The Shakespeare Story-Book · Mary Macleod
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PAGE Heading to Introduction vii “Some have greatness thrust upon them” xiv Heading to Contents xv ” Illustrations xix Ariel and Caliban 1 “What?... Put thy sword up, traitor!” 7 “I love and honour you beyond all limit” 12 “Now let us take our leave” 27 “Go, get you gone, and let the papers lie” 32 “Go, base intruder! Overweening slave!” 38 “Treacherous man! Thou hast beguiled my hopes!” 49 Cupid’s trap 54 “Yet tell her of it; hear what she will say” 66 “A thousand times good-night” 71 “There, Leonato, take her back again” 73 Puck in mischief 82 “What thou seest when thou dost wake” 93 “Lysander!... Alack, where are you?” 94 “O, how I love thee! How I doat on thee!” 97 “Methought I was--no man could tell what I was” 103 On the Rialto 104 “For these _courtesies_ I’ll lend you thus much money” 108 “Tarry a little: there is something else” 125 “And for your love I’ll take this ring from you” 129 In the Forest of Arden 133 “We’ll have a martial outside” 141 “It is ten o’clock” 145 “Hang there, my verse” 149 Audrey, the goatherd 150 “And your experience makes you sad?” 153 Katharine and Petruchio 158 “Fear not, they shall not touch thee, Kate” 165 “What’s this? A sleeve?”
Initials, tailpieces, etc., etc. The Tempest The Magician’s Isle There was once a lonely island far away in the midst of a wide sea. Only four beings lived on this island: an elderly man called Prospero, noble, grave and learned; his daughter Miranda; and two attendants. One of these attendants was a beautiful and dainty spirit called Ariel, the other a sullen monster called Caliban. For Prospero had more than worldly learning; he knew the art of magic, and by his mighty spells he could control not only the spirits of light and darkness, but also the forces of Nature. No travellers ever came to the island, and since the day when Miranda had been brought thither, a little baby girl, she had never seen the face of any man except her father. Peacefully the years slipped by, and Miranda had grown into a beautiful young maiden, when one day a terrible storm of thunder and lightning burst over the island. In the midst of the tempest a noble vessel seemed to be sinking, and Miranda ran to entreat her father that, if by his magic arts he had put the waves into such an uproar, he would now allay them. “Be comforted, dear child; there is no harm done,” said her father. “What I have done is only in care for you, and I have so safely ordered this wreck that not a hair of anyone on board shall suffer hurt. Until now we have lived peacefully in this little spot, and you know nothing of what you are, nor that I am anything more than Prospero, the master of a poor enough cell, and your father.”
“It never entered into my thoughts to inquire further,” said Miranda. “The time has come when you must know everything,” said Prospero; and laying aside his magic mantle, he bade his daughter sit down beside him, and then he told her the story of their life. “Can you remember a time before we came to this island?” he began. “I do not think you can, for you were then only a few years old.” “Certainly I can,” replied Miranda. “It is far off, and more like a dream than a remembrance. Had I not four or five women once that waited on me?” “You had, Miranda, and more. Twelve years ago your father was the Duke of Milan, and a Prince of power.” “Oh, heaven! what foul play had we that we came from thence? Or was it a blessing that we did?”
“Both, both, my girl. By foul play, as you say, were we driven from Milan, but blessedly helped thither. In those days Milan was the first State in Italy, and everywhere renowned for its splendour. I had so great a love for art and learning that I devoted much of my time to study, and left the government of the State to my brother Antonio, whom I loved best in the world and trusted beyond measure. But he was false to the confidence reposed in him, and soon began to think that he was Duke in reality. He therefore entered into a plot with an inveterate enemy of mine, Alonso, King of Naples, and by promise of a large bribe obtained his assistance. A treacherous army was levied, and one midnight Antonio opened the gates of Milan to the King of Naples. In the dead of darkness you and I were seized and hurried away. So great was the love borne me by my people that the traitors dared not kill us, but we were cast adrift in a rotten boat, without sail, mast, or tackle. By the kindness of a noble Neapolitan, Gonzalo, rich stuffs, foods, and necessaries, had been placed in the boat, together with many valuable books from my library, which I prize more than my dukedom. The waves bore us to this island, and here we have lived ever since, and I have given such care to your teaching that you know more than many other Princesses with more leisure time and less careful tutors.”
“Heaven thank you for it, dear father!” said Miranda. “And now, I pray you, tell me your reason for raising this storm.” By his magic art, Prospero replied, he knew that by chance his enemies had come near the island, and unless he seized this happy moment his fortunes would droop, never to recover. “But ask no more questions, Miranda,” he ended. “You are weary; rest here and sleep a little.” As soon as Miranda was asleep, Prospero summoned his dainty and nimble little sprite, Ariel, and asked whether he had performed his bidding. “In every particular,” replied Ariel; and he told his master how, in the guise of a flame, he had danced all over the storm-driven ship till the whole vessel seemed on fire, and every one on board except the mariners had plunged affrighted into the sea. “But are they safe, Ariel?” “Not a hair perished, not a thread of their garments hurt. I have scattered them in troops about the island, as you bade me. The King of Naples’ son, Ferdinand, I have landed by himself, and now he is sitting and sighing alone in an odd corner of the isle.” “And the King’s ship?” “Safely in harbour, hidden in a deep nook. The mariners, already weary with their labour, I have charmed away to sleep. The rest of the fleet which I scattered have now all met again, and are in the Mediterranean, bound sadly home for Naples. They believe that they have seen the King’s ship wrecked, and that all on board have perished.”
Prospero was much pleased with the way Ariel had performed his charge, but he said there was still some further work to do. He promised that if all went well Ariel in two days should be set free from service, and henceforward should be his own master. He bade Ariel now take a new shape--that of a nymph of the sea, invisible to all but his own master. In this guise Ariel approached the young Prince of Naples, and began to sing in the sweetest fashion: “Full fathom five thy father lies; Of his bones a’e coral made; Those are pearls that were his eyes: Nothing of him that doth fade, But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange. Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell: Hark! now I hear them, ding-dong, bell.” Lured by the sound of this sweet singing, which came he knew not whence, Ferdinand followed the unseen Ariel into the presence of Prospero and Miranda. Now, excepting her father, Miranda had never seen a man, and at first she did not know what Ferdinand was. “Is it a spirit, father?” she asked. “No, child; it eats and sleeps, and has the same senses that we have. This gallant whom you see was in the wreck, and except that his handsome face is somewhat worn with grief and trouble, you might call him a goodly person. He has lost his companions, and wanders about to find them.”
“I might call him a thing divine,” replied Miranda warmly, “for I never saw anything so noble.” Ferdinand, in his turn, was equally enchanted with the sight of Miranda, and declared on the spot that, if there were no one else whom she already loved, he would make her Queen of Naples. Prospero was delighted with the way matters were going, for it was his desire that the young people should love each other; but fearing that a prize so easily won would be held too light, he began to throw some difficulties in the way. He pretended to believe that Ferdinand was not really a King’s son, and had come to the island as a spy. He declared he would put him into fetters, and give him only the coarsest food to eat. In vain Miranda implored her father to treat the young Prince less harshly. Prospero told her to be silent, and roughly bade Ferdinand to follow him. The Prince was naturally indignant at such uncourteous treatment, and hastily drew his sword in defiance. But Prospero threw a sudden spell over the young man, and he stood motionless, unable to stir. “What? Put thy sword up, traitor!” commanded Prospero sternly. And Ferdinand, feeling himself powerless to resist, and happy that in his prison he should at least have the pleasure of beholding the beautiful maiden who had so kindly pleaded for him, followed obediently when the magician again summoned him.
The Shipwrecked Wanderers Meanwhile the rest of the royal party who had plunged into the sea from the King’s ship were wandering in another part of the island. Among them were Alonso, King of Naples, and his brother Sebastian; Antonio, the usurping Duke of Milan; Gonzalo, an honest old counsellor of the King of Naples, with Adrian and Francisco, two of his lords. Exhausted with the labour they had undergone, the whole party, with the exception of Sebastian and Antonio, presently fell asleep. Antonio, not content with having driven his own brother from the dukedom of Milan, now began to suggest treachery to Sebastian, the brother of the King of Naples. Ferdinand, the son of the King of Naples, he said, must certainly have been drowned, his only daughter, Claribel, was married, and far away in Africa--in fact, they were at this moment on their way home from her wedding festivities--there was therefore no near heir to the throne of Naples. Antonio suggested that Sebastian should seize the kingdom of Naples, as he himself had usurped that of Milan. He pointed out how easy it would be to slay King Alonso as he lay there asleep; in fact, he offered to do the deed himself, while Sebastian at the same moment was to put an end to the faithful Gonzalo. The other lords would offer no resistance, but would willingly agree to any suggestions made to them.
Sebastian was only too ready to fall in with this wicked scheme, but in the meanwhile, invisible to them, Ariel came near, and at the very moment when the traitors had drawn their swords and were about to kill Alonso and Gonzalo he sang in the ear of the latter and awakened him. “Good angels save the King!” cried Gonzalo; and Alonso started awake at the shout. “Why! how now? Ho, awake!” cried the King. “Why are your swords drawn? Why do you look so ghastly?” “What’s the matter?” added Gonzalo, still dazed with sleep. “While we stood here guarding your repose just now,” said Sebastian, with a ready lie, “we heard a hollow burst of bellowing like bulls, or, rather, lions. Did it not wake you? It struck my ear most terribly.” “I heard nothing,” said the King. “Oh, it was din enough to frighten a monster--to make an earthquake!” said Antonio. “Surely it was the roar of a whole herd of lions.” “Did you hear this, Gonzalo?” asked the King. “Upon mine honour, sir, I heard a humming, and that a strange one, too, which wakened me. I shook you, sir, and cried out. As my eyes opened I saw their weapons. There certainly was a noise. We had better stand on guard, or leave this place. Let us draw our weapons.”
“Lead away from here,” commanded the King. “Let us make further search for my poor son.” “Heaven keep him from these beasts!” said Gonzalo. “For he is surely in the island.” “Lead away,” repeated Alonso. “Prospero shall know what I have done,” said Ariel, as Alonso and his companions started again on their wanderings. “Go, King--go safely on to seek thy son.” The King’s Son Prospero, in order to carry out his plans, pretended to be very harsh and severe with the young Prince of Naples, and he set him a heavy task--to remove and pile up some thousands of logs. For the sake of the love he already bore to Miranda, Ferdinand obeyed patiently, and it sweetened and refreshed his labour to see how distressed the gentle maiden was at the sight of his toil. “Alas! I pray you, do not work so hard,” entreated Miranda, as she met him bearing a log. “I would the lightning had burnt up all these logs! Pray set that down and rest you. My father is hard at study: pray, now, rest yourself; he is safe for the next three hours.” “Oh, most dear lady!” said Ferdinand, “the sun will set before I can finish what I must strive to do.” “If you will sit down,” said Miranda, “I will carry your logs the while. Pray give me that; I will carry it to the pile.”
“No, dear lady, I had rather crack my sinews, break my back, than that you should undergo such dishonour while I sit lazy by.” “It would become me as well as it does you,” said Miranda, “and I would do it the more easily, because I want to do it and you do not. You look weary.” “No, noble lady; when you are near me the night becomes fresh morning,” said Ferdinand. “I do beseech you--chiefly that I may set it in my prayers--what is your name?” “Miranda.” “Admired Miranda! Dearest name in the world!” cried Ferdinand. “Many gentle ladies I have been pleased to see and to talk with, and I have liked different women for different virtues; but never until now have I found one without some defect. But you--oh, you, so perfect and so peerless!--are created the best of every creature!” “I do not know any other woman,” said Miranda simply. “I remember no woman’s face save, from my glass, mine own. Nor have I seen others that I may call men, except you, good friend, and my dear father. I do not know what they may be like, but, in simple truth, I would not wish any companion in the world but you, nor can I imagine anyone whose look I would like better. But I prattle too wildly, and in that forget my father’s precepts.”
“In rank I am a Prince, Miranda,” said Ferdinand, “I think a King: would it were not so!” For he thought his father had perished with the ship. “I would not for one moment endure this slavery if it were not for you. The very instant I saw you my heart flew to your service, and for your sake I carry these logs patiently.” “Do you love me?” “By heaven and earth, I love, prize, and honour you beyond all limit of everything else in the world!” Miranda’s eyes filled with tears of joy. “I am foolish to weep for what I am glad of,” she whispered. “Why do you weep?” said Ferdinand. “Because I am unworthy to offer the love I desire to give,” said Miranda, “much less to take what I shall die for if I do not have. I am your wife if you will marry me; if not, I’ll die a maid. You may refuse to have me as your companion, but I’ll be your servant, whether you will or no.” “My Queen, dearest, and I thus humble ever,” said Ferdinand, kneeling before her. “My husband, then?” “Ay, with a heart as willing as freedom after bondage: here’s my hand.” “And mine, with my heart in it. And now, till half an hour hence, farewell!” “A thousand thousand!” cried Ferdinand; and so they parted.
Unseen by the young lovers, Prospero, in his cell, had listened to all that passed, and his rejoicing was scarcely less than theirs to find that his schemes were working so well. But he had still much to do before supper-time, and he now returned to his books. Mysterious Music While Antonio and Sebastian were discussing their scheme to murder the King of Naples, another band of wretched creatures was plotting mischief against the lord of the island. When Prospero had first come to this island, he found it inhabited by a hideous young monster called Caliban, the son of a wicked witch who had been banished there from her own country. This witch--Sycorax--had for servant the dainty sprite Ariel, and because Ariel refused to obey her evil commands she imprisoned him as a punishment in the trunk of a cloven pine-tree. Here Ariel abode in torment and misery for twelve years, during which time Sycorax died, and left her son Caliban as the only inhabitant of the island. Prospero, on his arrival, set Ariel free, and took him into his own service, and, pitying the young Caliban, he at first tried by kindness to tame his savage nature. But all his efforts were useless. Caliban hated everything good, and repaid Prospero’s kindness with malice and evil doing. Prospero found that gentle means were of no avail, and that the only way in which to keep Caliban in order was to treat him with stern severity. For this Caliban hated his master, and was always longing to be revenged on him.
Among those saved from the King’s ship were two worthless scamps--Trinculo, a jester, and Stephano, a drunken butler. Caliban, meeting them by chance, immediately begged to become their servant, hoping by this means to escape from Prospero. He further offered to lead them to where Prospero lay asleep, so that they might kill the magician. It was agreed that Stephano was then to marry Miranda, and become the lord of the island, and Caliban was to be his servant. While they were talking, Ariel entered, invisible. He listened to their plots, and amused himself by speaking a few words every now and then, which soon set the conspirators quarrelling, for they none of them knew where the voice came from, and thought it was one of themselves mocking the others. Finally Ariel began to play mysterious music on a pipe and tabor. Stephano and Trinculo were greatly alarmed, but Caliban soothed them, saying that the island was full of noises and sweet sounds which gave delight and did no hurt. “Sometimes a thousand instruments will hum about mine ears,” he said, “and sometimes voices, which, if I awake after a long sleep, will make me sleep again. Then in dreams the clouds seem to open and show riches ready to drop on me, so that when I awake I cry to dream again.”
“This will prove a brave kingdom to me, where I shall have my music for nothing,” said Stephano. “When Prospero is destroyed,” put in Caliban. “That shall be at once,” replied Stephano. “The sound is going away; let us follow it, and do our work afterwards,” said Trinculo. “Go on, monster; we will follow,” said Stephano to Caliban. “I would I could see this taborer; he plays bravely.” So with his mysterious music Ariel lured the three villains away. He led them a pretty dance, through briars, sharp furze, prickly gorse, and thorns, which ran into their poor shins; and finally he left them in the filthy water of a stagnant pool, not far from Prospero’s cell. * * * * * In the meanwhile Alonso, King of Naples, and his party were still wandering about the island; but by-and-by they grew so weary that poor old Gonzalo declared he could go no further. “I cannot blame you,” said King Alonso, “for I myself am dull with weariness. Sit down and rest. Now here I give up hope that I shall ever see my son again. He is drowned, and the sea mocks our useless search on land.” The traitor Antonio was delighted to see that the King had lost all hope, and he begged Sebastian not to give up their wicked scheme because it had been once repulsed.
“The next advantage we will take thoroughly,” Sebastian whispered back to Antonio. “Let it be to-night,” said Antonio, “for now they are so worn out with travel they will not and cannot use such vigilance as when they are fresh.” “I say to-night,” agreed Sebastian. “No more.” At that moment strange and solemn music was heard. “What harmony is this?” said the King. “Hark, my good friends!” “Marvellous sweet music!” said Gonzalo. Unseen by them, Prospero entered, and by his magic art he caused a number of strange and grotesque figures to appear, who brought in a banquet. After dancing round it with gentle actions of greeting, and inviting the King and his companions to eat, they disappeared. “Give us kind keepers, heaven! What were these?” exclaimed the startled King. “If I reported this in Naples, would they believe me?” said Gonzalo. “These must be islanders, and although they are of such strange shapes, yet note, their manners are more gentle and kind than many of our human race.” “You speak well, honest lord,” said Prospero aside, “for some of you there are worse than devils.” “They vanished strangely,” said Francisco. “No matter, since they left their viands behind them,” said Sebastian. “Will it please your Majesty to taste of what is here?” “Not I,” said Alonso. “Faith, sir, you need not fear,” said Gonzalo.
“Well, I will eat, although it be my last meal,” said the King. “Brother, and you, my Lord Duke of Milan, do as we do.” At that instant there was a peal of thunder and a flash of lightning. Ariel, in the form of a harpy, a hideous bird of prey, flew in and flapped his wings over the table, and immediately the banquet vanished. “You are three men of sin, whom Destiny has cast upon this island because you are quite unfit to live among men,” he said, addressing Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio. Enraged, they drew their swords, but Ariel only mocked at them. “You fools! I and my fellows are ministers of Fate. Your swords might as well try to wound the winds or stab the water, as hurt one feather of my plumage. If you could hurt, your swords are now too heavy for your strength, and you cannot lift them. But remember--for this is my business to you--that you three supplanted the good Duke Prospero from Milan, cast him and his innocent child adrift on the sea, which hath now revenged it. The heavenly powers have delayed punishment for this foul deed, but they have not forgotten it, and now they have incensed the sea and the shore and all creatures against you. They have bereft you, Alonso, of your son, and they pronounce by me that lingering perdition worse than any death shall fall in this desolate island on you and all your ways, unless you heartily repent and amend your life.”
Ariel vanished in thunder, and then to soft music entered the strange shapes again, and, with a mocking dance, carried out the table on which the banquet had been spread. “Bravely done, my Ariel!” said Prospero aside, while the King of Naples and his companions stood mute with amazement. “My charms are working, and these my enemies are quite astounded. They are now in my power, and here I will leave them while I visit young Ferdinand--whom they think drowned--and his and my loved darling.” “In the name of heaven, sir, why do you stand with that strange stare?” asked Gonzalo of the King. “Oh, it is monstrous, monstrous!” cried the conscience-stricken Alonso. “I thought the billows spoke and told me of my wicked deed, the winds sang it to me, and the thunder pronounced the name of ‘Prospero.’ Therefore my son is drowned, and I will lie with him fathoms deep below the waves.” So saying, he hurried from the spot, followed at once by Sebastian and Antonio. “All three of them are desperate,” said Gonzalo. “Their great guilt, like poison which takes a long time to work, now begins to bite their spirit. I do beseech you,” he added to the lords in waiting, “follow them swiftly, and hinder them from what this madness may provoke them to.”
Ideas discussed in this chapter
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.