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ALBERT TOWN HIGH SCHOOL
ENGLISH LITERATURE
FORM 5
The Tempest- William Shakespeare
Act 3, Scene 1
ORIGINAL TEXT
MODERN TEXT
Enter FERDINAND bearing a log
FERDINAND enters, carrying a log.
FERDINAND
There be some sports are painful, and their labor
Delight in them sets off. Some kinds of baseness
Are nobly undergone. And most poor matters
Point to rich ends. This my mean task
5Would be as heavy to me as odious, but
The mistress which I serve quickens what’s dead
And makes my labors pleasures. Oh, she is
Ten times more gentle than her father’s crabbed,
And he’s composed of harshness. I must remove
10Some thousands of these logs and pile them up,
Upon a sore injunction. My sweet mistress
Weeps when she sees me work, and says such
baseness
Had never like executor. I forget,
But these sweet thoughts do even refresh my
labors,
15Most busiest when I do it.
FERDINAND
Some games are painful, but their discomfort
makes them more fun. Some kinds of lowly
activities are done for noble reasons. And you can
do poor things that lead to rich results. This hard
work would be boring and nasty to me, but I’m
working for a mistress who makes me enjoy my
labor. Oh, she’s ten times nicer than her father is
mean, and he’s the height of crabbiness. I have
thousands of logs to take away and pile up, on
strict orders from him. My sweet darling cries
when she sees me work and tells me that such a
wonderful man never performed such lowly tasks
before. These sweet thoughts relieve me and
refresh me, especially when I’m slaving away
busily.
Enter MIRANDA , and PROSPERO unseen
MIRANDA enters, followed by PROSPERO at a
distance, unobserved.
MIRANDA
Alas now, pray you,
Work not so hard. I would the lightning had
Burnt up those logs that you are enjoined to pile!
Pray, set it down and rest you. When this burns,
'Twill weep for having wearied you. My father
20Is hard at study. Pray now, rest yourself.
He’s safe for these three hours.
MIRANDA
Now, please, I beg you, don’t work so hard. I wish
the lightning had burned up all those logs that
you’ve been ordered to stack! Please put that log
down and rest a while. When this wood burns, it’ll
weep for making you tired. My father’s studying
hard, so he won’t see you. So please rest. We’re
safe from my father for at least three hours.
FERDINAND
O most dear mistress,
The sun will set before I shall discharge
What I must strive to do.
FERDINAND
Oh, my dear mistress, I won’t be able to finish this
work until sunset at the earliest.
MIRANDA
MIRANDA
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If you’ll sit down,
I’ll bear your logs the while. Pray, give me that.
25I’ll carry it to the pile.
If you sit down, I’ll carry your logs a while. Please
give me that. I’ll take it over to the pile.
FERDINAND
No, precious creature.
I had rather crack my sinews, break my back,
Than you should such dishonor undergo
While I sit lazy by.
FERDINAND
No, my darling, I’d rather strain all my muscles
and break my back than let you do work like this
while I lounge around nearby.
MIRANDA
It would become me
As well as it does you, and I should do it
30With much more ease, for my good will is to it
And yours it is against.
MIRANDA
I’d be as right for the job as you are, and I’d do it
more easily, since I’d have good will on my side.
PROSPERO
(aside)
Poor worm, thou art infected!
This visitation shows it.
PROSPERO
(to himself) You poor weak thing, you’re in love! I
can see it clearly now.
MIRANDA
You look wearily.
MIRANDA
You look tired.
FERDINAND
No, noble mistress. 'Tis fresh morning with me
When you are by at night. I do beseech you—
35Chiefly that I might set it in my prayers—
What is your name?
FERDINAND
No, noble mistress, I’m as fresh as morning when
you’re near me, even at night. I beg you to tell me
your name so I can use it in my prayers.
MIRANDA
Miranda.—O my father,
I have broke your hest to say so!
MIRANDA
Miranda.—Oh father, I’ve disobeyed you by telling
him that!
FERDINAND
Admired Miranda!
Indeed the top of admiration, worth
What’s dearest to th' world! Full many a lady
40I have eyed with best regard and many a time
FERDINAND
Miranda—the very name means “admired!” You
are indeed admired, more than anything else in the
world! I’ve looked at many ladies with pleasure,
and been
Th' harmony of their tongues hath into bondage
Brought my too diligent ear. For several virtues
Have I liked several women. Never any
With so full soul but some defect in her
45Did quarrel with the noblest grace she owed
And put it to the foil. But you, O you,
So perfect and so peerless, are created
Of every creature’s best.
seduced by the sweet nothings they said to me. I’ve
liked several women for their good qualities, but
there was something wrong with each one that
blotted her excellent qualities and cancelled them
out. But with you it’s different. You’re perfect,
without a rival in the world, made up of the best
qualities of every creature.
MIRANDA
I do not know
One of my sex, no woman’s face remember—
MIRANDA
I’ve never known any woman or seen a woman’s
face—except my own in the mirror. And I’ve never
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50Save,
from my glass, mine own. Nor have I
seen
More that I may call men than you, good friend,
And my dear father. How features are abroad
I am skill-less of, but, by my modesty,
The jewel in my dower, I would not wish
55Any companion in the world but you,
Nor can imagination form a shape
Besides yourself to like of. But I prattle
Something too wildly, and my father’s precepts
I therein do forget.
FERDINAND
I am in my condition
60A prince, Miranda—I do think, a king;
I would, not so!—and would no more endure
This wooden slavery than to suffer
The flesh-fly blow my mouth. Hear my soul
speak.
The very instant that I saw you did
65My heart fly to your service, there resides
To make me slave to it, and for your sake
Am I this patient log-man.
MIRANDA
Do you love me?
FERDINAND
O heaven, O earth, bear witness to this sound
And crown what I profess with kind event
I speak true! If hollowly, invert
What best is boded me to mischief! I
Beyond all limit of what else i' th' world
Do love, prize, honor you.
met any men besides you and my father. I have no
idea what people look like in other places, but I
swear by my modesty, which I value above
everything else, that I’d never want any companion
in the world but you. I can’t even imagine one. But
listen to me chattering like crazy, and father always
told me not to.
FERDINAND
I’m a prince by birth, Miranda—maybe even a king
now; though I wish I weren’t—and normally I
wouldn’t put up with carrying these logs any more
than I’d let flies breed in my mouth. But I’ll tell
you something from my soul. The second I saw
you, my heart rushed to serve you and be your
slave, so here I am now, a patient log-man.
MIRANDA
Do you love me?
FERDINAND
Oh heaven, oh earth, witness what I’m about to
say, and reward me if I tell the truth! If I’m lying,
then
70If
MIRANDA
destroy all my prospects in life! More than
anything else in the world, I love you, value you,
and honor you.
I am a fool
To weep at what I am glad of.
MIRANDA
Look at me crying—what a fool I am to cry at what
makes me happy.
PROSPERO
(aside)
Fair encounter
75Of two most rare affections! Heavens rain
grace
On that which breeds between 'em!
PROSPERO
(to himself) What a pleasant meeting between two
people truly in love! May heaven bless the feelings
growing between them!
FERDINAND
Wherefore weep you?
FERDINAND
Why are you crying?
MIRANDA
At mine unworthiness, that dare not offer
MIRANDA
I’m crying at how unworthy I am to give you what
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What I desire to give, and much less take
80What I shall die to want. But this is trifling,
And all the more it seeks to hide itself
The bigger bulk it shows. Hence, bashful
cunning,
And prompt me, plain and holy innocence!
I am your wife if you will marry me.
85If not, I’ll die your maid. To be your fellow
You may deny me, but I’ll be your servant
Whether you will or no.
I want to give you and to take what I’m dying to
have. But it’s a waste of time to say so. The more I
try to hide what I’m feeling, the bigger it gets. Oh,
stop being so bashful and tricky, Miranda, just be
straightforward and innocent! I’ll be your wife if
you’ll have me. Otherwise, I’ll die a virgin,
devoted to you. You can refuse to make me your
spouse, but I’ll be your servant whether you want
me to or not.
FERDINAND
My mistress, dearest, and I thus humble ever.
FERDINAND
You’ll be my wife, dearest, and I’ll serve you
forever.
MIRANDA
My husband, then?
MIRANDA
Will you be my husband, then?
FERDINAND
90Ay, with a heart as willing
As bondage e'er of freedom. Here’s my hand.
FERDINAND
Yes, with a heart more eager to bear a husband’s
responsibilities than a slave ever wanted freedom.
Take my hand, darling.
MIRANDA
And mine, with my heart in ’t. And now farewell
Till half an hour hence.
MIRANDA
Here’s my hand, and my heart. And now goodbye.
I’ll see you again in half an hour.
FERDINAND
A thousand thousand!
FERDINAND
A million goodbyes to you.
Exeunt FERDINAND and MIRANDA severally
MIRANDA and FERDINAND exit in opposite
directions.
PROSPERO
95So glad of this as they I cannot be,
Who are surprised withal. But my rejoicing
At nothing can be more. I’ll to my book,
For yet ere supper-time must I perform
Much business appertaining.
PROSPERO
I can’t be as happy as they are at this moment, but
nothing could make me any happier. Now it’s time
to get back to my studying, since I have a lot of
serious business to take care of before dinner.
Exit
He exits.