The Tempest (32 page)

167
it
i.e. the
globe

168
pageant
spectacle/scene

169
rack
shred of cloud, fragment of mist (perhaps with play on “wrack”—i.e. wreck)

171
rounded
completed/surrounded (perhaps with play on “crowned”)

174
cell
humble dwelling

178
with a thought
quickly, as swiftly as I think of you

179
cleave to
adhere to, respond rapidly to

184
varlets
rogues

185
red-hot
fired up/red in the face

186
smote
struck

188
bending
turning, proceeding

190
unbacked colts
untrained, unbroken young horses

191
Advanced
opened

192
As
as if

193
lowing
mooing

194
Toothed
prickly

194
briars … thorns
all types of thorny, coarse shrubs

196
filthy-mantled
covered with scum or rotting weeds

197
that
so that

197
lake … feet
i.e. being stirred up, the lake stank even more foully than their feet

200
Thy … still
i.e. remain invisible

201
trumpery
fancy garments, worthless finery

202
stale
bait

206
Humanely
as a human/benevolently

206
lost
wasted on him/corrupted by him

208
cankers
decays, becomes malignant

209
roaring
moaning, wailing

209
line
clothesline/lind (i.e. lime tree)

209.1
glistering
glittering

210
that
so that even

213
fairy
i.e. Ariel

214
played … with
tricked/played the knave

219
lost
ruined, destitute

222
hoodwink this mischance
cover up this misfortune

229
fetch off
retrieve

229
o’er ears
up to my ears (in the stinking lake)

233
mischief
evil, wrongdoing

235
aye
ever

238
King … peer
allusion to a popular ballad (“King Stephen was a worthy peer”) about kings and their clothing

241
frippery
second-hand clothes shop

246
dropsy
disease in which the body accumulates fluid

247
luggage
trappings, encumbrances

250
Make … stuff
transform us into extraordinary material

251
Mistress line
i.e. the clothesline/tree

252
jerkin
close-fitting jacket

252
under the line
off the clothesline or tree/at the equator, or metaphorically, genitals, and thus
bald
from either a sailor’s fever or syphilis

253
hair
many jerkins were made from animal fur and cured (i.e. “hairless”) leather

254
line and level
methodically

254
an’t like
if it please

258
pass of pate
witty thrust

260
lime
birdlime, a sticky substance spread on branches to snare birds

263
barnacles
sea creatures/type of goose (hence connotations of stupidity, as with
apes
)

264
villainous
villainously/vilely (playing on “villain,” a servant or lowly person)

265
lay to your
use

266
hogshead
large cask

269.1
diverse
various

270
Mountain … Tyrant
the names of the spirits as hounds, all of which imply their powerful personalities

273
grind
torment/crush

274
dry convulsions
painful cramps

274
shorten up
contract

275
agèd cramps
pains of old age

275
pinch-spotted
bruised from pinches

276
pard
leopard/panther

276
cat o’mountain
wild cat

281
air at freedom
freedom of the air (i.e. be released)

281
a little
short time

Act 5 Scene 1

1
project
plan (with associations of “alchemical experiment”)

1
gather … head
come to fruition/begin to boil (a vital stage in alchemy)

2
crack not
do not fail/do not overboil

2
Time … carriage
Time walks more easily with his burden

3
How’s the day?
What time is it?

10
gave in charge
instructed

12
line-grove
grove of lime trees

12
weather-fends
shelters

14
abide
remain

14
distracted
distressed/maddened

17
termed
called

18
winter’s … reeds
winter rain from thatched roofs

20
affections
feelings

27
relish … Passion
feel the force of emotion/suffering as acutely

28
kindlier moved
affected with more compassion

29
high
extreme

29
th’quick
most tender part

31
take part
join forces

31
rarer
more unusual/profound

32
than
rather than

33
drift
aim

38
standing
still/stagnant

39
with printless foot
leaving no trace

40
fly
flee

41
demi-puppets
tiny creatures

42
sour ringlets
fairy rings, darker circles of grass supposedly caused by fairies dancing

43
ewe not bites
sheep will not eat the grass because it is sour

44
midnight mushrooms
mushrooms that grow overnight; toadstools were particularly associated with fairies

45
solemn curfew
nine o’clock bell; after the evening curfew, the spirits were free until dawn

46
masters
ministers/magicians

46
bedimmed
eclipsed/clouded over

48
azured vault
blue sky

49
roaring war
i.e. caused a storm

50
fire
i.e. lightning

50
rifted
split

50
oak
a tree particularly associated with the king of the gods

51
strong-based promontory
sturdy headland

52
spurs
i.e. roots

54
oped
opened

55
rough
violent/imperfect

56
abjure
solemnly reject

56
required
summoned

58
end
purpose

60
certain
a certain number of

60
fathoms
a fathom was about six feet

61
plummet
instrument used to measure the depth of water

61
sound
penetrate

62.1
frantic
mad

63
air
melody

64
fancy
imagination

65
boil
that boil

66
spell-stopped
motionless, arrested by the spell

68
sociable
sympathetic

68
show
sight (Gonzalo is weeping)

69
Fall fellowly
let fall compassionate

69
apace
swiftly

71
rising
awakening

72
ignorant
dull/befuddled

72
mantle
cloak

74
true
honest

75
follow’st
serve

75
pay … Home
repay the debt in full

78
furtherer
enabler

80
entertain
court/welcome

81
remorse and nature
pity and kinship

82
inward pinches
inner turmoil/tortures of conscience

85
the … shore
i.e. their awakening senses begin to move them toward understanding

89
hat and rapier
signs of a gentleman

89
rapier
sword

90
discase
undress/change costume

91
As … Milan
as I looked when I was Duke of Milan

94
cowslip’s bell
the bell-shaped petals that form the flower

95
couch
rest/conceal myself

105
enforce
urge/drive

106
presently
immediately

107
drink the air
i.e. devour the way, travel quickly

108
Or ere
before

111
fearful
terrifying/awe-inspiring

119
trifle
illusion, trick

119
abuse
deceive/harm

122
amends
improves

124
be at all
is even real

125
Thy … resign
Alonso gives up his claims over Milan, a tributary state to Naples

131
be … not
is or is not real

134
subtleties
illusions, magical contrivances (plays on sense of “sugar confections”)

136
brace
pair

138
you
you as

144
rankest
most grievous

145
perforce
of necessity

153
woe
sorry

158
the like
a similar

158
sovereign
excellent/healing

159
content
satisfied/resigned

161
as late
recent

161
supportable … weaker
I have far fewer means at my disposal with which to make my grief bearable

167
That
i.e. were it necessary in order for that to be the case

171
do … admire
are so astonished

172
devour their reason
their reason is consumed

172
think … truth
believe their eyes

173
their … breath
they are speechless

175
justled
jostled

179
on’t
of it

180
chronicle … day
a narrative to be told over many days/one day at a time

181
relation
report

184
abroad
elsewhere

186
requite
repay/respond to

187
wonder
puns on Miranda’s name

189
play me false
are cheating

192
a score
twenty

192
wrangle
wage war

197
miracle
continues wordplay on Miranda’s name

201
compass
encircle

204
goodly
splendid, worthy

209
eld’st
oldest, longest

215
one
i.e. a living father

217
renown
report/honor

221
hers
i.e. her father (in-law)

226
heaviness
grief/weight

227
inly
inwardly

230
chalked forth
marked out