Having escaped the plane crash, Trinculo finds Caliban hiding under a coat, under which Trinculo also crawls to take shelter from the storm. Stephano, drunk, finds them both and shares his beer with them. In return, Caliban abandons Prospero’s service and swears loyalty to Stephano.
Enter CALIBAN with a bundle of wood. The sound of thunder can be heard.
CALIBAN
I hope all of the sicknesses that grow in the swamps and wetlands fall upon Prospero so that he becomes nothing more than a disease! His servants are watching me, but they won’t harm or misguide me unless he directs them to. But sometimes he sends them after me and they play tricks on me. Sometimes they impersonate animals and scare me with loud noises or put porcupine quills under my feet for me to step on. Sometimes they throw snakes at my feet and their hissing scares me half to death.
TRINCULO enters
CALIBAN
Look over there! Here comes one of his servants now to punish me for taking too long with the wood. I’ll lie on the ground and maybe he will not see me. [lies down, covered by his coat]
TRINCULO
There are no bushes or shrubs to give me any protection from the weather. Another storm is coming, I can hear it in the wind. That big black cloud over there looks like a dirty bottle about to leak its liquid. If it’s a storm like before, I don’t know where to hide. It’s going to rain buckets. [Sees Caliban] What do we have here? A man or a fish? Dead or Alive? It must be a fish from the way it smells. What a strange fish! If I were in England, as I once was, every fool there would pay to see this strange fish. However, a strange monster here is just like a man in England. They won’t give a penny to a beggar but will pay ten to see a dead man. This monster has legs like a man but fins for arms! He’s still warm. I’m starting to think this is not a fish, but someone from the island who was struck by lightning.
Thunder
TRINCULO
But the storm has returned. My best option is to crawl under his coat. There’s no shelter nearby. You find yourself next to strange people during difficult situations. I’ll wait under this coat until the storm passes. [He crawls under the coat]
STEPHANO enters, singing
STEPHANO
I shall no more to sea, to sea.
Here shall I die ashore—
This is a terrible song to sing for a dead man. Well, here’s a drink to give me comfort. [Drinks, sings]
The master, the swabber, the boatswain, and I,
The gunner and his mate
Loved Mall, Meg, and Marian, and Margery,
But none of us cared for Kate.
For she had a tongue with a tang,
Would cry to a sailor, “Go hang!”
She loved not the savor of tar nor of pitch,
Yet a tailor might scratch her where’re she did itch.
Then to sea, boys, and let her go hang!
This is a scurvy tune too. But here’s my comfort.
[drinks]
CALIBAN
Don’t torment me with that old Shakespearean English garbage!
STEPHANO
What’s happening? Are you a devil? I didn’t escape from that plane crash only to be scared by you. As Kanye West once said, “Everything in the world is exactly the same.” I thought this was true until I saw this monster.
CALIBAN
This spirit is torturing me with quotes from fools!
STEPHANO
This must be a sick four-legged wild animal from the island. But how could it have learned English? Since it does, I will try to help it, tame it, and bring it back to Atlanta. He would be a perfect present for the zoo.
CALIBAN
Don’t punish me please; I will bring the wood home faster.
STEPHANO
He’s having a fit and spouting nonsense. I’ll give him a sip of my beer; if he’s never had it before it should do a good job of shutting him up. If I can calm him down and tame him, he will make me a fortune at the zoo where people will pay to see him.
CALIBAN
So far you haven’t hurt me, but you will soon. I can tell from your trembling. Prospero made you do this, I’m sure of it.
STEPHANO
[Trying to give CALIBAN a drink] Come on. Open your mouth and have a drink. This will stop your shaking, I know it. [CALIBAN opens his mouth and drinks] You can’t even tell who’s a friend. Open your mouth again.
TRINCULO
I think I know that voice. It can’t be—I thought he died in the crash. Am I hallucinating? Oh God help me!
STEPHANO
Four legs and two voices. This is a very strange monster. The voice near me is speaking as though I were a friend, and the voice in the back is yelling profanity. Come on. [CALIBAN drinks] Amen! I’ll give some to the other mouth now.
TRINCULO
Stephano!
STEPHANO
Is this devil calling my name? I must leave before this monster plays more tricks on me.
TRINCULO
Stephano! If you are Stephano, then speak to me and don’t be scared. I can’t believe my good friend is on this island.
STEPHANO
If you really are Trinculo, then come on out so I can see you. [He pulls TRINCULO out from under the coat] You really are Trinculo! How did you end up in this monster? Does it poop Trinculos?
TRINCULO
I thought you were killed in the storm. But aren’t you drowning in this storm Stephano? Has the storm ended? I was hiding under this coat to escape from the storm. Are you alive Stephano? I can’t believe we both survived the plane crash! [TRINCULO grabs STEPHANO and dances around]
STEPHANO
Please don’t spin me around. My stomach feels bad.
CALIBAN
[To himself] These are civilized people, not Prospero’s servants. That one must be a god for giving me that liquid joy. I will serve him.
STEPHANO
[To TRINCULO] How did you escape the crash? How did you get here? I swear on this can that I survived by grabbing a case of beer that flew out of the plane when it crashed.
CALIBAN
[To STEPHANO] I swear on that can of beer that I will become your loyal servant, because that beer comes from heaven.
STEPHANO
[To TRINCULO] Here, tell me how you escaped the plane.
TRINCULO
I swam to the island like a duck. I promise I can swim like a duck.
STEPHANO
[STEPHANO gives the can to TRINCULO] You swim like a duck, but you look like a goose.
TRINCULO drinks
TRINCULO
Stephano, do you have any more I can drink?
STEPHANO
You can have the rest of it. I keep more in a cave I found when I first got here. [To CALIBAN] How are you? How are you feeling?
CALIBAN
Have you come to this island from heaven?
STEPHANO
We come from Atlanta. I promise you; I was once a prominent business owner in Atlanta.
CALIBAN
I must have seen you in my dreams. I can remember my mother telling stories of someone who would save me one day.
STEPHANO
Come here and swear that what you said is true by drinking more beer. [STEPHANO gives a can to CALIBAN] I’ll refill it soon.
CALIBAN drinks
TRINCULO
Now that I have had a better look at him, I see that he’s not a monster. I can’t believe I feared him! He’s just a poor gullible fool. [To CALIBAN] That’s a good drink of beer you just had.
CALIBAN
[To STEPHANO] I will show you every inch of this island and be your assistant for as long as I live.
TRINCULO
Now I can see that he’s a lying, drunken monster. When you’re asleep he’ll steal your alcohol.
CALIBAN
[To STEPHANO] I’ll sign a contract proving I am loyal.
STEPHANO
Where do you think I’m supposed to get a contract on an island you fool? But I will take your word for it, and we can settle things if we return to Atlanta.
TRINCULO
This pitiful fool is a joke. Maybe I should beat some sense into him.
CALIBAN
I can show you all the best sources of water and the best berry bushes on the island. I’ll fish for you and collect wood. I’ll wish for my old boss’s death so that I will only serve you.
TRINCULO
What a ridiculous thing to see a drunk man and want to serve Stephano.
CALIBAN
[To STEPHANO] Please let me guide you to crabs you can eat. I will dig up peanuts for you. I will teach you how to catch a monkey. I have learned many things from being stranded here. A city person like yourself won’t survive.
STEPHANO
Lead the way and stop talking. Trinculo, since the boss and the other employees probably drowned, we are now the rightful owners of the company. Carry my beer Trinculo. We’ll refill it soon.
CALIBAN
[Singing drunkenly] Goodbye boss, I finally quit, finally quit.
TRINCULO
A singing drunken fool.
STEPHANO
Lead us brave monster!
ALL EXIT
Lucas Boden is a junior at Dunwoody High School in Atlanta, GA. Lucas enjoys reading and his favorite subject is Language Arts. Lucas’s favorite book is Where the Red Fern Grows because dogs are the best. Lucas runs track and cross country for Dunwoody High School, plays soccer for a club, and thinks that a lot of inspiration for writing can be gathered from sports. Lucas has a cat, a dog, and a sister. Half of his family lives in Brazil, so he visits them often and eats a lot of shrimp tacos, which are his favorite food.
