The Enchanted Island
Libretto
Music by
Georg Friedrich Haendel,
Antonio Vivaldi, Jean-Philippe Rameau, André Campra, Jean-Marie Leclair, Henry
Purcell, Jean-Féry Rebel, Giovanni Battista Ferrandini
Devised and written by Jeremy
Sams
Characters
Prospero (Countertenor)
Sycorax (Mezzo-Soprano)
Ariel (Coloratura
Soprano)
Caliban (Bass-Baritone)
Miranda (Soprano)
Ferdinand (Countertenor)
Helena (Soprano)
Hermia (Mezzo-Soprano)
Demetrius (Tenor)
Lysander (Baritone)
Neptune (Tenor)
Quartet (2 Sopranos, Tenor, Bass-Baritone)
Spirits, courtiers, water
nymphs (Chorus)
Act 1
Prospero’s side of the island
Overture
George
Frideric Handel: Alcina, HWV 34
(Caliban leaves)
1.
"My Ariel" (Prospero, Ariel) – "Ah, if you would earn your
freedom" (Prospero)
Antonio
Vivaldi: Cessate, omai cessate, cantata, RV 684, "Ah, ch’infelice
sempre"
PROSPERO
My Ariel.
(Ariel enters)
ARIEL
All hail great master.
Mighty master, hail.
PROSPERO
My boy. my beauty.
ARIEL
Ah!
PROSPERO
Ah, what?
ARIEL
My master, I should know you by now.
Your praise and your affection
mean only one thing.
PROSPERO
How dare you!
ARIEL
Toil, and yet more toil.
PROSPERO
Ungrateful wretch!
I nurture you, feed you…
…and yes, I do confess it.
Now I need you.
ARIEL
I thought so!
PROSPERO
I need your magic as complement to mine.
I need your strength, your youth.
I can’t deny that I’m finding both in short supply.
ARIEL
And then?
PROSPERO
And then I’ll grant your deepest desire in return.
ARIEL
You mean my freedom?
PROSPERO
Yes your freedom.
Which you have yet to earn!
Ah, if you would earn your freedom,
then do as I command you.
I may be growing older.
Still, I am still your master.
Your fate is in my hands.
Yes, remember, your fate is in my hands.
If you would earn your freedom,
then do as I command you.
Though I am growing older,
remember what you are.
And in your fierce frustration,
do not forget your station.
You must do as your master commands.
As I command.
Have you forgotten how once I freed you?
See how you treat me, now that I need you!
Haughty and moody, thus you repay me.
Perhaps I should teach you how to obey me?
If I should need you, that is my will.
All my wishes are yours…
…yours to fulfill.
Ah, if you would earn your freedom,
then do as I command you.
I may be growing older.
Still, I am still your master.
Your fate is in my hands.
Yes, remember, your fate is in my hands.
If you would earn your freedom,
then do as I command you.
Though I am growing older,
remember what you are.
And in your fierce frustration,
do not forget your station.
You must do as your master commands.
As I command.
2.
"My master, generous master – I can conjure you fire" (Ariel)
Handel:
Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, oratorio, HWV 46a, Part I, "Un pensiero
nemico di pace"
ARIEL
My master, generous master,
I’ll do whatever, whatever you may ask,
however outlandish or onerous the task.
I can conjure you fire from the heavens!
I can make you a lake full of flowers.
You’ll be amazed at my powers!
Say whatever you want me to do.
I can light up the sky with a rainbow.
I’ll delight you with lightning and thunder.
I’ll amaze you with wonder on wonder.
All of them learned from you.
I can conjure you fire from the heavens!
Or what’re you desire from the heavens!
Simply say what you wish me to do
and my master, I’ll do it for you.
I’m your servant as long as you need me.
I’m as fleet or as strong as you need me.
I will fly wherever you lead me,
for you swore you would set me free.
You swore, yes you swore.
Don’t ignore your promise to me.
I’m your servant as long as you need me
and my love for (once you’ve freed me)
will be as great as the sky or the sea.
I’ll do wonders for you if you do
what you promised for me.
I can conjure you fire from the heavens!
Or what’re you desire from the heavens!
I can make you a lake full of flowers.
You’ll be amazed at my powers!
Say whatever you want me to do.
I can float like a bee in the treetops
going, “Whee, look at me in the treetops.”
I can soar through the air like a falcon.
I can fly till I disappear in the blue.
I can ravage the seas with a whirlwind.
I can pluck up the trees with a whirlwind
or whatever you want me to do,
I’ll do it for you.
3.
"Then what I desire" (Prospero, Ariel)
PROSPERO
Then what I desire should be simple.
ARIEL
Name it!
PROSPERO
A storm.
ARIEL
What kind? Snow, sand, hail?
PROSPERO
A simple storm!
I have the spell her for you to perform.
A ship will soom pass by here,
and within are several of my kinsmen
my traitorous kin.
Calm, Prospero, be calm.
And also a young men
who’s destined for my daughter.
ARIEL
My admired Miranda.
PROSPERO
And not a jot too soon.
I see the fire in her eyes
feel the heat in her blood.
And Caliban, he feels it too.
I should have penned him with his mother.
Ferdinand is his name,
and they are destined for each other.
ARIEL
Ferdinand…
PROSPERO
A storm I tell you, a storm at sea.
ARIEL
It will be my last masterpiece
and then I will be free.
(Ariel leaves)
PROSPERO
Your last masterpiece… or my last gasp?
Still, what I’ve planned remains within my grasp.
A treaty, forged by magic,
by patience and by forgiveness.
Two children, young, yet ripe in age
who will spell the end of exile
and be my story’s final page.
Sycorax’s side of the island
4.
"There are times when the dark side – Maybe soon, maybe now"
(Sycorax, Caliban)
Handel:
Teseo, HWV 9, Act V, Scene 1, "Morirò, ma vendicata"
SYCORAX
There are times when the dark side of the island
the fetid forests, the brackish ocean suit me.
It’s all that he left me of what was justly mine.
My stolen paradise, my island divine!
There, Prospero found me,
wooed me, maybe even loved me.
But then he spurned me, left me,
robbed me of my Ariel
made my only son his slave!
My Caliban, my darling.
(Caliban enters)
CALIBAN
Mother, mother.
The time you told me of is come, I’m certain.
Prospero’s demise. His final curtain.
I saw him. He faltered, he clutched his side.
He’s losing his powers, I’m sure of it.
He talked of leaving the island.
What did he mean?
SYCORAX
Take the blood.
CALIBAN
What blood?
The vial that you showed me?
SYCORAX
Yes, lizard’s blood.
Useless in itself, but…
CALIBAN
Here it is.
SYCORAX
Take it. Use it.
CALIBAN
His cell is unlocked.
We can exchange it.
SYCORAX
Yes, go.
Quickly, quickly, quickly.
(Caliban leaves)
Maybe the hour is coming.
The wheel must turn full circle in time
and then I will match him,
crime for crime.
Maybe soon. maybe now
I’ll take my vengeance,
be revenged on him at last!
How I long to take my vengeance
for the wrongs of the past.
How I long to take my vengeance
for the litany of wrongs from the past.
Maybe soon. Maybe now
I’ll take my vengeance.
Yes, I will be revenged at last.
How I long to be revenged,
be revenged on him at last.
He will know how it feels
when all you own
and all you have known,
has been taken.
First he loved me, then he left me.
And abandoned and forsaken,
here I lie and here I languish!
Ah, my pain, my anguish!
How I ache and burn.
He will know, He will know!
First he loved me, then he left me.
And abandoned and forsaken,
here I lie and here I languish!
All my pain and all my anguish he will learn.
I have suffered, I have suffered!
He must suffer.
Yes, he must suffer in return!
Maybe soon. maybe now
I’ll take my vengeance,
be revenged on him at last!
How I long to take my vengeance
for the wrongs of the past.
How I long to take my vengeance
for the litany of wrongs from the past.
Maybe soon. Maybe now
I’ll take my vengeance.
Yes, I will be revenged at last.
How I long to be revenged on him
for the wrongs of the past.
Prospero’s side of the island
5.
"The blood of a lizard – Stolen by treachery" (Caliban)
Handel:
La Resurrezione, oratorio, HWV 47, Part I, Scene 1, "O voi,
dell’Erebo"
CALIBAN
The blood of a lizard…
for this, blood of a dragon.
No one will ever notice.
This will rejuvenate her powers
and win back chat is ours.
And I will reign here in splendor and in glory.
Stolen by treachery,
governed by tyranny
all of this island is rightfully mine!
Captured by villainy,
guarded by sorcery
all of this isalnd will one day be mine!
It will be mine!
It is rightfully mine!
My mother promised me all of this land
would be peopled with Calibans
born of his daughter,
who ought to be mine.
All of my misery will turn to ecstasy.
My queen Miranda
I choose to reign next to me!
Her blood and my blood
will sweetly combine.
Stolen by treachery,
governed by tyranny
all of this island is rightfully mine!
Captured by villainy,
guarded by sorcery
all of this isalnd will one day be mine!
It will be mine!
It is rightfully mine!
My mother promised me all of this land
would be peopled with Calibans
born of his daughter,
who ought to be mine.
(Caliban leaves)
6.
"Miranda! My Miranda!" (Prospero, Miranda) – "I have no words
for this feeling" (Miranda)
Handel:
Notte placida e cheta, cantata, HWV 142, "Che non si dà"
(Prospero & Miranda
enters)
PROSPERO
Miranda! My Miranda!
MIRANDA
Father, forgive me,
Father, forgive me,
but I feel so strange today.
PROSPERO
What ails you, my daughter?
MIRANDA
I cannot say.
I have no words for this feeling I am feeling.
This joyful misery that’s robbing me of my rest.
Every morning I awaken to this strange longing.
But what it is I long for, I’ve not guessed yet.
Each day is different, but the same.
I have no words, I have no name
for what I am feeling here in my breast.
I have no words for this feeling I am feeling.
Tell me, my father!
And every night, or so it seems,
there is a face that I dream of,
a cloudy vision of a stranger from miles away,
yet somehow known to me.
Can you explain this feeling I am feeling?
Is it joy, is it pain that delights,
that excites and haunts me?
I feel I’ve suddenly been hurled
into a brave new world,
yet still familiar.
Like a dream I have dreamt of.
Of, Father, help me!
(Prospero & Miranda
leaves)
7.
"My master’s books" – "Take salt and stones" (Ariel)
Based
on Jean-Philippe Rameau: Les fêtes d’Hébé, Deuxième entrée: La Musique, Scene
7, "Aimez, aimez d’une ardeur mutuelle"
(Ariel enters)
ARIEL
My master’s books,
his spells and incantations.
“S” for serpents, stampedes,
Sudden death – see under “death”.
No, I’ve gone too far.
Storms. Storms at sea,
yes, here we are!
“Take salt and stones for waves and hail.
To drag them under, sperm of whale!
From twenty fathoms deep, some mud.
To seal the spell, add dragon’s blood.”
Dragon’s blood! Essential!
Ah, dragon’s blood.
Yes, this must be it.
“A magic fan to urge the gale.
A razor shell to rip the sail.
A crocodile’s jaw to snap the mast.
Add evil thoughts and it’s done at last!”
Nothing.
I mean, nothing yet!
It won’t be long!
Unless, of course,
I’ve somehow done it wrong.
At sea
8.
Quartet: "Days of pleasure, nights of love" (Helena, Hermia,
Demetrius, Lysander)
Handel:
Semele, HWV 58, Act I, Scene 4, "Endless pleasure, endless love"
HELENA, HERMIA, DEMETRIUS
& LYSANDER
Days of pleasure, nights of love.
Sea below and sky above.
Safe within our marriage vow,
what on earth could harm us now?
Very soon, we’ll begin our honeymoon!
Sea below and sky above.
Days of pleasure, nights of love.
9.
The Storm (chorus)
André
Campra: Idoménée, Act II, Scene 1, "O Dieux! O justes Dieux!"
CHORUS
Ye gods, ye gods above,
see the tempest arise!
The waves, the seas
leap up and admonish the
skies!
Ye gods, ye gods above,
see the tempest arise!
The waves, the seas
leap up and admonish the
skies!
Prospero’s side of the island
10.
"I’ve done as you commanded" (Ariel, Prospero)
Handel:
La Resurrezione, oratorio, HWV 47, "Di rabbia indarno freme"
ARIEL
I’ve done as you commanded.
The ship is wrecked.
I’ve come to claim my…
PROSPERO
Splendid!
Sadly, there’s more to do here.
ARIEL
Just as I thought!
There’s yet more labor!
PROSPERO
You dare to contradict me?
Thankless wretch!
Shall I return you,
send you back to Sycorax,
whence you came and to torture?
ARIEL
Well, it’s just that…
you promised!
PROSPERO
The holly tree which was your prison –
do you want to go back there?
There’s really nothing simpler!
ARIEL
I am sorry, my master.
How can I serve you?
PROSPERO
Good! That’s more like it!
On this island there’s now a youth.
Ferdinand is his name.
And he is meant for…
…no, made for my Miranda.
So she must love him,
and he must love her, too.
But since young men today
are rarely chaste use this.
Made in younger days
for just such a purpose.
And see they both forsake and forget
all others they have loved.
Are you equal to this?
ARIEL
I am.
PROSPERO
Then do it, and with grace.
Then you’ll be free.
But meanwhile,
don’t forget the holly tree!
On a beach
11.
"Oh, Helena, my Helen – You would have loved this island" (Demetrius)
Handel:
La Resurrezione, oratorio, HWV 47, Part I, Scene 2, "Così la
tortorella"
DEMETRIUS
Oh, Helena, my Helen!
I could have saved you!
I held onto your arm,
and then your hand…
then I fell, then I lost you.
Swept out to seas.
My life, my love.
Why you and why not me?
You would have loved this island,
the trees, the birds, the flowers.
We would have strolled together,
explored its verdant forests
its sweet, enchanted bowers.
Helena, my beloved,
why were you torn away?
Nature, my love, without you,
is old and cold and gray.
You would have loved this island,
the trees, the birds, the flowers,
the secret, perfumed bowers.
Without you, my beloved,
the world is cold and gray.
I’ll call it Helena’s Island.
For here she’ll be remembered
in loving dedication.
I quiet contemplation,
I’ll while the hours away.
I’ll call it Helena’s island,
in loving dedication.
On this island,
Demetrius will stay.
I’ll stay.
(Miranda & Ariel enters)
You would have loved this island,
the trees, the birds, the flowers.
We would have strolled toge–
(Ariel leaves)
12.
"Would that it could last forever – Wonderful, wonderful" (Miranda,
Demetrius)
Handel:
Ariodante, HWV 33, Act I, Scene 5, "Prendi, prendi"
MIRANDA
Would that it could last forever.
This day, this hour, this minute.
Truly a brave new world
that has such wondrous creatures in it.
Wonderful, wonderful,
brave new emotion
filling my heart with you.
DEMETRIUS
Beautiful lady,
I conquered the ocean
so I may gaze on you.
MIRANDA
Wonderful, wonderful,
brave new emotion
filling my heart with you.
DEMETRIUS
Lady, I conquered the ocean
to gaze on you.
MIRANDA
Wonderful!
DEMETRIUS
Beautiful!
MIRANDA
Wonderful!
DEMETRIUS
Beautiful!
MIRANDA & DEMETRIUS
All my devotion,
all my devotion, it to you.
DEMETRIUS
Strangest but loveliest stranger,
although I do not know you,
lady, oh, let me show you
a heart ever true!
MIRANDA
Loveliest of creatures in form
and shape most like an angel,
my heart will never change.
I’ll be ever true to you.
DEMETRIUS
Oh, let me show you,
show you a heart forever true!
MIRANDA
Will ever change,
I’ll be ever true to you.
DEMETRIUS
Yes!
MIRANDA
Ah!
DEMETRIUS
Yes!
MIRANDA
Ah!
DEMETRIUS
Beautiful stranger
for I’ll be ever true to you.
MIRANDA
I’ll never change
I’ve a heart forever true.
Wonderful, wonderful,
brave new emotion
filling my heart with you.
Wonderful new emotion,
filling my heart with you.
DEMETRIUS
Lady, I conquered the ocean
to gaze on you.
Beautiful!
MIRANDA
Wonderful!
DEMETRIUS
Beautiful!
MIRANDA
Wonderful!
DEMETRIUS
Beautiful!
MIRANDA & DEMETRIUS
All my devotion,
all my devotion, it to you.
Sycorax’s side of the island
13.
"Why am I living?" (Helena)
Handel:
Teseo, HWV 9, Act II, Scene 1, "Dolce riposo")
"The
gods of good and evil – At last everything is prepared" (Sycorax)
Jean-Marie Leclair: Scylla et Glaucus,
Act IV, Scene 4, "Et toi, dont les embrasements… Noires divinités"
HELENA
Why am I living?
Why am I yet living?
I long to sleep forever!
Then oblivion would be mine.
I’d sleep forever.
If I could only rest,
I’d rest forever.
(Sycorax enters without Helena
knowing)
Then oblivion would be mine.
Sleep and forever…
SYCORAX
The gods of god and evil at
have brought me something,
presentable enough,
or at least for my uses
Familiar longings, long lost,
are stirring within me.
HELENA
Living?
Why am I living?
Why can’t I sleep forever?
How I long for the arms of sleep,
calm and comforting and deep.
Good night forever!
SYCORAX
At last. Now I can begin again.
My hers and simples – unaided,
they have but little power.
But this, stolen from him,
will reinvent my art,
I hope, long enough,
to forge wonders,
and burn with sufficient flame
to carry out my plan,
to let nature continue
what pure magic began.
Once, once, at my command
eager ghosts would appear
and would bow.
And wait for their orders from me.
In my beautiful days
there was fire in my eyes.
I’d sport a crown of gold
and wield a scepter of ice.
No, you never forget
how the spells are fashioned.
How ingredients rare
are prepared and are found.
Mingled, burned and ground.
No, you never forget.
With the meager magic that is mine,
still I can conquer,
still I can shine.
See! I am young once more
and once more in my glory.
The strength, the splendor
of long, long ago.
Long before it was stolen
and beaten and broken.
Let love be born today
and last as long as it may.
14.
"Mother, why not? – Mother, my blood is freezing" (Caliban)
Vivaldi:
Il Farnace, RV 711, Act II, Scene 5 & 6, "Gelido in ogni vena"
(Caliban enters)
CALIBAN
Mother, why not?
Why mot Miranda?
I know, I know that you hate her.
Or rather, hate her father.
Why can’t you see us together?
SYCORAX
I’ve other plans for you,
my son, my darling.
Look what your mother
has found you!
Open your eyes and
let the sight astound you.
CALIBAN
Mother, my blood is freezing.
Mother, my brain is burning.
Turning and then returning,
from heat to ice to fire.
Terror is tinged with yearning.
Half worship, half desire.
Mother, my blood is freezing.
Mother, my brain is burning.
Terror is tinged with yearning
and worship with desire.
It burns with ice and fire.
Half worship, half desire.
15.
"Help me out of this nightmare" – Quintet: "Wonderful,
wonderful" (Helena, Sycorax, Caliban, Miranda, Demetrius)
Handel:
Ariodante, HWV 33, Act I, Scene 5, recitative preceding "Prendi,
prendi"
HELENA
Help me out of this nightmare,
for pity’s sake!
SYCORAX
Say something!
She is waiting.
CALIBAN
Ehm!
You angel of this earth.
Are you awake?
HELENA
Beautiful.
CALIBAN
Wonderful.
HELENA
Helena.
CALIBAN
Caliban.
HELENA
Caliban, Caliban.
What’s this emotion
filling my heart with you?
CALIBAN
Helena.
Feel my devotion,
my love for you.
HELENA
Wonderful new emotion
filling my heart with you!
CALIBAN
Feel my devotion
let me gaze on you!
Prospero’s side of the island
MIRANDA
Wonderful.
DEMETRIUS
Beautiful.
MIRANDA
Wonderful.
DEMETRIUS
Beautiful.
MIRANDA & DEMETRIUS
All my devotion is to you.
16.
"Welcome Ferdinand – Wonderful, wonderful," reprise (Prospero,
Miranda, Demetrius)
"All
I’ve done is try to help you" (Prospero)
Vivaldi:
Longe mala, umbrae, terrores, motet, RV 629, "Longe mala, umbrae,
terrores"
PROSPERO
Welcome, Ferdinand!
DEMETRIUS
I will by all means,
should I come across him.
I, meanwhile, am Demetrius,
at your service.
Or more precisely,
at your daughter’s.
PROSPERO
I beg your pardon?
MIRANDA
Come, darling Demetrius,
let me show you this island.
It’s wonderful, wonderful,
like this emotion,
this brave new emotion.
Filling my heart with you.
DEMETRIUS
Beautiful lady,
I conquered the ocean.
Conquered the ocean,
so I may gaze on you!
(Miranda & Demetrius
leaves)
PROSPERO, to Ariel
All I’ve done is try to help you and protect you!
Why did I decide to care for you at all?
After all I’ve done, after all I’ve done,
one thing I ask you, one simple task,
but far too hard for you.
You go back and do as I told you,
yes, do as I told you.
Go straight back and do as I told you,
yes, do as I told you.
Why did I decide to care for you at all?
On a beach
17.
"Curse you, Neptune" (Lysander)
Vivaldi:
Griselda, RV 718, Act III, Scene 6, "Dopo un’orrida procella"
LYSANDER
Curse you, Neptune!
I defied you.
Thnaks to my breath,
my life and my death
were denied you.
I have conquered,
conquered sea and tempest.
I have vanquished,
I have tamed the raging sea!
But you will not vanquish me!
Come on, Neptune, do your worst!
By Lysander you stand accursed!
Curse you, Neptune!
I have defied you.
Since my death has beed denied,
I will go to find my bride!
18.
"Your bride, sir? "(Ariel, Lysander, Demetrius, Miranda) – Trio:
"Away, away! You loathsome wretch, away!" (Miranda, Demetrius,
Lysander)
Handel:
Susanna, oratorio, HWV 66, Part II, "Away, ye tempt me both in vain"
(Ariel & Miranda enters)
ARIEL
Your bride, sir? Look no further.
(Demetrius enters)
LYSANDER
Demetrius, my old friend!
But who is this?
Wonderful, wonderful!
Beautiful creature,
MIRANDA
Ah!
LYSANDER
I conquered the ocean,
so I may gaze on you.
DEMETRIUS
You! You again?
LYSANDER
Demetrius, my old friend!
At the same tricks as usual!
DEMETRIUS
Ignore him, oh, my love.
He has done this before.
MIRANDA
Let me gaze on this angel.
It is you I would ignore!
DEMETRIUS
Admired Miranda!
I conquered the ocean for you!
MIRANDA
But what an odd thing to do!
A brave new world
that has such creatures…
DEMETRIUS
Stop that!
LYSANDER
No, you stop it!
What about Helena?
DEMETRIUS
Who?
LYSANDER
And your honeymoon?
DEMETRIUS
Who the hell is Helena?
And what about Hermia?
LYSANDER
Who?
MIRANDA
Who are Helena and Hermia?
And who are you?
DEMETRIUS
My sweet Miranda!
MIRANDA
How dare you come twixt me and my…
LYSANDER
Lysander.
MIRANDA
Lysander.
MIRANDA & LYSANDER
We rhyme! Yes, we rhyme!
(Ariel leaves)
DEMETRIUS
My darling, how you’ve changed!
And in so little time!
MIRANDA
Away, away!
You loathsome wretch, away!
DEMETRIUS
No, let me stay
and hear what I’ve to say.
LYSANDER
I think she was clear,
she does not want you here.
What a lady commands,
it’s polite to obey.
MIRANDA
Away, away!
You loathsome wretch, away!
Repulsive to my sight, away!
DEMETRIUS
Oh, may I stay?
Please hear what I’ve to say.
LYSANDER
Again she was clear,
she does not want you here.
So please, will you please go away!
DEMETRIUS
I’ll stay, I’ll stay.
MIRANDA
Away, away!
You loathsome wretch, away!
Repulsive to my sight, away!
LYSANDER
She wants you to go
she does not want you here.
DEMETRIUS
I’ll stay, I’ll stay.
I know you love me!
I’ll never go away.
MIRANDA
Away!
LYSANDER
I think you have heard
her final word
which if memory serves
was “away”, go away!
You heard the lady say go away,
so maybe obey, okay?
(Miranda, Demetrius &
Lysander leaves)
19.
"Two castaways – Arise! Arise, great Neptune" (Ariel)
Attr.
Henry Purcell: The Tempest, or, The Enchanted Island, Z. 631, Act II, no. 3,
"Arise, ye subterranean winds"
(Ariel enters)
ARIEL
Two castaways,
but neither is this “Ferdinand”.
My all-seeing eye
has somehow overlooked him.
But how? And why? And…
Duh! Wrong ship!
The spell didn’t feel right!
But, duh, wrong ship!
The right one must be miles away.
I’m fored to call a greater master,
one with the greater sway!
Arise! Arise, great Neptune!
Hear my prayer!
Arise, arise from slumber
or whate’er might ail you.
Hear a spirit’s request.
And scour your boundless,
heaving breast.
By which I mean, the sea.
For Ferdinand.
That’s “Fer-di-nand”!
So this captive spirit can be free!
Love, Ariel!
In the forest
20.
"This is convolvulus" (Helena, Caliban) – "If the air should hum
with noises" (Caliban)
Handel:
Deidamia, HWV 42, Act II, Scene 4, "Nel riposo e nel contento"
HELENA
This is convolvulus,
and this, evening primrose.
So called because…
well, the clue’s in the name.
And look at these leaves.
Similar, but subtly not the same.
So many multi-colored miracles
in nature’s treasure trove.
A universe of wonders
within this tiny grove.
What’s that?
CALIBAN
The sounds of the island.
Don’t let them alarm you.
I promise you,
there’s nothing here to harm you.
If the air sould hum with noises,
don’t be frightened,
don’t be troubled or dismayed.
It’s the island.
If the air sould hum with voices,
don’t be frightened,
don’t be troubled or afraid.
It’s my island.
Let it woo you.
Let it’s magic music flow through you.
Let it please you,
ease your sorrow evermore.
Soothe your sorrow evermore.
And this sound so sweet,
so consoling it come from
the mountains to the shore.
And this sound so consoling,
it comes rolling from
the mountains to the shore.
And it haunts me as I’m sleeping.
I have woken, woken weeping,
for I long to dream once more.
And this sound so sweet,
so consoling it comes rolling
from the mountain to the shore.
And this sound so consoling,
it comes rolling from
the mountains to the shore.
It’s so lovely I can’t bear it.
But now someone’s her to share it.
It is lovelier than before.
In the ocean
21.
"Neptune the Great" (Chorus)
Handel:
Four Coronation Anthems, HWV 258, "Zadok the priest"
CHORUS
Neptune, the great,
the lord of the ocean.
We welcome you to this land.
Heaven and earth will rejoice.
Rejoice to hear your voice!
Heaven and earth will rejoice
to hear your voice!
(Ariel enters)
22.
Who dares to call me? (Neptune, Ariel)
Based
on Handel: Tamerlano, HWV 18, "Oh, per me lieto"
"I’d
forgotten that I was Lord" (Neptune, Chorus)
Rameau:
Hippolyte et Aricie, Act II, Scene 3, "Qu’a server mon courroux"
NEPTUNE
Who dares to call me?
And who dares to defy me?
Some reckless mortal abused
my name and cursed.
ARIEL
That wasn’t me!
I’m just a humblee spirit
who’s lost and longs for for guidance.
I need your help,
for you to scour the oceans!
NEPTUNE
Scour them yourself!
How dare you tell great Neptune
what he should do or shouldn’t do!
Fear me, respect me, revere me.
For in my wrath, I can do wonders.
I angered, the merest twitch of my right hand
can turn tide into tempest
and whip seas into maelstroms!
I’ll smash this island
with waves as tall as treetops!
All dry land’s at my mercy.
So, do not rile me!
ARIEL
Please, mighty god, please help me.
NEPTUNE
Forgive me.
I’m sorry, forgive me.
I beg you.
I’m old, I’m irritable, I’m weary.
You called me,
and Ariel, I will hear you.
But it may be…
that I’m too tired to help you.
ARIEL
No you are great!
You are mighty!
I ask one thing.
My spell, no, my master’s, was corrupted.
I don’t know how.
But the seas did not do as I bade them.
My master’s frail,
but firm in his insistence that I do his magic.
And only then will he free me.
Oh, I’m longing to flee my island prison,
and plunge and frolic with your dolphins.
NEPTUNE
Go swimming with my dolphins?
If you can find them,
then you’re welcome!
My ocean, my deep blue heaven,
my realm apart,
when I think of it now,
it breaks my heart.
Gone forever, my perfect sea.
My oceans, once upon a time,
how sublime they used to be.
This my gift, from god to mortal,
every droplet, every wave.
But like spoiled, ungrateful children,
they destroyed the gift I gave.
Gone forever, my perfect sea.
My oceans, once upon a time,
how sublime they used to be.
ARIEL
I’m no mortal! I’m a spirit.
I loathe the humans,
and I don’t need them to help me.
The oceans, the heavens,
are in your hands, O mighty Neptune!
O master of the waves,
hearken to my plea.
I need a god to set me free.
NEPTUNE
I’d forgotten that I was
the lord of the ocean!
Every tempest is in my power,
every shipwreck is in my sway.
I am your master, yet your servant.
Therefore, I will do as you say!
Every tempest is in my power,
every shipwreck is in my sway.
I am your master, yet your servant.
Therefore, I will do as you say!
In my anguish, in my distraction,
I neglected your humble plea!
But I will search, and I will find him,
if I have to scour the sea!
CHORUS
He is the master of every maelstrom,
every shipwreck and every storm!
He is our lord, our mighty master,
miracles are his to perform!
NEPTUNE
I am master of every maelstrom…
CHORUS
He is the master of every maelstrom,
every shipwreck and every storm!
NEPTUNE
…every shipwreck and every storm!
I am your lord, I am your master.
CHORUS
Miracles are his to perform!
NEPTUNE
Mighty, mighty miracles
are mine to perform!
Hurricanes will do his bidding,
they will answer unto his call!
Mighty earthquakes, sudden tempests
CHORUS
He’s the master who rules them all!
Wave upon wave, higher than mountains,
oceans as they rise and they fall!
NEPTUNE
Yes, I am the lord of them all!
CHORUS
Neptune is the lord of them all!
Prospero’s side of the island
23.
"We like to wrestle destiny – Chaos, confusion" (Prospero)
Handel:
Amadigi di Gaula, HWV 11, Act II, Scene 5, "Pena tiranna"
PROSPERO
We like to wrestle destiny,
but it’s stronger than we are.
Despite my magic,
rather, my interference,
my fine intentions,
to bring peace and forgiveness,
to save my girl from heartbreak,
to be a generous master,
has all turned to dust.
And to disaster.
Chaos, confusion,
madness, delusion.
What have I wrought here,
ah, what have I done?
Seeking forgiveness,
hoping for harmony,
I have sown discord
where there was none.
Heartbreak and discord,
where there was none.
Seeking forgiveness,
hoping for harmony,
sowing only discord
where there was none.
Chaos, confusion,
madness, delusion.
What have I wrought here,
ah, what have I done?
Act 2
In a cave
24.
"My God, what’s this? – Where are you now?" (Hermia)
Handel:
Hercules, oratorio, HWV 60, Act III, Scene 3, "Where shall I fly?"
HERMIA
My God, what’s this?
A serpent at my breast!
Quick, pluck it from me!
Help me, Lysander!
Here it comes again!
Hissing and writhing,
gnawing at my heart!
What! Has it gone?
Ah, what a dream was here!
Lysander, look.
See how I quake with fear.
And you were there,
laughing, exulting,
as a jagged snake
was scrabbling at my flesh!
You mocked your Hermia!
Where are you now?
You left me here alone,
in this dark place!
But wait! I remember now!
I remember how the flood arose
and bore you from my arms.
Yes, yes, yes!
I remember how the flood arose
and bore you from my arms.
Then, then, it bore you on its back!
And dashed you to the depths of hell!
Slowly, I could see you wave farewell,
as your body turned and fell.
My Lysander, my Lysander.
No, my love!
I remember all the vows we swore
to live or die together.
Heaven heard us say that come what
may our love would last forever!
You’d never abandon me,
no, never abandon me!
My love, my love, no,
never abandon me.
Stronger than wind or weather!
The everlasting love
which binds us both together,
it is mightier than the seas.
Stronger than wind or weather!
Yes, the love which binds us together
is mightier than the sea.
Stronger than wind or weather,
your love for me!
(Hermia leaves)
25.
"So sweet, laughing together – My strength is coming back to me"
(Sycorax)
Vivaldi:
Argippo, RV 697, Act I, Scene 1, "Se lento ancora il fulmine"
(Sycorax enters; Caliban &
Helena passes by)
SYCORAX
So sweet, laughing together.
How long? Who can tell?
The spell may last forever.
Look! I’m smiling, I’m hopeful.
And yes, my heart is starting to glow.
The long forgotten glory
of long, long ago.
My strength is coming back to me.
I feel it grow unstoppably.
I feel it deep inside of me,
like thunder underground!
Yes, underground!
I hear it in the heart of me,
a rushing, gushing sound.
Like thunder underground!
A river racing ceaselessly,
astounding it its savagery.
A raging seas inside of me,
a flood. A raging flood!
My strength is coming back to me,
I feel it in my blood,
like a raging river!
My strength is coming back to me,
I feel it in my blood.
Ah, we here like that in the springtime
of love and of laughter.
But what came after?
First, he smiled at me.
Then, he turned from me,
leaving me dying,
nursing a broken heart.
My strength is coming back to me.
I feel it grow unstoppably.
I feel it deep inside of me,
like thunder underground!
Yes, underground!
I hear it in the heart of me,
a rushing, gushing sound.
Like thunder underground!
A river racing ceaselessly,
astounding it its savagery.
A raging seas inside of me,
a flood. A raging flood!
My strength is coming back to me,
I feel it in my blood,
like a raging river!
My strength is coming back to me,
I feel it in my blood.
(Sycorax leaves)
26.
"Have you seen a young lady?" (Demetrius, Helena, Caliban) – "A
voice, a face, a figure half-remembered" (Helena)
Handel:
Amadigi di Gaula, HWV 11, Act III, Scene 4, "Hanno penetrato i detti tuoi
l’inferno"
(Caliban, Helena &
Demetrius enters)
DEMETRIUS
Have you seen a young lady?
She’s called Miranda.
HELENA
No.
CALIBAN
No.
HELENA
I’m Helena,
and this Caliban.
CALIBAN
Her intended.
HELENA
Maybe we’ll see you later.
DEMETRIUS
That would be splendid.
(Demetrius leaves)
HELENA
A voice, a face, a figure,
half remembered,
from somewhere, so distant.
Perhaps I dreamed him,
and know him from the dream.
But no, I’m waking.
The morning mists are dispersing.
On man comes shining through them.
His name live in my heart.
It is… Demetrius!
(Helena leaves)
27.
"His name, she spoke his name" (Caliban)
Handel:
Hercules, oratorio, HWV 60, Act III, Scene 2 "O Jove, what land is this? –
The rage"
CALIBAN
His name.
She spoke his name.
What’s he to her?
And what is she to him?
Usurped and spurned,
more sinned against than sinning!
Oh, my nightmare,
my curse is just beginning!
The rage. The rage. The rage.
When love begins to turn,
then only rage remains.
I feel the fire burn
within my feverish veins
like liquid fire it burns
within my veins.
Helena… Helena the fair.
Or Helena the whore?
I sense it in the air.
I feel its beating wings!
I hear its mighty roar,
its mighty roar.
I love the sound,
I love the song of anger.
Anger, my old friend,
I welcome you once more.
The rage. The rage. The rage.
When love begins to turn…
Helena, I thank you.
I feel the anger grow and blow
and blister and burn.
Helena!
(Caliban leaves; Miranda, Helena,
Hermia, Demetrius & Lysander enters)
DEMETRIUS
Miranda? Miranda!
HERMIA
Lysander!
HELENA
Demetrius!
HERMIA
Lysander!
HELENA
Demetrius, oh, Demetrius!
(Miranda, Demetrius &
Lysander leaves)
HERMIA
Helena!
HELENA
Hermia?
28.
"Oh, my darling, my sister – Men are fickle" (Helena, Hermia)
Handel:
Atalanta, HWV 35, Act II, Scene 3 – "Amarilli? – O dei!"
HELENA
Oh, my daring, my sister.
HERMIA
My love.
HELENA
For this we survived?
To see our husbands…
HERMIA
…whom we recently married!
Or did I imagine that bit as well?
HELENA
You didn’t.
HERMIA
I thought not.
HELENA
Finding our husbands…
HERMIA
Who neither seem to know us…
HELENA
Nor really want us.
HERMIA
Oh, what a way to behave!
HELENA
What on earth’s going on?
HERMIA
How should I know?
I’ve been stuck in a cave.
HELENA
Nightmare!
And who’s that minx
wearing next to nothing?
HERMIA
I’ve no idea. No idea.
HELENA
Well, she’s getting far more attention
than we are!
HERMIA
Men are fickle.
HELENA
Oh, sister, how true.
HERMIA
Fickle!
Oh, my sister, men are fickle
always plotting to deceive you.
HELENA
Fickle!
HERMIA
Men are fickle!
HELENA
Yes, my sister, men are fickle
first they love you,
then they leave you.
HERMIA
Then they leave you?
HELENA
It’s true.
HERMIA
Oh, heavens.
Simply leave you?
HELENA
Yes, sister, they do.
HERMIA
Men are fickle, men are fickle.
HELENA
Men are fickle, oh, my sister.
HELENA & HERMIA
Tears that trickle,
tears that blister,
will fall from our eyes.
Tears that trickle,
tears that blister,
they will fall, yes,
fall from our eyes.
HERMIA
Oh, sister.
HELENA
Oh, sister.
HERMIA
Oh, my sister,
men are fickle.
HELENA
Men are fickle, oh, my sister.
HERMIA
Always plotting to deceive you.
HELENA
Claim they love you,
then they leave you.
HELENA & HERMIA
How did we fall for their lies?
How did we ever?
We fell for their lies!
(Helena & Hermia leaves)
29.
"I knew the spell" (Sycorax, Caliban) – "Hearts that love can
all be broken" (Sycorax)
Giovanni
Battista Ferrandini (attr. Handel): Il pianto di Maria, cantata, HWV 234,
"Giunta l’ora fatal –Sventurati i miei sospiri"
(Sycorax & Caliban enters)
SYCORAX
I knew the spell was imperfect.
I’d hoped that there was time
for her to love you.
But her heart is plainly given.
CALIBAN
What do you mean, a spell?
She likes me, Mother.
It was going so well!
We talked. We talked
and walked for hours,
held hands and walked
and picked wildflowers.
There wasn’t just botany,
there was chemistry!
Did I dream it?
SYCORAX
No.
First love, first loss,
first bitter fruit of youth.
But now, my son,
at least you know the truth.
Hearts that love can all be broken.
Hearts that love will all be broken.
That’s the truth that stays unspoken.
Yes, the truth that’s never spoken.
But my son, you’ve learned it now.
You’ve learned it now.
How I wish that I could have spared you
or prepared you somehow.
How I wish I could have spared you.
So forgive me, I beseech you.
It’s too late for me to teach you now.
This, the fate of every mother.
Standing, and watching,
weeping as you suffer.
Watching, weeping as you suffer
knowing nothing can be done.
So perhaps you understand, my son.
Hearts that love can all be broken.
Hearts that love will all be broken.
That’s the truth that stays unspoken.
Yes, the truth that’s never spoken.
But my son, you’ve learned it now.
You’ve learned it now.
How I wish that I could have spared you
or prepared you somehow.
How I wish I could have spared you.
So forgive me, I beseech you.
It’s too late for me to teach you now.
(Sycorax leaves)
30.
"Such meager consolation – No, I’ll have no consolation" (Caliban)
Vivaldi:
Bajazet, RV 703, Act III, Scene 7, "Verrò, crudel spietato"
CALIBAN
Such meager consolation
for such monumental pain.
Your tears, your remonstrations,
are all in vain!
No, no. I’ll have no consolation,
there is no consolation.
My one desire is vengeance
on her and every woman.
I’ll show them who is master.
The man they long for,
to honor and obey.
I know an incantation,
a secret divination
to summon who I dream of.
A breed of brazen concubines
to serve me all night, all day.
To serve me night and day.
To pamper and delight me
in every wicked way!
31.
Masque of the Wealth of all the World
a.
Quartet: Caliban goes into his dream, "Wealth and love can be thine"
Rameau: Les Indes galantes, Act III,
Scene 7, "Tendre amour"
(Quartet enters)
QUARTET
Wealth and love
can be thine forever there.
For the pleasure,
they joy and delight.
Wealth and love, yes,
wealth, love and wine.
Beauteous boys and girls
from all ‘round the world,
they will sport in thy sight.
Lovely limbs, lovely lips,
lovely eyes, lovely ladies
all for thy joy and delight.
(Quartet leaves)
b. Parade
Rameau: Les fêtes d’Hébé, Troisième
entrée: Les Dances, Scene 7, Tambourin en rondeau
c.
The Women and the Unicorn
Rameau: Les fêtes d’Hébé, Troisième
entrée: Les Dances, Scene 7, Musette
d.
The Animals
Jean-Féry
Rebel: Les Éléments, Act I, Tambourins I & II
e.
The Freaks – Chaos
Rameau: Hippolyte et Aricie, Act I, Tonnerre
(Prospero enters)
f.
Waking
Rameau: Les Indes galantes, Act III,
Scene 7, "Tendre amour," reprise
(Prospero & Caliban leaves)
At sea
33.
"With no sail and no rudder – Gliding onwards" (Ferdinand)
Handel:
Amadigi di Gaula, HWV 11, Act II, Scene 1, "Io ramingo – Sussurrate, onde
vezzose"
FERDINAND
With no sail and no rudder,
inexorably onwards,
the power that leads us
is far stronger than we are.
At first we panicked…
“No Ferdinand”, said my father.
“Be calm.
Face your fate with resignation.
Neptune has chosen
our final destination.”
Prospero’s Island.
It grows nearer and nearer.
And that face from my dreams
shines aver clearer.
Gliding onwards.
Ever onwards to my final destiny.
Cradled, oh, so very gently,
till I reach that fateful shore.
It’s as if the sea were whispering to me
the fate that she has got in store.
Oh, so sweetly.
“Ferdinand,” she says, “your life
will change forever, evermore.
Yes, completely,
life will change forevermore.”
In the forest
34.
Sextet: "Follow hither, thither, follow me" (Ariel, Miranda, Helena,
Hermia, Demetrius, Lysander)
Handel:
Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, oratorio, HWV 46a, Part II, Quartet:
"Voglio tempo
ARIEL
Follow, follow
hither, thither, follow me.
DEMETRIUS
My Miranda!
HERMIA
Oh, my Lysander!
DEMETRIUS
My Miranda, where can she be?
ARIEL
Follow hither, thither, follow me.
MIRANDA
Oh, Lysander!
HERMIA
Where is Lysander?
LYSANDER
My Miranda!
HELENA
Demetrius, come back to me.
MIRANDA
How I need you to come back to me.
HELENA
Darling, oh, where can you be?
LYSANDER
My Miranda, you belong to me!
HERMIA
Come, come to me!
ARIEL
Where I lead, follow me.
LYSANDER
Oh, Miranda!
HERMIA
Oh, my Lysander!
HELENA
Oh, Demetrius, where can you be?
HERMIA
My Lysander, do not abandon me.
LYSANDER
Miranda!
HELENA
Demetrius!
MIRANDA
Lysander!
LYSANDER
Miranda!
HERMIA
Lysander!
LYSANDER
Where’s she gone, my joy,
my happiness and my life?
HELENA
How could you leave me?
HERMIA
Half a day ago, I was his wife.
LYSANDER
Where’s she gone, my joy,
my happiness and my life?
DEMETRIUS
How I love you.
HERMIA
Tell me, how could you leave me?
HELENA
Have you forgotten every kiss, every vow?
HERMIA
How could you abandon me now?
ARIEL
Follow hither, oh, follow
hither, thither, follow me.
DEMETRIUS
My Miranda!
HERMIA
Oh, my Lysander!
DEMETRIUS
My Miranda, where can she be?
ARIEL
Follow, hither, thither, follow me.
MIRANDA
Oh, Lysander!
HERMIA
Where is Lysander?
LYSANDER
My Miranda!
HELENA
Demetrius, come back to me.
MIRANDA
How I need you to come back to me.
HELENA
Darling, oh, where can you be?
LYSANDER
My Miranda, you belong to me!
HERMIA
Come, come to me!
ARIEL
Where I lead, follow me.
LYSANDER
Oh, Miranda!
HERMIA
Oh, my Lysander!
HELENA
Oh, Demetrius, where can you be?
HERMIA
My Lysander, do not abandon me.
(Miranda leaves)
35.
"Sleep now" (Ariel)
Vivaldi:
Tito Manlio, RV 78, Act III, Scene 1, "Sonno, se pur sei sonno"
ARIEL
Sleep now.
Sleep, and sleep deeply.
And when you waken
all the wrong roads you’ve taken
you’ll think of no more.
Sleep now.
Let all these visions
vanish like thistledown.
Vanish forever.
When you see who you first loved
they will be who you first loved.
You’ll love as before.
36.
"Darling, it’s you at last" (Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius, Helena)
Vivaldi:
La verità in cimento, RV 739, Act II, scene 9, "Anima mia, mio ben"
HERMIA
Darling, it’s you at last.
LYSANDER
Darling, it’s you at last.
HERMIA
Come, let me hold you fast.
DEMETRIUS
Let me gaze at you forever.
HERMIA
I swear that I will never
let you escape again!
HELENA & DEMETRIUS
Let me gaze at you, my daring.
HERMIA & LYSANDER
I will never…
HELENA & DEMETRIUS
All the sorrow we have known,
all our sorrow, all our pain…
HERMIA
I swear that I will never…
DEMETRIUS
…it has vanished.
LYSANDER
I swear that I will never…
HELENA
…it has vanished.
HERMIA & LYSANDER
…let you escape again.
HELENA & DEMETRIUS
Let us fall in love again.
(Ariel leaves)
HERMIA & LYSANDER
I swear that I will never…
HELENA & DEMETRIUS
All the sorrow we have known
all our sorrow, all our pain…
HERMIA & LYSANDER
…let you escape again.
DEMETRIUS
…it has vanished.
HERMIA
I will never…
HELENA
…it has vanished.
LYSANDER
I will never…
HELENA & DEMETRIUS
Let us fall in love again.
HERMIA & LYSANDER
I swear that I will never
let you escape again.
On the shore
37.
"The wat’ry God has heard the island’s pleas" (Chorus)
Handel:
Susanna, oratorio, HWV 66, Part III, "Impartial Heav’n!"
CHORUS
The watery god
has heard the island’s pleas.
For he has sent us bounty from the seas.
(Prospero, Ariel & Miranda
enters)
38.
"Sir, honored sir – I have dreamed you" (Ferdinand, Miranda)
Handel: Tanti strali al sen mi scocchi,
cantata, HWV 197, "Ma se l’alma sempre geme"
FERDINAND
Sir, honord sir, I, Ferdinand,
am conjoined by the duke, your brother,
to bring you this decree,
“Pardoned and freed from exile are
Duke Prospero and his dauther, Miranda.”
Miranda…
MIRANDA
I was blind, but now I see you.
My other self, the better half of me.
A familiar place, but one I’ve yet to know,
like…
FERDINAND
A brave new world?
MIRANDA
Exactly so!
FERDINAND
I have dreamed you, now I see you.
Now I stand and gave in wonder
at the sight of you.
MIRANDA
I have dreamed you, now I see you.
Now I stand and gaze
in wonder, in delight.
MIRANDA & FERDINAND
Now I can see you,
see you as you are.
FERDINAND
I have dreamed you, now I see you.
Now I stand and gave in wonder
at the sight of you.
MIRANDA
Yes, I have dreamed you.
MIRANDA & FERDINAND
Now I can see you,
can see you as you are.
I was lost, and I was lonely,
stumbling in the night.
Yes, stumbling in the darkest night.
Now I have my love beside me.
I have you, my love beside me
as my guiding light.
Now I stand with you beside me,
my salvation, my guiding light.
FERDINAND
I have dreamed you, now I see you.
Now I stand and gave in wonder
at the sight of you.
MIRANDA
I have dreamed you, now I see you.
Now I stand and gaze
in wonder, in delight.
MIRANDA & FERDINAND
Now I can see you,
see you as you are.
FERDINAND
I have dreamed you, now I see you.
Now I stand and gave in wonder
at the sight of you.
MIRANDA
Yes, I have dreamed you.
MIRANDA & FERDINAND
Now I can see you,
can see you as you are.
39.
"The time has come. The time is now" ("Maybe soon, maybe
now," reprise) (Sycorax)
Handel:
Teseo, HWV 9, Act V, Scene 1, "Morirò, ma vendicata"
(Sycorax & Caliban enters)
SYCORAX
The time has come.
The time is now.
I’ll take my vengeance,
be revenged on you at last.
How I long to be revenged
be revenged on you at la–
40.
"Enough! How dare you?" (Prospero, Neptune) – "You stand there
proud and free – You have stolen the land" (Neptune)
Rameau: Castor et Pollux, Act V, Scene
1, "Castor revoit le jour"
PROSPERO
Enough! How dare you?
In whose name do you defy my will?
(Neptune enters)
NEPTUNE
In mine.
In Neptune’s.
Hear me, and be still.
You stand there, proud and “free”,
with no vestige of conscience,
with no shame at what you’ve done
to this woman and her son.
You have your excuses!
You suffered tyranny, it’s true.
But age and rage have made
a thief and a tyrant out of you!
You have stolen the land
that was rightfully hers and mine.
You have taken her faithful servant
as your plaything.
You have taken her son
and make him your minion.
You have stolen her heart.
There are times when the gods
can stand no more.
When, appalled at what we’ve seen,
we are forced to intervene
to hold a mirror to mankind,
and to show you what we find.
To shame you and to name you
as the man you are.
41.
"Lady, this island is yours" (Prospero, Caliban, Ariel) –
"Forgive me, please forgive me" (Prospero)
Handel:
Partenope, HWV 27, Act III, Scene 4, "Ch’io parta?"
PROSPERO
Lady this island is yours.
It was before I came here,
and so it remains.
And my magic, that is yours, too.
Use it how you will.
Whatever wish you wish for,
my books will fulfill.
CALIBAN
A queen to reign beside me,
that is all that I seek.
PROSPERO
This island’s yours once more.
(Ariel leaves)
And with it, all I possess.
From now on, who knows how,
or how long, I will live.
But one thing remains,
which only you can give.
Forgive me.
Please forgive me.
Pardon the wrongs I have done.
Forgive me.
Please forgive me.
Pardon what I have done.
Yes, I was heartless.
Pardon the wrongs I have done.
I brought despair and heartache
on you and everyone.
Broken, contrite,
if only I could right
all the wrongs I’ve done.
Forgive me.
Please forgive me.
Pardon the wrongs I have done.
Forgive me.
Please forgive me.
Pardon what I have done.
Yes, I was heartless.
Pardon the wrongs I have done.
42.
"We gods who watch the ways of man" (Neptune, Sycorax, Chorus)
Handel:
L’allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato, HWV 55, Part I, "Come, but keep
thy wonted state – Join with thee"
NEPTUNE
We gods who watch the ways of man,
shudder, sometimes, with dismay.
But here is one who shows he can
dare to try the righteous way.
Earth below communes with heav’n above
when we proceed with mercy and love.
Then earth below communes with heav’n above.
And so, let high and low combine.
Let gods be human, man divine.
CHORUS
May the voice of mercy bless us.
Let its tender touch caress us.
SYCORAX
Now your voice has spoken,
spoken with mercy.
I forgive you.
(Sycorax, Caliban, Miranda,
Ferdinand & Neptune leaves)
43.
"This my hope for the future" (Prospero) – "Can you feel the
heavens are reeling" (Ariel)
Vivaldi:
Griselda, RV 718, Act II, scene 2, "Agitata da due venti"
PROSPERO
This, my hope for the future
to make amends,
make peace before I die!
Appear, appear beloved spirit.
You’re free now!
And so am I.
(Ariel enters)
ARIEL
Can you feel the heavens are reeling?
Can you see the planets stirring?
Mighty meteors whirring and exploding
into showers of light and shooting stars.
And shooting stars!
Now I’m free, the world is my chorus.
All for me, wild jubilation!
Can you see this gleeful celebration?
Look, there’s Venus and Mercury
dancing with Mars.
With shooting stars!
(Ariel leaves)
PROSPERO
Our revels now are ended.
These our actors, were all spirits
and have melted into air, into thin air.
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
the cloud-capp’d towers,
the gorgeous palaces,
the solemn temples,
the great globe itself,
shall dissolve,
and like this insubstantial pageant faded,
leave not a rack behind.
44.
"Now a bright new day is dawning" (Ensemble)
Handel:
Judas Maccabaeus, oratorio, HWV 63, Part III, "Hallelujah"
ENSEMBLE
Now a bright new day is dawning.
Let the people rejoice!
The darkness has passed.
Rejoice!
The day of gladness is here at last.
The seraphim are singing with united voice
now a bright now day is dawning.
Let the people rejoice!
Rejoice!
May all the world rejoice!
