Act 1, Scene 1

Original Text

*On a ship at sea: a tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning heard. Enter a Ship-Master and a Boatswain.* MASTER. Boatswain! BOATSWAIN. Here, master: what cheer? MASTER. Good, speak to the mariners: fall to't, yarely, or we run ourselves aground: bestir, bestir.

Modern English

*On a ship at sea. Thunder, lightning, and the roar of a storm. The Ship's Captain and the Boatswain enter.* CAPTAIN. Boatswain! BOATSWAIN. Right here, captain -- what's the situation? CAPTAIN. Good man, get the sailors moving: jump to it, quickly, or we'll run aground. Move, move!

Original Text

*Enter Mariners.* BOATSWAIN. Heigh, my hearts! cheerly, cheerly, my hearts! yare, yare! Take in the topsail. Tend to the master's whistle. Blow, till thou burst thy wind, if room enough! *Enter Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Ferdinand, Gonzalo, and others.*

Modern English

*Sailors enter.* BOATSWAIN. Come on, lads! Look alive, look alive! Quickly now! Haul in the topsail. Listen for the captain's whistle. Blow all you want, storm -- as long as we've got sea room! *King Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio, Ferdinand, Gonzalo, and others enter.*

Original Text

ALONSO. Good boatswain, have care. Where's the master? Play the men. BOATSWAIN. I pray now, keep below. ANTONIO. Where is the master, boatswain? BOATSWAIN. Do you not hear him? You mar our labour: keep your cabins: you do assist the storm. GONZALO. Nay, good, be patient.

Modern English

ALONSO. Good boatswain, be careful. Where's the captain? Put the men to work. BOATSWAIN. Please, stay below deck. ANTONIO. Where is the captain, boatswain? BOATSWAIN. Can't you hear him? You're getting in the way of our work. Go to your cabins -- you're only making the storm worse. GONZALO. Now, now, be patient with us.

Original Text

BOATSWAIN. When the sea is. Hence! What cares these roarers for the name of king? To cabin: silence! trouble us not. GONZALO. Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard. BOATSWAIN. 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.

Modern English

BOATSWAIN. I'll be patient when the sea is. Get out of here! Do these roaring waves care about the title of king? Get to your cabins, shut up, and stop bothering us. GONZALO. Fine, but remember who you've got on board. BOATSWAIN. Nobody I love more than myself. You're a royal counsellor -- if you can order these waves to be quiet and make the sea behave, we'll stop pulling ropes. Go ahead, use your authority. If you can't do that, be thankful you've lived this long and go get ready in your cabin for whatever's coming, if it comes. Cheer up, men! Now get out of our way, I said.

Original Text

GONZALO. 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 hanged, our case is miserable.

Modern English

GONZALO. I take great comfort from this fellow. The way I see it, he doesn't have the look of a man who'll drown -- his face practically screams the gallows. Hold firm, good Fate, and keep him for hanging -- let the rope of his destiny serve as our anchor cable, since our own does us little good. If he wasn't born to be hanged, then we're in real trouble.

Original Text

*Re-enter Boatswain.* BOATSWAIN. Down with the topmast! yare! lower, lower! Bring her to try with main-course. A plague upon this howling! they are louder than the weather or our office. *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?

Modern English

*The Boatswain re-enters.* BOATSWAIN. Down with the topmast! Quickly! Lower, lower! Bring her around with the mainsail. Damn this howling! Those passengers are louder than the storm or our own shouting. *Sebastian, Antonio, and Gonzalo re-enter.* You again! What are you doing here? Should we just give up and drown? Do you want to sink?

Original Text

SEBASTIAN. A pox o' your throat, you bawling, blasphemous, incharitable dog! BOATSWAIN. Work you, then. ANTONIO. Hang, cur! hang, you whoreson, insolent noise-maker. We are less afraid to be drowned than thou art. GONZALO. I'll warrant him for drowning; though the ship were no stronger than a nutshell, and as leaky as an unstanched wench.

Modern English

SEBASTIAN. A plague on your throat, you loud, blasphemous, heartless dog! BOATSWAIN. Then you do the work. ANTONIO. Go hang, you mongrel! You insolent loudmouth. We're less afraid of drowning than you are. GONZALO. I guarantee he won't drown -- even if this ship were as flimsy as a nutshell and leaked like a sieve.

Original Text

BOATSWAIN. Lay her a-hold, a-hold! set her two courses off to sea again; lay her off. *Enter Mariners wet.* MARINERS. All lost! to prayers, to prayers! all lost! BOATSWAIN. What, must our mouths be cold?

Modern English

BOATSWAIN. Hold her steady, hold her! Set both sails and head back out to sea -- get her away from shore! *Drenched sailors enter.* SAILORS. We're done for! Say your prayers! All lost! BOATSWAIN. What -- are we to die with cold lips and no last drink?

Original Text

GONZALO. The king and prince at prayers! let's assist them, For our case is as theirs. SEBASTIAN. I'm out of patience. ANTONIO. We are merely cheated of our lives by drunkards: This wide-chapp'd rascal,--would thou mightst lie drowning The washing of ten tides! GONZALO. He'll be hang'd yet, Though every drop of water swear against it, And gape at widest to glut him.

Modern English

GONZALO. The king and prince are praying -- let's join them, since our fate is the same as theirs. SEBASTIAN. I've lost all patience. ANTONIO. We've been killed by drunken incompetents. This big-mouthed scoundrel -- I wish he'd spend ten tides drowning in the surf! GONZALO. He'll still hang someday, even if every drop of water tries to swallow him, opening wide to gulp him down.

Original Text

*A confused noise within: "Mercy on us!"-- "We split, we split!"-- "Farewell my wife and children!"-- "Farewell, brother!"-- "We split, we split, we split!"* ANTONIO. Let's all sink with the king. SEBASTIAN. Let's take leave of him. GONZALO. Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground, long heath, brown furze, any thing. The wills above be done! but I would fain die a dry death.

Modern English

*Confused cries from within: "God have mercy!" -- "We're breaking apart!" -- "Goodbye, my wife and children!" -- "Farewell, brother!" -- "We're splitting apart, splitting apart!"* ANTONIO. Let's all go down with the king. SEBASTIAN. Let's say our goodbyes to him. GONZALO. Right now I'd trade a thousand miles of ocean for one acre of dry land -- heathland, gorse bushes, anything. God's will be done! But I'd much rather die on dry ground.

The Tempest

Act 1, Scene 1

Act 1, Scene 1