derived from Eden's Historie of Travaile (1577). Caliban is thought by some to be a variant of Canibal, i. e. Caribbean. For the philosophical significance of the creation see Browning's Caliban upon Setebos, Renan's Caliban, and D. Wilson's Caliban: The Missing Link; also Ward, loc. cit., II. p. 199, and Furness, New Variorum edition of The Tempest (1892). The play seems to have been popular in its day and down to the Restoration. It strongly influenced The Sea Voyage of Fletcher (and Massinger?) and The Goblins of Sir John Suckling. In 1667 Dryden, aided by Davenant, adapted it, by doubling some characters, into The Tempest, or the Enchanted Island. Shortly after, Dryden's rival, Shadwell, turned the beautiful creation of Shakespeare into an opera! In 1797 an actor of literary proclivities, F. G. Waldron, attempted a sequel to The Tempest in a five-act drama entitled The Virgin Queen. According to the abstract given by Furness it seems that Waldron was dissatisfied with Shakespeare's allowing Prospero to give up his magical powers. Prospero suffers various mishaps on the homeward voyage through the instrumentality of Sycorax, whose malice is, however, averted by the faithful Ariel, who brings back to Prospero his drowned book and his mended staff. Then Sycorax, a new witch Hyrca, and Caliban go off howling; the conspirators, Antonio and Sebastian, are left lamenting on a strange shore; and Prospero's fleet sails happily to Italy. The main action of this curious play seems to take place on the shores of Tunis, where Claribel and her husband are victims of Hyrca, the friend of Sycorax. It may be added that Furness reprints the Dryden-Davenant Tempest and gives extracts from Herman Grimm's Fünfzehn Essays to the effect that Dryden and Davenant in their additions plagiarized from a comedy of Calderon's which has curious relations with both The Tempest and Cymbeline. Many other interesting facts and speculations with regard to The Tempest are collected in Furness - such as Hunter's amusing attempt to show that Shakespeare was indebted to Harington's translation of the Orlando (Canto XLI.) but for these the reader must consult the great American editor. It is only fair, however, to remind him that although the name of Dryden is to be found among the list of those who have travestied Shakespeare, the greatest English poet of the last quarter of the seventeenth century was too true a man and genius not worthily to reverence the memory of the greatest English poet of the first quarter. In the Prologue to Dryden's version of The Tempest occur the well-known lines : But Shakespeare's magic could not copied be, DRAMATIS PERSONE ALONSO, King of Naples. SEBASTIAN, his Brother. PROSPERO, the right Duke of Milan. ANTONIO, his Brother, the usurping Duke of Milan. FERDINAND, Son to the King of Naples. GONZALO, an honest old Counsellor. SCENE, the Sea, with a Ship; afterwards an uninhabited Island. Аст The Tempest ACT ON E. SCENE I. 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? Mast. Good, speak to th' mariners: fall to 't yarely, or we run ourselves aground: bestir, bestir. Enter MARINERS. [Exit. Boats. Heigh, my hearts! cheerly, cheerly, my hearts! yare, yare. Take in the top-sail; tend to th' Master's whistle. - Blow, till thou burst thy wind, if room enough! Enter ALONSO, SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, FERDINAND, Alonso. Good Boatswain, have care. Where's the Master? Play the men. Boats. I pray now, keep below. Antonio. Where is the Master, Boson? Boats. Do you not hear him? You mar our labour. Keep your cabins; you do assist the storm. Gonzalo. Nay, good, be patient. Good, good fellow. Cf. 11. 10 Else swain" into the mouth of Antonio, Boats. When the sea is. Hence! What care these roarers for the name of king? To cabin: silence! trouble us not. Gon. Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard. Boats. None that I more love than myself. You 20 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 liv'd 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! [Exit. Gon. 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 30 his hanging! make the rope of his destiny our cable, for our own doth little advantage! If he be not born to be hang'd, our case is miserable. [Exeunt. Enter BOATSWAIN. Boats. Down with the top-mast: yare; lower, lower. Bring her to try wi' th' main-course. [A cry within.] A plague upon this howling! they are louder than the weather, or our office. Enter SEBASTIAN, ANTONIO, and GONZALO. Yet again! what do you here? Shall we give o'er, and drown? Have you a mind to sink? |