ACT I SCENE I.-On a Ship at sea. A Storm, with Thunder and Lightning. Enter Master and Boatswain severally. OATSWAIN! Boats. Here, master: what cheer? 2 Mast. Good,' speak to the mariners: fall to't yarely, or we run ourselves a-ground: bestir, bestir. [Exit. Enter Mariners. Boats. Heigh, my hearts! cheerly, cheerly, my hearts! yare, yare! Take in the topsail. Tend to the master's whistle. [Exeunt Mariners.]Blow till thou burst thy wind,3 if room enough!* Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, FERDINAND, GONZALO, and Others. Alon. Good boatswain, have care. Where's the master? Play the men.5 1. Good was often used in Shakespeare's time as we use the word well, to introduce a sentence. 2. Fall to't yarely means get to work briskly. 3. Shakespeare may have had in his mind the pictures which represent the wind as a little old man with cheeks puffed out till they were nearly bursting. Perhaps, too, the line should read, "Blow till thou burst thee, wind." 4. If there is sea-room enough. The boatswain is not alarmed if he can have room to handle his ship. 5. We still say "play the man" when we wish to encourage any one to be brave and manly. Boats. I pray now, keep below. Anto. Where is the master, boatswain ? Boats. Do you not hear him? You mar our labour: keep your cabins; you do assist the storm. Gonza. Nay, good, be patient. Boats. When the sea is. Hence! What care these roarers for the name of king? To cabin: silence! trouble us not. Gonza. Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard. 6 Boats. None that I more love than myself. You are a counsellor: if you can command these elements to silence, and work the peace of the present, we will not hand a rope more; use your authority: if you cannot, give thanks you have lived so long, and make yourself ready in your cabin for the mischance of the hour, if it so hap. Cheerly, good hearts!-Out of our way, I say. [Exit. Gonza. I have great comfort from this fellow: methinks he hath no drowning-mark upon him; his complexion is perfect gallows.-Stand fast, good Fate, to his hanging! make the rope of his destiny our cable, for our own doth little advantage! If he be not born to be hang'd, our case is miserable. [Exeunt. Re-enter Boatswain. Boats. Down with the top-mast! yare; lower, 6. The word time may be understood after present. The boatswain infers that they cannot make peaceful weather of the present storm. 7. Hap means happen. 8. The word complexion here means bent or inclination. Gonzalo says the boatswain is born to be hung; he cannot be drowned. lower! Bring her to try wi' th' main-course.' [A cry within.] A plague upon this howling! they are louder than the weather or our office.10. Re-enter SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, and GONZalo. Yet again! what do you here? Shall we give o'er, and drown? Have you a mind to sink? Sebas. A pox o' your throat, you bawling, blasphemous, incharitable dog! Boats. Work you, then. Anto. Hang, cur, hang! you insolent noisemaker, we are less afraid to be drown'd than thou art. Gonza. I'll warrant him for drowning," though the ship were no stronger than a nut-shell. Boats. Lay her a-hold, a-hold! set her two courses!12 off to sea again; lay her off! lost! Re-enter Mariners, wet. Mariners. All lost! to prayers, to prayers! all [Exeunt. Boats. What, must our mouths be cold? Gonza. The King and Prince at prayers! let us assist them, For our case is as theirs. Sebas. I'm out of patience. 9. The boatswain finds he has not sea-room enough so he calls upon the sailors to take down the topmast and to bring the ship as close into the wind as possible and hold her there with the main sail. 10. This sentence means they are noisier than the tempest and the commands of our officers. 11. Gonzalo still thinks the boatswain was born to be hanged, and warrants that he will not be drowned. 12. The boatswain is still trying to bring her to the wind, so she may get out to sea. The courses are the largest lower sails. |