Question

Answer briefly the questions that the passage follows:

Ariel:	Thy thoughts I cleave to. What’s thy pleasure?
Prospero:	Spirit, we must prepare to meet with Caliban.
Ariel:	Ay, my commander. When I presented Ceres I thought to have told thee of it, but I fear’d Lest I might anger thee.
Prospero:	Say again, where didst thou leave these varlets?

1. For whom is the term varlets being used?     [1]
2. What conical behaviour of theirs does Ariel narrate now?     [2]
3. Where had these people been going? Why?     [2]
4. Where did Ariel leave them eventually? What did they do then?     [2]
5. What does Prospero tell Ariel to do? Why?     [2]
6. Give the meaning of the following words as they are used in the context of the passage:     [1]
   cleave, varlets

Answer 1

1. By “varlets,” Prospero refers to Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo, who have no scruples.
2. Ariel talks about the drunken behaviour of the rogues. With faces red from drinking, they smote at the air for blowing against their faces and stomped the ground for touching their feet.
3. They had been going to Prospero’s cell to kill him.
4. Ariel, with his drumbeats, cast magic on them and led them through thorny bushes to a filthy pond covered in scum located beyond Prospero’s cell. They started dancing in it and were immersed in the dirty water up to their chins.
5. Prospero told Ariel to retain his invisible shape and bring him the “trumpery,” or fine garments, from the house. He wanted to use those gaudy clothes as bait to catch those rogues.
6. ‘Cleave’ in the context means ready to obey. ‘Varlets’ means rogues or unprincipled people.