The Tempest (28 page)

246
up-staring
standing on end

250
nigh
near

254
sustaining
necessary/buoyant

256
troops
groups

258
cooling of
cooling

259
angle
nook, corner

260
sad knot
i.e. folded, a sign of melancholy

266
dew
a common ingredient of magic potions

267
still-vexed Bermudas
the Bermuda islands were famed for fearful storms

268
under hatches
i.e. below deck

269
charm
spell

269
suffered labour
i.e. the tiring work performed during the storm

272
float
sea

279
mid season
noon

280
two glasses
two hourglasses (so it is about 2 p.m.)

281
preciously
valuably

282
pains
work, effort

283
remember
remind

285
Moody
ill-humored/stubborn/willful

288
time be out
fixed period of service is over

292
or
either

293
bate me
deduct from my term of service

297
tread … deep
walk on the muddy sand of the ocean floor

304
Sycorax
name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Greek
sus
(“pig”) and
korax
(“raven”), animals associated with witchcraft

305
hoop
i.e. bent posture

308
Algiers
seaport capital of Algeria, in North Africa

314
for … life
probably meaning that Sycorax was pregnant and therefore could not be executed

317
blue-eyed
with dark circles under the eyes or with blue eyelids, thought to be a sign of pregnancy

317
hag
witch

317
with child
pregnant

320
for
because

320
delicate
fine in quality/ethereal

321
earthy
coarse/of the earth

322
hests
commands

323
ministers
assistants

324
unmitigable
impossible to assuage

325
cloven
cleft, split

329
As … strike
as often as each blade of a waterwheel hits the water

330
litter
give birth to (term applied to animals)

331
whelp
puppy, son of a bitch

331
hag-born
born of a witch

333
Caliban
anagram of “can[n]ibal”; perhaps derived from the Romany word
caulibon
(“dark thing”)

334
Dull thing
may refer to Ariel or Caliban

335
in service
as a servant

337
wolves … bears
i.e. even moved fierce beasts

341
gape
open

344
murmur’st
complain

344
rend
tear apart

345
peg
fasten

345
entrails
innards (literally, intestines)

348
correspondent
responsive, obedient

349
spriting
magical actions of a sprite (spirit)

349
gently
quietly, tamely

351
discharge
free

360
Heaviness
sleepiness

364
villain
base, lowborn/wicked person

366
miss
do without

367
offices
duties

369
earth
earthy thing/low creature/piece of dirt

373
quaint
ingenious/elegant

376
got
conceived

377
dam
mother

379
fen
swampy ground

380
southwest
winds from the southwest were thought to bring damp, disease-ridden air

383
urchins
hedgehogs/spirits in hedgehog form

384
vast
expanse/long period

385
exercise
work

386
As … honeycomb
i.e. as many times as there are cells in a honeycomb/so that you resemble a honeycomb

387
Than
than the

387
’em
i.e. honeycombs

392
berries
possibly grapes to make a mild wine, or juniper berries, which would create a kind of gin

393
bigger … less
i.e. the sun and moon

396
brine-pits
pools of saltwater

397
charms
spells

398
light
alight

400
sty
pen up, confine

401
hard rock
cave

404
stripes
lashes of a whip

404
kindness
good will/natural feeling/kinship

404
used
treated

405
humane
human/benevolent

406
violate … child
i.e. rape Miranda

409
I … else
otherwise I would have populated

412
print
imprint, image

413
capable … ill
only susceptible to evil/able to perform any kind of evil

418
race
innate disposition

422
more
more punishment

424
red-plague
red sores were caused by, among other diseases, the plague

424
rid
destroy

425
learning
teaching

426
Hag-seed
offspring of a witch

427
thou’rt best
you would be better off

430
rack
torture

430
old cramps
plentiful cramps/cramps of old age/cramps similar to those Caliban has experienced previously

435
Setebos
a Patagonian god mentioned in sixteenth-century travel narratives

436
vassal
servant, slave

441
whist
(become) silent

442
Foot it featly
dance skillfully

444
burden
chorus, refrain

448
strain
song

448
chanticleer
rooster

451
waits upon
attends/anticipates

453
the
for the

455
passion
acute grief

459
fathom five
five fathoms (thirty feet) deep

462
fade
decompose

463
suffer
undergo

465
knell
funeral bell

468
ditty
song/lyrics

468
does remember
recalls/commemorates

469
mortal
human (plays on the sense of “deathly”)

470
owes
owns

471
fringèd curtains
i.e. eyelids

471
advance
open

472
yond
yonder, over there

475
brave
handsome, noble, splendid

477
gallant
fashionable, handsome young man

478
but
except that

478
something
somewhat

479
canker
infection, corruption

480
goodly
handsome, fine

483
natural
human

486
prompts
directs, urges, wills

489
airs
Ariel’s songs

489
Vouchsafe
grant (that)

490
remain
live

492
bear me
behave

493
wonder
plays on the Latin root of Miranda’s name
(“mirandus”
—i.e. “wonderful”)

494
maid
human/a virgin, unmarried

498
best
i.e. highest in rank (a king, assuming his father is drowned)

499
where
i.e. Naples

502
single thing
solitary/a bachelor/one and the same person (as the King of Naples)

503
He
i.e. as I am now king and hear my own grief

505
ebb
low tide (i.e. without tears)

509
son
Antonio’s son is never mentioned again; perhaps Shakespeare forgot or cut the part, neglecting this reference

509
twain
separated

511
control
challenge/govern

513
changed eyes
gazed at one another, exchanged loving looks

513
Delicate
fine/ethereal

515
done … wrong
i.e. spoken falsely in your claim to be king

516
ungently
harshly/discourteously

521
your … forth
you have not fallen in love with or betrothed yourself to someone else

523
Soft
wait a moment

524
either’s
each other’s

525
uneasy
difficult

525
light
easy, but in next line sense shifts to “less valuable/unchaste”

526
charge
command

527
attend
listen to, take heed of

528
ow’st not
do not own

530
on’t
of it (the island)

532
temple
i.e. Ferdinand’s body

539
fresh-brook mussels
inedible freshwater mussels

542
entertainment
treatment/hospitality

546
gentle
noble/courteous

546
fearful
frightening

548
foot
i.e. inferior body part (proverbial: “do not make the foot the head”)

550
ward
defensive posture

556
surety
guarantor

558
chide
scold/punish

560
shapes
i.e. men

562
To
compared to

568
nerves
sinews, muscles

569
vigour
strength

571
spirits
vital powers/senses

575
through
i.e. from

576
all corners else
everywhere else

581
do me
do for me

584
unwonted
uncharacteristic

587
then
i.e. if that is to be the case

Act 2 Scene 1

3
much beyond
far outweighs

3
hint
circumstance, occasion

5
masters … merchant
officers of some merchant ship

8
weigh
balance

10
peace
possibly Sebastian puns on “peas” by introducing

11
porridge
, a vegetable stew

12
visitor
charitable visitor offering comfort or advice

13
wit
intelligence

16
tell
count (the strokes)

17
entertained
received

19
dollar
a large silver coin (playing on the sense of
entertainer
as “performer”)

20
Dolour
sorrow

21
purposed
intended

22
wiselier
more profoundly/wittily

25
spare
desist

29
crow
i.e. speak

31
cockerel
young cock/young man

32
wager
bet, stake

33
A laughter
“he wins that laughs” (proverbial); may also play on the sense of “the whole number of eggs laid by a hen before she is ready to sit”