Act 3, Scene 2

Another part of the island

[Enter CALIBAN, with a bottle, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO.]
Stephano
1323 Tell not me:—when the butt is out we will drink
1324 water; not a drop before: therefore bear up, and board
1325 'em.—Servant-monster, drink to me.
Trinculo
1326 Servant-monster! The folly of this island! They
1327 say there's but five upon this isle; we are three of
1328 them; if th' other two be brained like us, the state
1329 totters.
Stephano
1330 Drink, servant-monster, when I bid thee: thy
1331 eyes are almost set in thy head.
Trinculo
1332 Where should they be set else? He were a brave
1333 monster indeed, if they were set in his tail.
Stephano
1334 My man-monster hath drown'd his tongue in
1335 sack: for my part, the sea cannot drown me; I swam, ere
1336 I could recover the shore, five-and-thirty leagues, off
1337 and on, by this light. Thou shalt be my lieutenant,
1338 monster, or my standard.
Trinculo
1339 Your lieutenant, if you list; he's no standard.
Stephano
1340 We'll not run, Monsieur monster.
Trinculo
1341 Nor go neither: but you'll lie like dogs, and
1342 yet say nothing neither.
Stephano
1343 Moon-calf, speak once in thy life, if thou beest
1344 a good moon-calf.
Caliban
1345 How does thy honour? Let me lick thy shoe.
1346 I'll not serve him: he is not valiant.
Trinculo
1347 Thou liest, most ignorant monster: I am in case
1348 to justle a constable. Why, thou deboshed fish thou,
1349 was there ever man a coward that hath drunk so much sack
1350 as I to-day? Wilt thou tell a monstrous lie, being but
1351 half fish and half a monster?
Caliban
1352 Lo, how he mocks me! wilt thou let him, my lord?
Trinculo
1353 'Lord' quoth he!—That a monster should be such
1354 a natural!
Caliban
1355 Lo, lo again! bite him to death, I prithee.
Stephano
1356 Trinculo, keep a good tongue in your head: if
1357 you prove a mutineer, the next tree! The poor monster's
1358 my subject, and he shall not suffer indignity.
Caliban
1359 I thank my noble lord. Wilt thou be pleas'd to
1360 hearken once again to the suit I made to thee?
Stephano
1361 Marry will I; kneel, and repeat it: I will stand,
1362 and so shall Trinculo.
[Enter ARIEL, invisible]
Caliban
1363 As I told thee before, I am subject to a tyrant,
1364 sorcerer, that by his cunning hath cheated me of the
1365 island.
Ariel
1366 Thou liest.
Caliban
1367 Thou liest, thou jesting monkey, thou;
1368 I would my valiant master would destroy thee;
1369 I do not lie.
Stephano
1370 Trinculo, if you trouble him any more in his tale,
1371 by this hand, I will supplant some of your teeth.
Trinculo
1372 Why, I said nothing.
Stephano
1373 Mum, then, and no more.—
[To CALIBAN]
Caliban
1374 I say, by sorcery he got this isle;
1375 From me he got it: if thy greatness will ,
1376 Revenge it on him,—for I know, thou dar'st;
1377 But this thing dare not,—
Stephano
1378 That's most certain.
Caliban
1379 Thou shalt be lord of it and I'll serve thee.
Stephano
1380 How now shall this be compassed? Canst thou
1381 bring me to the party?
Caliban
1382 Yea, yea, my lord: I'll yield him thee asleep,
1383 Where thou may'st knock a nail into his head.
Ariel
1384 Thou liest: thou canst not.
Caliban
1385 What a pied ninny's this! Thou scurvy patch!—
1386 I do beseech thy greatness, give him blows,
1387 And take his bottle from him: when that's gone
1388 He shall drink nought but brine; for I'll not show him
1389 Where the quick freshes are.
Stephano
1390 Trinculo, run into no further danger: interrupt the
1391 monster one word further and, by this hand, I'll turn
1392 my mercy out o' doors, and make a stock-fish of thee.
Trinculo
1393 Why, what did I? I did nothing. I'll go farther off.
Stephano
1394 Didst thou not say he lied?
Ariel
1395 Thou liest.
Stephano
1396 Do I so? Take thou that.
[Strikes TRINCULO.]
Stephano
1397 As you
1398 like this, give me the lie another time.
Trinculo
1399 I did not give the lie:—out o' your wits and
1400 hearing too?—A pox o' your bottle! this can sack and
1401 drinking do.—A murrain on your monster, and the devil
1402 take your fingers!
Caliban
1403 Ha, ha, ha!
Stephano
1404 Now, forward with your tale.—Prithee stand
1405 further off.
Caliban
1406 Beat him enough: after a little time, I'll beat
1407 him too.
Stephano
1408 Stand farther.—Come, proceed.
Caliban
1409 Why, as I told thee, 'tis a custom with him
1410 I' th' afternoon to sleep: there thou may'st brain him,
1411 Having first seiz'd his books; or with a log
1412 Batter his skull, or paunch him with a stake,
1413 Or cut his wezand with thy knife. Remember
1414 First to possess his books; for without them
1415 He's but a sot, as I am, nor hath not
1416 One spirit to command: they all do hate him
1417 As rootedly as I. Burn but his books;
1418 He has brave utensils,—for so he calls them,—
1419 Which, when he has a house, he'll deck withal:
1420 And that most deeply to consider is
1421 The beauty of his daughter; he himself
1422 Calls her a nonpareil: I never saw a woman
1423 But only Sycorax my dam and she;
1424 But she as far surpasseth Sycorax
1425 As great'st does least.
Stephano
1426 Is it so brave a lass?
Caliban
1427 Ay, lord: she will become thy bed, I warrant,
1428 And bring thee forth brave brood.
Stephano
1429 Monster, I will kill this man; his daughter and I
1430 will be king and queen,—save our graces!—and Trinculo
1431 and thyself shall be viceroys. Dost thou like the plot,
1432 Trinculo?
Trinculo
1433 Excellent.
Stephano
1434 Give me thy hand: I am sorry I beat thee; but
1435 while thou livest, keep a good tongue in thy head.
Caliban
1436 Within this half hour will he be asleep;
1437 Wilt thou destroy him then?
Stephano
1438 Ay, on mine honour.
Ariel
1439 This will I tell my master.
Caliban
1440 Thou mak'st me merry: I am full of pleasure.
1441 Let us be jocund: will you troll the catch
1442 You taught me but while-ere?
Stephano
1443 At thy request, monster, I will do reason, any
1444 reason. Come on, Trinculo, let us sing.
[Sings]
Stephano
1445 Flout 'em and scout 'em; and scout 'em and flout 'em:
1446 Thought is free.
Caliban
1447 That's not the tune.
[ARIEL plays the tune on a Tabor and Pipe.]
Stephano
1448 What is this same?
Trinculo
1449 This is the tune of our catch, played by the
1450 picture of Nobody.
Stephano
1451 If thou beest a man, show thyself in thy
1452 likeness: if thou beest a devil, take't as thou list.
Trinculo
1453 O, forgive me my sins!
Stephano
1454 He that dies pays all debts: I defy thee.—Mercy
1455 upon us!
Caliban
1456 Art thou afeard?
Stephano
1457 No, monster, not I.
Caliban
1458 Be not afeard: the isle is full of noises,
1459 Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.
1460 Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
1461 Will hum about mine ears; and sometimes voices,
1462 That, if I then had wak'd after long sleep,
1463 Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,
1464 The clouds methought would open and show riches
1465 Ready to drop upon me; that, when I wak'd,
1466 I cried to dream again.
Stephano
1467 This will prove a brave kingdom to me, where I
1468 shall have my music for nothing.
Caliban
1469 When Prospero is destroyed.
Stephano
1470 That shall be by and by: I remember the story.
Trinculo
1471 The sound is going away: let's follow it, and
1472 after do our work.
Stephano
1473 Lead, monster: we'll follow.—I would I could see
1474 this taborer! he lays it on. Wilt come?
Trinculo
1475 I'll follow, Stephano.
[Exeunt]

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Word definitions on hover

Notes

TLN 1323archaic vocab
“when the butt is out we will drink water”
A 'butt' is a large wooden cask (approximately 126 gallons) used to store wine or spirits on ships. Stephano is ordering the group to keep drinking until the whole barrel is empty — his self-appointed rule of the island rests entirely on controlling the liquor supply. 'Bear up, and board 'em' is sailors' slang for steering into the wind and grappling an enemy vessel, here applied to guzzling drink.
TLN 1326wordplay
“The folly of this island! They say there's but five upon this isle”
Trinculo mocks Stephano's title 'Servant-monster' but also makes a political joke: the island has only five inhabitants (Prospero, Miranda, Caliban, Trinculo, Stephano), and if the 'other two' (Prospero and Miranda) are as addled as the three drunks, 'the state totters.' The word 'state' is deliberate — their tipsy conspiracy is a parody of the political coup plotted by Antonio and Sebastian in the court party.
TLN 1330archaic vocab
“thy eyes are almost set in thy head”
To have one's eyes 'set' means to have them fixed and glazed — the glassy, unfocused stare of a drunk or a dying person. The contemporary idiom was that a dead man's eyes 'set' (became rigid and stopped moving). Stephano observes Caliban is so drunk his eyes have that fixed, blank look. Trinculo caps the joke: where else would eyes be set but in his head? — unless on a monster they might be 'set in his tail.'
TLN 1334archaic vocab
“hath drown'd his tongue in sack”
'Sack' is a dry Spanish or Canary white wine, the most fashionable strong drink of the period — it is also Falstaff's drink in the Henry IV plays. 'Lieutenant' and 'standard' are military ranks: a lieutenant was the deputy commander, a 'standard' (standard-bearer) the ensign who carried the troop's flag. Trinculo quips that Caliban is too drunk even to stand upright, so he cannot be a 'standard' (one who stands); Stephano retorts 'We'll not run' — another military pun (to 'run' was to flee in battle).
TLN 1343archaic vocab
“Moon-calf, speak once in thy life”
A 'moon-calf' was Elizabethan slang for a monstrosity or misshapen creature, believed to be produced by the malign influence of the moon on a developing fetus. Caliban is called a moon-calf twice in 2.2 as well; the term fits his birth narrative, since his mother Sycorax was a witch who worshipped the moon-god Setebos and whose pregnancy was rumored to be supernatural.
TLN 1347archaic vocab
“I am in case to justle a constable. Why, thou deboshed fish thou”
'Justle' means to jostle, elbow, or shove — to pick a fight. Trinculo boasts he is drunk enough to pick a fight with a constable (the lowest level of local law enforcement). 'Deboshed' is an early form of 'debauched' — dissolute and given over to excess. Caliban is a 'deboshed fish' because he is both monstrous (fish-like in form — compare Trinculo's description in 2.2) and degraded by drink.
TLN 1353wordplay
“That a monster should be such a natural”
Trinculo's word 'natural' is a pun with two meanings that cut in opposite directions. A 'natural' was Elizabethan slang for a born fool or idiot (someone naturally, not accidentally, deficient in reason). But 'natural' also meant a human being as distinguished from a supernatural creature — so Trinculo mocks the absurdity that a monster, who is not natural, should also be a natural (a congenital fool). The pun goes to the heart of Caliban's ambiguous status in the play.
TLN 1356historical topical
“if you prove a mutineer, the next tree”
Stephano threatens Trinculo with summary execution by hanging from the nearest tree — the standard shipboard punishment for mutiny. Under maritime law a captain could hang a mutineer at sea without trial, and this power extended to the shore party. Stephano, having appointed himself king of the island, applies the most feared instrument of naval discipline to assert authority over his 'subject' Caliban.
TLN 1385archaic vocab
“What a pied ninny's this! Thou scurvy patch”
Caliban calls Trinculo a 'pied ninny' and a 'scurvy patch.' 'Pied' means multi-colored or patchy — a standard description of a jester's coat, which was sewn in contrasting colors or patches to signal the wearer's role. 'Ninny' meant a simpleton. 'Patch' was both a reference to the jester's patchwork costume and, by extension, an insult meaning a fool or worthless fellow (Trinculo is in fact the court jester). Caliban is correctly identifying Trinculo's profession and insulting him for it.
TLN 1392archaic vocab
“make a stock-fish of thee”
A 'stock-fish' is a cod or haddock dried hard without salt — a common, cheap preserved food. Before it could be eaten it had to be beaten repeatedly with a mallet to soften the stiff flesh. Stephano threatens to beat Trinculo until he is as limp and thoroughly pounded as a stock-fish being prepared for cooking — a vivid if comic threat.
TLN 1400archaic vocab
“A pox o' your bottle! this can sack and drinking do.—A murrain on your monster”
'A pox' is a standard Elizabethan oath invoking venereal disease or smallpox as a curse — equivalent to 'damn your bottle.' A 'murrain' (also spelled 'murren') was a contagious, often fatal disease of livestock — plague among cattle and sheep. Both curses belong to the standard register of Elizabethan low insult; Trinculo is swearing colorfully at Stephano for hitting the wrong man.
TLN 1411cultural context
“Having first seiz'd his books; or with a log Batter his skull, or paunch him with a stake”
Caliban identifies Prospero's books as the source of all his power — without them 'He's but a sot, as I am.' 'Paunch him' means to stab him in the belly; 'wezand' (TLN 1413) is the windpipe or throat. The strategy of destroying a magician's books before killing him reflects a genuine Elizabethan understanding that a learned magician's power resided in his library. Caliban has grasped this correctly — Prospero drowns his books at 5.1.57.
TLN 1421archaic vocab
“he himself Calls her a nonpareil: I never saw a woman But only Sycorax my dam and she”
'Nonpareil' is a French word meaning 'without equal' or 'matchless' — the most beautiful of all. Caliban tells Stephano that Prospero himself calls Miranda this, giving her as the prize to sweeten the murder plot. The detail that Caliban has seen only two women — the hideous Sycorax and the beautiful Miranda — makes his comparison exact and oddly moving. He is not speaking conventionally but from genuine experience of contrast.
TLN 1441archaic vocab
“will you troll the catch You taught me but while-ere”
To 'troll' a catch means to sing a round or part-song in a rolling, continuous manner — each singer picks up the melody in turn so that it never stops. A 'catch' was a popular musical form, usually comic or bawdy, performed in overlapping vocal parts. 'While-ere' means a short while ago, or recently. Caliban is asking Stephano to sing the round he just taught him, illustrating that even amid a murder plot Caliban responds to music with genuine delight.
TLN 1449cultural context
“the picture of Nobody”
Trinculo means that the invisible Ariel — playing their own song back to them from thin air — sounds like the music has no player, nobody. But 'Nobody' was also the title figure of a popular print and pamphlet circulating around 1606: a woodcut image of a man whose head sits directly on his legs with no body between, labeled 'Nobody.' This image was widely known and would get an immediate laugh from an audience who could picture it.
TLN 1454cultural context
“He that dies pays all debts: I defy thee”
Stephano recites a piece of proverbial wisdom — death cancels all obligations — as a drunk man's claim to bravery: if he dies, at least he won't owe anyone anything. The proverb was common enough that the audience would recognize it as such. Its comic effect comes from context: Stephano uses this philosophical consolation about the end of all earthly cares to work up the courage to face a supernatural music he cannot see.