
- Literary Devices:
- Foreshadowing: Ariel’s warning suggests that the plot to kill Gonzalo is about to be interrupted.
ARIEL (singing):
“While you here do snoring lie, / Open-eyed conspiracy / His time doth take. / If of life you keep a care, / Shake off slumber and beware. / Awake, awake!”
- Explanation: Ariel is trying to wake Gonzalo from his sleep, warning him that he’s in danger because of the conspiracy unfolding around him.
- Literary Devices:
- Personification: “Open-eyed conspiracy” personifies conspiracy as something that can “see” and act.
- Rhyme and Rhythm: Ariel’s song uses rhyme to give it a lyrical, magical quality, emphasizing the urgency of the warning.
ANTONIO, to Sebastian: “Then let us both be sudden.”
- Explanation: Antonio suggests that he and Sebastian should act quickly, without hesitation.
- Language Devices: “Sudden” is a key word here. It implies swift action or an impulsive decision.
- Analysis: Antonio’s quick thinking or hasty decision contrasts with the calmer approach of others. It suggests his tendency toward rash actions.
GONZALO, waking: “Now, good angels preserve the King! He wakes Alonso.”
- Explanation: Gonzalo wakes up and expresses concern for King Alonso, hoping angels will protect him.
- Language Devices: “Good angels preserve” is a type of prayer, calling for divine protection.
- Analysis: Gonzalo’s protective and respectful tone shows his loyalty to Alonso. His faith in divine protection contrasts with the tension and fear of the moment.
ALONSO, to Sebastian: “Why, how now, ho! Awake? Why are you drawn? Wherefore this ghastly looking?”
- Explanation: Alonso, still waking, questions why Sebastian and others have their weapons out, and why they look so alarmed.
- Language Devices: “Why are you drawn?” refers to drawing their weapons (a symbol of preparedness for danger). “Ghastly” means terrifying or ghostly.
- Analysis: Alonso’s confusion shows his unawareness of the danger, creating a contrast between his calm and the others’ alarm.
GONZALO, to Sebastian: “What’s the matter?”
- Explanation: Gonzalo asks Sebastian what has happened, as he sees the tension.
- Language Devices: Simple question, conveying concern.
- Analysis: Gonzalo’s inquiry highlights the fear that has spread through the group.
SEBASTIAN: “Whiles we stood here securing your repose, Even now, we heard a hollow burst of bellowing Like bulls, or rather lions. Did ’t not wake you? It struck mine ear most terribly.”
- Explanation: Sebastian explains that while they were standing guard over Alonso, they heard a terrifying sound, like roaring bulls or lions, and he is shocked that it didn’t wake Alonso.
- Language Devices: “Hollow burst of bellowing” is a vivid description of the sound, evoking an image of something huge and frightening. “Struck mine ear most terribly” means the sound was alarming.
- Analysis: Sebastian’s description emphasizes the danger and intensity of the situation, suggesting the threat is significant and terrifying.
ALONSO: “I heard nothing.”
- Explanation: Alonso responds that he didn’t hear any such noise.
- Language Devices: Short, simple response showing his lack of awareness.
- Analysis: Alonso’s lack of response adds to the tension. He seems oblivious to the threat everyone else is reacting to.
ANTONIO: “O, ’twas a din to fright a monster’s ear, To make an earthquake. Sure, it was the roar Of a whole herd of lions.”
- Explanation: Antonio describes the sound as so loud and terrifying that it could scare a monster or cause an earthquake. He insists it was the roar of many lions.
- Language Devices: “Din” refers to a loud, unpleasant noise. “Frieght a monster’s ear” and “make an earthquake” exaggerate the terrifying nature of the sound.
- Analysis: Antonio uses hyperbole (exaggeration) to emphasize how frightening the noise was. His words contribute to the growing fear.
ALONSO: “Heard you this, Gonzalo?”
- Explanation: Alonso asks Gonzalo if he heard the noise too, showing his concern and confusion.
- Language Devices: A simple question, revealing his unease.
- Analysis: Alonso is starting to believe something is wrong, but he still seeks validation from Gonzalo.
GONZALO: “Upon mine honor, sir, I heard a humming, And that a strange one too, which did awake me. I shaked you, sir, and cried. As mine eyes opened, I saw their weapons drawn. There was a noise, That’s verily. ’Tis best we stand upon our guard, Or that we quit this place. Let’s draw our weapons.”
- Explanation: Gonzalo confirms that he did hear something too—a humming noise. He describes how he woke up, saw weapons drawn, and believes they should prepare for danger.
- Language Devices: “Upon mine honor” is a formal way of saying “I swear.” “Humming” is a softer description compared to the roar, adding a sense of eeriness. “Stand upon our guard” and “draw our weapons” indicate they should be ready for a potential threat.
- Analysis: Gonzalo is now fully alert, ready to defend. His cautious and responsible nature leads him to suggest action.
ALONSO: “Lead off this ground, and let’s make further search For my poor son.”
- Explanation: Alonso decides they should leave the area and continue searching for his son.
- Language Devices: “Lead off” means to move away. “Poor son” adds a sense of worry and compassion.
- Analysis: Alonso is focused on his son, even in the midst of potential danger. His emotional attachment to his son is central to his actions here.
GONZALO: “Heavens keep him from these beasts, For he is, sure, i’ th’ island.”
- Explanation: Gonzalo prays for the safety of Alonso’s son, hoping he is not near the danger.
- Language Devices: “Heavens keep him” is a prayer. “Beasts” refers to the lions or dangers they fear.
- Analysis: Gonzalo’s concern for Alonso’s son contrasts with the earlier fear of immediate physical danger, showing his empathy.
ALONSO: “Lead away.”
- Explanation: Alonso gives the command to move forward with the search.
- Language Devices: Short and direct, showing urgency.
- Analysis: Alonso’s resolve to find his son is now clear, despite the confusion and fear surrounding him.
ARIEL, aside: “Prospero my lord shall know what I have done. So, king, go safely on to seek thy son.”
- Explanation: Ariel speaks to himself, thinking about informing Prospero of what has happened. He wishes the king safety in his search.
- Language Devices: “Prospero my lord” refers to Ariel’s loyalty to Prospero. “Go safely on” expresses a wish for Alonso’s safety.
- Analysis: Ariel’s aside shows his role as a servant to Prospero, and his expression of care for Alonso indicates Ariel’s complexity—he’s not just a spirit of control, but someone who can wish others well.
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