CALIBAN I must eat my dinner. 395 This island’s mine by Sycorax, my mother, Which thou tak’st from me. When thou cam’st first, Thou strok’st me and made much of me, wouldst give me Water with berries in ’t, and teach me how 400 To name the bigger light and how the less, That burn by day and night. And then I loved thee, And showed thee all the qualities o’ th’ isle, The fresh springs, brine pits, barren place and fertile. 405 Cursed be I that did so! All the charms Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you, For I am all the subjects that you have, Which first was mine own king; and here you sty me In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me 410 The rest o’ th’ island. PROSPERO Thou most lying slave, Whom stripes may move, not kindness, I have used thee, Filth as thou art, with humane care, and lodged 415 thee In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate The honor of my child. CALIBAN O ho, O ho! Would ’t had been done! Thou didst prevent me. I had peopled else 420 This isle with Calibans. MIRANDA Abhorred slave, Which any print of goodness wilt not take, Being capable of all ill! I pitied thee, Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each 425 hour One thing or other. When thou didst not, savage, Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like A thing most brutish, I endowed thy purposes With words that made them known. But thy vile 430 race, Though thou didst learn, had that in ’t which good natures Could not abide to be with. Therefore wast thou Deservedly confined into this rock, 435 Who hadst deserved more than a prison. CALIBAN You taught me language, and my profit on ’t Is I know how to curse. The red plague rid you For learning me your language!

(I,II: 395-439