finished_summaries/cliffnotes/The Tempest/section_5_part_0.txt
The Tempest.act 3.scene 2
scene 2
{"name": "Scene 2", "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20201219151049/https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/t/the-tempest/summary-and-analysis/act-iii-scene-2", "summary": "This scene returns to Stefano, Trinculo, and Caliban -- all of whom are now very drunk. Caliban has a plan to kill Prospero and elicits help from his new friends. As Caliban explains that he is the rightful owner of the island, Ariel arrives and listens attentively. Caliban explains that they must burn Prospero's books, and after Prospero is dead, Stefano can marry Miranda, which will make her his queen of the island. Trinculo agrees to the plot. Ariel resolves to tell Prospero of the plot against him. When the drunken men begin singing, Ariel accompanies them on a tabor and pipe. The men hear the music and are afraid, but Caliban reassures them that such sounds are frequently heard on the island. Stefano finds the idea of free music a strong promise of his success on the island, and three drunken conspirators follow the sounds of the music offstage.", "analysis": "Caliban represents untamed nature in conflict with civilization. He intuitively understands that Prospero's power comes from his books; thus the books are to become the first victims of his rebellion. Prospero's books represent oppression to Caliban because all that Prospero's civilization and books have to offer is slavery. Although Caliban might be considered an uneducated savage by Elizabethan accounts , he existed quite happily on the island before Prospero's arrival. Civilization transformed Caliban from freedom to slavery, and he has received little benefit from Prospero's tutelage; even Caliban's use of language is limited to little more than cursing. Because civilization has failed Caliban, he quickly turns to the first possible source of help to appear: Stefano and Trinculo, the lowest forms of civilized behavior. Caliban's island paradise is not all that different from Gonzalo's ideal natural world. Both Caliban and Gonzalo see their ideal worlds as untouched by the confinements of civilization. In both visions, nature provides whatever is needed, and mankind has little effect on the island's existence. But there is one substantial difference. Where Gonzalo would make himself king, Caliban dreams of living in peaceful isolation, with no king to abuse him. Yet, to secure his freedom from Prospero, Caliban would subordinate himself to Stefano, who would take Prospero's place as ruler. Caliban is unable to appreciate that the crass butler, whom he has elevated to a god, would be a worse god than Prospero has been. After all, upon first finding Caliban, Stefano pulled Caliban's head back, forced open his mouth, and poured wine down his throat. His exploitation of Caliban, including the plan to exhibit him as a money-making proposition, reflects little concern for Caliban's well-being. Although Prospero's enslavement of Caliban also raises questions of propriety, his stated reasons are to restore order to the island. However, Prospero's sense of order ignores Caliban's needs. Caliban does not need civilization and its artifacts, education, and language to satisfy his needs. So desperate is Caliban to escape Prospero's oppression, that he would effectively trade one god for another: Prospero for Stefano. But Caliban appears unable or unwilling to comprehend this component of his plot. The murder of Prospero is his immediate concern, and he gives little thought to what might follow. Caliban's plot to murder Prospero offers a parallel to Antonio's plot to murder Alonso. Caliban enlists the assistance of Stefano and Trinculo, just as Antonio enlists the support of Sebastian. Each group of conspirators ignores reason and logic. At the moment, they are all isolated on the island, with little hope or expectation of rescue. Alonso's murder will render no gain for Antonio or Sebastian, since Sebastian would be king of nothing. In a parody of Antonio's plot, Prospero's murder will provide little benefit for Caliban, except to trade one ruler for another and, perhaps, slavery for worse abuse. But both plots illustrate the potential for violence that exists in all levels of society, whether in the aristocracy of Naples or in the natural beauty of an isolated island. Caliban, himself, is filled with contradictions. On one hand, he is brutal, instructing Stefano to \"Bite him  to death\" . Caliban also describes in detail his plans to murder Prospero by \"knock a nail into his head\" . Later, Caliban gives his co-conspirators many choices of ways to murder Prospero, from striking him on the head to disemboweling him to cutting his throat. Any means is acceptable, and, as a reward, Caliban casually promises them Miranda. The brutality of Caliban's plan is countered with the poetry of his descriptions of the island: The isle is full of noises,Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.Sometimes a thousand twangling instrumentsWill hum about mine ears, and sometimes voicesThat if I then had waked after long sleepWill make me sleep again; and then in dreamingThe clouds methought would open and show richesReady to drop upon me, that when I wakedI cried to dream again. The songs that Caliban describes and the beauty of his dreams reveal a humanity that is lacking in his descriptions of the murder plot. Caliban is more than a wild beast of the island, and his personality is more complex than his brief scenes have thus far disclosed. The plot to murder Prospero is Caliban's rejection of civilization. He finds no alternative to brutality, if it will free him of the oppression of civilization. The natural beauty of the island permeates Caliban's world, but he is able to separate this beauty from the violent acts that he plans. In Caliban's world, there is no incongruity in the existence of both poetry and barbarity. Glossary case here, prepared. pied ninny a fool. patch  a court jester; any clown or fool murrain a disease of cattle. wezand windpipe. troll the catch to sing the round lustily or in a full, rolling voice"}
SCENE II.

_Another part of the island._

  _Enter CALIBAN, STEPHANO, and TRINCULO._

_Ste._ Tell not me;--when the butt is out, we will drink
water; not a drop before: therefore bear up, and board 'em.
Servant-monster, drink to me.

_Trin._ Servant-monster! the folly of this island! They
say there's but five upon this isle: we are three of them; if        5
th' other two be brained like us, the state totters.

_Ste._ Drink, servant-monster, when I bid thee: thy eyes
are almost set in thy head.

_Trin._ Where should they be set else? he were a brave
monster indeed, if they were set in his tail.                       10

_Ste._ My man-monster hath drowned his tongue in sack:
for my part, the sea cannot drown me; I swam, ere I could
recover the shore, five-and-thirty leagues off and on. By
this light, thou shalt be my lieutenant, monster, or my
standard.                                                           15

_Trin._ Your lieutenant, if you list; he's no standard.

_Ste._ We'll not run, Monsieur Monster.

_Trin._ Nor go neither; but you'll lie, like dogs, and
yet say nothing neither.

_Ste._ Moon-calf, speak once in thy life, if thou beest a           20
good moon-calf.

_Cal._ How does thy honour? Let me lick thy shoe.
I'll not serve him, he is not valiant.

_Trin._ Thou liest, most ignorant monster: I am in case
to justle a constable. Why, thou debauched fish, thou, was          25
there ever man a coward that hath drunk so much sack as
I to-day? Wilt thou tell a monstrous lie, being but half a
fish and half a monster?

_Cal._ Lo, how he mocks me! wilt thou let him, my lord?

_Trin._ 'Lord,' quoth he! That a monster should be                  30
such a natural!

_Cal._ Lo, lo, again! bite him to death, I prithee.

_Ste._ Trinculo, keep a good tongue in your head: if you
prove a mutineer,--the next tree! The poor monster's my
subject, and he shall not suffer indignity.                         35

_Cal._ I thank my noble lord. Wilt thou be pleased to
hearken once again to the suit I made to thee?

_Ste._ Marry, will I: kneel and repeat it; I will stand,
and so shall Trinculo.

  _Enter ARIEL, invisible._

_Cal._ As I told thee before, I am subject to a tyrant, a           40
sorcerer, that by his cunning hath cheated me of the island.

_Ari._ Thou liest.

_Cal._           Thou liest, thou jesting monkey, thou:
I would my valiant master would destroy thee!
I do not lie.

_Ste._ Trinculo, if you trouble him any more in's tale, by          45
this hand, I will supplant some of your teeth.

_Trin._ Why, I said nothing.

_Ste._ Mum, then, and no more. Proceed.

_Cal._ I say, by sorcery he got this isle;
From me he got it. If thy greatness will                            50
Revenge it on him,--for I know thou darest,
But this thing dare not,--

_Ste._ That's most certain.

_Cal._ Thou shalt be lord of it, and I'll serve thee.

_Ste._ How now shall this be compassed? Canst thou                  55
bring me to the party?

_Cal._ Yea, yea, my lord: I'll yield him thee asleep,
Where thou mayst knock a nail into his head.

_Ari._ Thou liest; thou canst not.

_Cal._ What a pied ninny's this! Thou scurvy patch!                 60
I do beseech thy Greatness, give him blows,
And take his bottle from him: when that's gone,
He shall drink nought but brine; for I'll not show him
Where the quick freshes are.

_Ste._ Trinculo, run into no further danger: interrupt the          65
monster one word further, and, by this hand, I'll turn my
mercy out o' doors, and make a stock-fish of thee.

_Trin._ Why, what did I? I did nothing. I'll go farther
off.

_Ste._ Didst thou not say he lied?                                  70

_Ari._ Thou liest.

_Ste._ Do I so? take thou that. [_Beats him._] As you
like this, give me the lie another time.

_Trin._ I did not give the lie. Out o' your wits, and
hearing too? A pox o' your bottle! this can sack and                75
drinking do. A murrain on your monster, and the devil
take your fingers!

_Cal._ Ha, ha, ha!

_Ste._ Now, forward with your tale. --Prithee, stand farther
off.                                                                80

_Cal._ Beat him enough: after a little time,
I'll beat him too.

_Ste._ Stand farther. Come, proceed.

_Cal._ Why, as I told thee, 'tis a custom with him
I' th' afternoon to sleep: there thou mayst brain him,
Having first seized his books; or with a log                        85
Batter his skull, or paunch him with a stake,
Or cut his wezand with thy knife. Remember
First to possess his books; for without them
He's but a sot, as I am, nor hath not
One spirit to command: they all do hate him                         90
As rootedly as I. Burn but his books.
He has brave utensils,--for so he calls them,--
Which, when he has a house, he'll deck withal.
And that most deeply to consider is
The beauty of his daughter; he himself                              95
Calls her a nonpareil: I never saw a woman,
But only Sycorax my dam and she;
But she as far surpasseth Sycorax
As great'st does least.

_Ste._                Is it so brave a lass?

_Cal._ Ay, lord; she will become thy bed, I warrant,               100
And bring thee forth brave brood.

_Ste._ Monster, I will kill this man: his daughter and I
will be king and queen,--save our Graces!--and Trinculo
and thyself shall be viceroys. Dost thou like the plot,
Trinculo?                                                          105

_Trin._ Excellent.

_Ste._ Give me thy hand: I am sorry I beat thee; but,
while thou livest, keep a good tongue in thy head.

_Cal._ Within this half hour will he be asleep:
Wilt thou destroy him then?

_Ste._                    Ay, on mine honour.                      110

_Ari._ This will I tell my master.

_Cal._ Thou makest me merry; I am full of pleasure:
Let us be jocund: will you troll the catch
You taught me but while-ere?

_Ste._ At thy request, monster, I will do reason, any              115
reason. --Come on. Trinculo, let us sing.      [_Sings._

  Flout 'em and scout 'em, and scout 'em and flout 'em;
  Thought is free.

_Cal._ That's not the tune.

  [_Ariel plays the tune on a tabor and pipe._

_Ste._ What is this same?                                          120

_Trin._ This is the tune of our catch, played by the picture
of Nobody.

_Ste._ If thou beest a man, show thyself in thy likeness:
if thou beest a devil, take't as thou list.

_Trin._ O, forgive me my sins!                                     125

_Ste._ He that dies pays all debts: I defy thee. Mercy
upon us!

_Cal._ Art thou afeard?

_Ste._ No, monster, not I.

_Cal._ Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,                  130
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices,
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,                   135
The clouds methought would open, and show riches
Ready to drop upon me; that, when I waked,
I cried to dream again.

_Ste._ This will prove a brave kingdom to me, where I
shall have my music for nothing.                                   140

_Cal._ When Prospero is destroyed.

_Ste._ That shall be by and by: I remember the story.

_Trin._ The sound is going away; let's follow it, and
after do our work.

_Ste._ Lead, monster; we'll follow. I would I could see            145
this taborer; he lays it on.

_Trin._ Wilt come? I'll follow, Stephano.    [_Exeunt._


  Notes: III, 2.

  SCENE II. Another...] Theobald. The other... Pope.
  Enter ...] Enter S. and T. reeling, Caliban following with a bottle.
    Capell. Enter C. S. and T. with a bottle. Johnson.]
  8: _head_] F1. _heart_ F2 F3 F4.
  13, 14: _on. By this light, thou_] _on, by this light thou_ Ff.
    _on, by this light. --Thou_ Capell.
  25: _debauched_] _debosh'd_ Ff.
  37: _to the suit I made to thee_] _the suit I made thee_ Steevens,
    who prints all Caliban's speeches as verse.
  60: Johnson conjectured that this line was spoken by Stephano.
  68: _farther_] F1 _no further_ F2 F3 F4.
  72: [Beats him.] Rowe.
  84: _there_] _then_ Collier MS.
  89: _nor_] _and_ Pope.
  93: _deck_] _deck't_ Hanmer.
  96: _I never saw a woman_] _I ne'er saw woman_ Pope.
  99: _great'st does least_] _greatest does the least_ Rowe.
  115, 116:] Printed as verse in Ff.
  115: _any_] F1. _and_ F2 F3 F4.
  117: _scout 'em, and scout 'em_] Pope. _cout 'em and skowt 'em_ Ff.
  125: _sins_] _sin_ F4.
  132: _twangling_] _twanging_ Pope.
  133: _sometime_] F1. _sometimes_ F2 F3 F4.
  137: _that_] om. Pope.
  147: Trin. _Will come? I'll follow, Stephano_] Trin. _Wilt come?_
    Ste. _I'll follow._ Capell. Ste. _... Wilt come?_
    Trin. _I'll follow, Stephano._ Ritson conj.




Scene 2
This scene returns to Stefano, Trinculo, and Caliban -- all of whom are now very drunk. Caliban has a plan to kill Prospero and elicits help from his new friends. As Caliban explains that he is the rightful owner of the island, Ariel arrives and listens attentively. Caliban explains that they must burn Prospero's books, and after Prospero is dead, Stefano can marry Miranda, which will make her his queen of the island. Trinculo agrees to the plot. Ariel resolves to tell Prospero of the plot against him. When the drunken men begin singing, Ariel accompanies them on a tabor and pipe. The men hear the music and are afraid, but Caliban reassures them that such sounds are frequently heard on the island. Stefano finds the idea of free music a strong promise of his success on the island, and three drunken conspirators follow the sounds of the music offstage.
Caliban represents untamed nature in conflict with civilization. He intuitively understands that Prospero's power comes from his books; thus the books are to become the first victims of his rebellion. Prospero's books represent oppression to Caliban because all that Prospero's civilization and books have to offer is slavery. Although Caliban might be considered an uneducated savage by Elizabethan accounts , he existed quite happily on the island before Prospero's arrival. Civilization transformed Caliban from freedom to slavery, and he has received little benefit from Prospero's tutelage; even Caliban's use of language is limited to little more than cursing. Because civilization has failed Caliban, he quickly turns to the first possible source of help to appear: Stefano and Trinculo, the lowest forms of civilized behavior. Caliban's island paradise is not all that different from Gonzalo's ideal natural world. Both Caliban and Gonzalo see their ideal worlds as untouched by the confinements of civilization. In both visions, nature provides whatever is needed, and mankind has little effect on the island's existence. But there is one substantial difference. Where Gonzalo would make himself king, Caliban dreams of living in peaceful isolation, with no king to abuse him. Yet, to secure his freedom from Prospero, Caliban would subordinate himself to Stefano, who would take Prospero's place as ruler. Caliban is unable to appreciate that the crass butler, whom he has elevated to a god, would be a worse god than Prospero has been. After all, upon first finding Caliban, Stefano pulled Caliban's head back, forced open his mouth, and poured wine down his throat. His exploitation of Caliban, including the plan to exhibit him as a money-making proposition, reflects little concern for Caliban's well-being. Although Prospero's enslavement of Caliban also raises questions of propriety, his stated reasons are to restore order to the island. However, Prospero's sense of order ignores Caliban's needs. Caliban does not need civilization and its artifacts, education, and language to satisfy his needs. So desperate is Caliban to escape Prospero's oppression, that he would effectively trade one god for another: Prospero for Stefano. But Caliban appears unable or unwilling to comprehend this component of his plot. The murder of Prospero is his immediate concern, and he gives little thought to what might follow. Caliban's plot to murder Prospero offers a parallel to Antonio's plot to murder Alonso. Caliban enlists the assistance of Stefano and Trinculo, just as Antonio enlists the support of Sebastian. Each group of conspirators ignores reason and logic. At the moment, they are all isolated on the island, with little hope or expectation of rescue. Alonso's murder will render no gain for Antonio or Sebastian, since Sebastian would be king of nothing. In a parody of Antonio's plot, Prospero's murder will provide little benefit for Caliban, except to trade one ruler for another and, perhaps, slavery for worse abuse. But both plots illustrate the potential for violence that exists in all levels of society, whether in the aristocracy of Naples or in the natural beauty of an isolated island. Caliban, himself, is filled with contradictions. On one hand, he is brutal, instructing Stefano to "Bite him  to death" . Caliban also describes in detail his plans to murder Prospero by "knock a nail into his head" . Later, Caliban gives his co-conspirators many choices of ways to murder Prospero, from striking him on the head to disemboweling him to cutting his throat. Any means is acceptable, and, as a reward, Caliban casually promises them Miranda. The brutality of Caliban's plan is countered with the poetry of his descriptions of the island: The isle is full of noises,Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.Sometimes a thousand twangling instrumentsWill hum about mine ears, and sometimes voicesThat if I then had waked after long sleepWill make me sleep again; and then in dreamingThe clouds methought would open and show richesReady to drop upon me, that when I wakedI cried to dream again. The songs that Caliban describes and the beauty of his dreams reveal a humanity that is lacking in his descriptions of the murder plot. Caliban is more than a wild beast of the island, and his personality is more complex than his brief scenes have thus far disclosed. The plot to murder Prospero is Caliban's rejection of civilization. He finds no alternative to brutality, if it will free him of the oppression of civilization. The natural beauty of the island permeates Caliban's world, but he is able to separate this beauty from the violent acts that he plans. In Caliban's world, there is no incongruity in the existence of both poetry and barbarity. Glossary case here, prepared. pied ninny a fool. patch  a court jester; any clown or fool murrain a disease of cattle. wezand windpipe. troll the catch to sing the round lustily or in a full, rolling voice