Passage 1
Alonso
Good boatswain, have care. Where’s the master?
Play the men!
Boatswain
I pray now, keep below!
Antonio
Where is the master, boatswain?
Boatswain
Do you not hear him? You mar our labour. Keep your cabins! You do assist the storm.
Gonzalo
Nay, good, be patient
Boatswain
When the sea is! Hence . What cares these roarers for the name of the king? To cabin! Silence! Trouble us not.
Gonzalo
Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard.
(i) Who is Alonso? Why is he trying to encourage the boatswain?
Answer : Alonso is the king of Naples. He is trying to encourage the boatswain because their ship is facing a grave threat from the tempest that has suddenly arisen in the sea. In his usual royal tone, he is ordering the sailors who are already busy doing their duties.
(ii) Why is the boatswain in an irritated and impatient mood? What does he want the passengers to do?
Answer : The boatswain, who is going his duty sincerely along with other sailors, does not lie to be interrupted in any way. When the royal passengers, as usual , being to give orders, he loses his self-control and wants them to go back to their cabins.
(iii) What does Gonzalo ask the boatswain to remember? How does the boatswain react?
Answer : Gonzalo, an old lord, asks the boatswain to be patient and remember that there are important persons on the ship. The boatswain reacts angrily and says that there is no one whom he loves more than he loves himself. What he wants to say is that all of them are doing their best to save the ship.
(iv) What is Gonzalo’s wish as the ship is sinking?
Answer : Gonzalo says that he is ready to give away a thousand furlongs of sea in exchange for only one acre of dry land. He prays to God that his will should prevail but he would like to die on a dry land, is he is fated to die.
(v) What happens to the passengers on the ship? Does the ship sink? Why/Why not?
Answer : The passengers on the ship are safely guided by the invisible spirit Ariel in groups to different parts of the island. The ship does not sink as Prospero wants it to remain safe. Ariel keeps it safe.
(vi) Give the meanings of the following words as they are used in the context of the passage:
(a) master (b) roarers
Answer : (a) commander of the merchant ship
(b) winds of thunder
Passage 2
Gonzalo
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 his hanging; make the rope of his destiny our cable, for our own doth little advantage. If he be not born to be hanged, our case is miserable.
(i) What has happened earlier in the context?
Answer : A furious storm starts raging at the sea. The ship carrying the king of Naples, Alonso, Antonio, Sebastian and others face a grave danger. The royal passengers become panicky and rush to the deck.
(ii) Why does the boatswain lose his temper?
Answer : The boatswain loses his temper when the royal passengers begin to order him and the other crew members. He does not like to be ordered at this crucial moment. So he asks every passenger to go back and remain in his cabin.
(iii) How does Gonzalo view the boatswain’s angry outburst? What does he predict?
Answer : Gonzalo finds that the boatswain is rude to everyone, especially to Alonso, the king of Naples. He thinks that if the ship goes back safe to their country, the boatswain will be executed for his impertinence. He predicts his death by hanging.
(iv) What is Gonzalo’s wish?
Answer : Gonzalo does not want to die in the sea. He is ready to give away a thousand furlongs of sea in exchange for only an acre of dry land. He prays to God to let him die on a dry land, if he is destined to die.
(v) What do you think of Gonzalo?
Answer : Gonzalo is devoted to the King of Naples, Alonso. He remains calm and composed at the time of grave crises. He has full faith in God and prays to him to let him die on a piece of dry land.
(vi) Give the meanings of the following words as they are used in the context of the passage:
(a) complexion (b) perfect gallows
Answer : (a) external appearance
(b) good indication of being born to be hanged.