Back to: The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Scene 1
In another part of the island, Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Adrian, and others have been washed ashore. Gonzalo tries to console Alonso for at least being alive. Antonio and Sebastian make fun of Gonzalo’s ways of constantly trying to please the king with his wit.
Gonzalo praises the island because he thinks it is good for life to thrive in. He believes that it has a good atmosphere. Alonso gets irritated with all such talks while grieving for his son Ferdinand who couldn’t come ashore with them and they presume whether he is dead or not.
Soon they fall asleep under the spell of Ariel’s music apart from Antonio and Sebastian who start talking. Antonio starts suggesting to Sebastian that in case Ferdinand is dead and Alonso’s only daughter is married in Tunis then he may become the king.
Sebastian initially denies and asks him about conscience and how he cast his brother out and became Duke in his place. Now they think of killing Gonzalo and Alonso together so in one stroke the path to kingship will become clear.
Ariel intervenes invisibly and wakes Gonzalo up. He wakes up with others and Antonio and Ferdinand lie that it was the roar of a beast. Ariel leaves to inform Prospero all about it and this group is lead away by Gonzalo to remain safe.
Scene 2
In another part of the island, Caliban while coming with a load of wood as ordered by Prospero earlier, starts cursing him. Trinculo enters and tries to understand the deformity of Caliban by wondering whether he’s a man or a fish or a monster.
It starts raining and Stephano joins while singing. Caliban thinks that they’re sent by Prospero to torment him so he brings the wood faster. Stephano asks him to drink wine.
They get drunk. Stephano in his drunk state jokes that Trinculo and Caliban together look like a four-legged monster. After getting drunk, Caliban starts worshipping them as heavenly gods.
Trinculo and Stephen make fun of Caliban and his easily changing loyalty and willingness to serve. Caliban starts singing of freedom and leads the way.
