Republic of the Philippines

Leyte Normal University

Introduction to Stylistics

Vanessa Anne Z Oliva October 14, 2014

BSEd 4-2 (English) TFri 7:30-9:00 am

A/N: This analysis used to be in the habit of incorporating “I think that” phrase in almost every paragraph. But then,

constant proofreading of my work led to complete annihilation of all the “I think that” phrases so I made this

author’s note because the same thing might happen wherein I was suspected of copying and pasting because my

work seemed to “lack my voice”. Rereading it, I think I’ve done it again (or not?). I can’t seem to balance the

elements when I write. Please comment on it.

How the Word ‘P inch’ Was Used

In Shakespeare’s The Tempest

According to Encarta Encyclopedia 2009, The Tempest is believed to be

Shakespeare’s way of saying farewell to the world of theatre arts. His sorcerer-king

Prospero’s epilogue of surrendering magical powers and burning magical books is said to be

Shakespeare’s way of telling his readers of his retirement from the world of plays. However,

this speculation is just one of the many mysteries revolving around Shakespeare’s works as

this play is not really Shakespeare’s last literary work and so has not yet been proven.

The title of the play was attested by the beginning of the play’s scene of a ship racked

by the rage of tempest and that particular tempest lead to the events that formed the play

and ended the feuds among the characters: a treaty of peace, of forgiveness, respect and

mercy between Prospero and the others.

All scenes were products of Prospero’s (and Ariel’s) wise use of power. The benefit

of using both wisdom and power was highly-regarded by Shakespeare. So that it became

the medium in which at the end, the villains converted to righteousness.

However, you’d notice that the word “pinch” was repeatedly used by Shakespeare.

When taken literally, it is said to be an act of tightly gripping something between finger and

thumb or between two hard objects or edges in which a Filipino mind-frame associates with

a naughty child. But in this play, “pinch” was used eight times, proposing varied meanings in

varied intervals between Caliban and Prospero – whom I would like to think as

representations of the Yin and Yang, the good and the bad within the story; with Ariel and all

other mystical spirits forming the middle ground.

Caliban is a son of Sycorax: the powerful wicked sorceress and former ruler of the isle

who also imprisoned Ariel inside a tree trunk for a dozen years. She gave birth to Caliban

with the entire world’s ugliness upon him and died; leaving Ariel imprisoned still and Caliban,

a motherless savage.

When the exiled duke of Milan arrived at Sycorax’s isle, he tamed Caliban and made

him civilized. Caliban, in return of this kindness, showed Prospero the beauty and power

found within the isle. The former duke of Milan learned the art of magic and became the

wise sorcerer, Prospero, through the help of magical books left by the wicked sorceress.

However, Caliban, being a seed of bad fruit, attempted foul things upon the beautiful

Miranda (Prospero’s daughter), leaving Prospero in a fit of rage and made him (Caliban) his

(Prospero’s) servant instead; now and then, putting magical curses upon him.

Thus, Caliban is the Yin – the dark side of everything; Prospero, on the other hand is

the Yang – the positive side. Together with the other characters, they formed the mixture of

good and bad within The Tempest.

The first and second uses of pinch were made by Prospero under the context of

punishing Caliban for talking back and ill-cursing:

SCENE II. The Island. Before PROSPERO'S cell. PROSPERO

For this, be sure, to-night thou shalt have cramps, Side-stitches that shall pen thy breath up; urchins

Shall, for that vast of night that they may work, All exercise on thee; thou shalt be pinch'd As thick as honeycomb, each pinch more stinging Than bees that made 'em.

The first ‘pinch’ (verb; future commisive act) was associated with honeycombs which

could either mean that Caliban would be packed with so much cramps, side stitches, and

urchins until he looked like an ugly wrinkly thick beehive or he would be infiltrated with

numerous deep holes of wounds like that of the hexagon cells in a honeycomb.

The second ‘pinch’ (noun; singular) may refer to each pain delivered by each ailment

casted upon Caliban which would be more stinging than bees that made ‘em. The bees in here

may refer to the ailments. Thus, the wound might look small and insignificant as a scratch

but the pain was unbearable.

After Prospero casted this curse on Caliban and ordered him to get woods, the band

of shipwrecked sailors entered the scene, then upon their exit Caliban enters, loaded with

woods Prospero asked for.

On his walk, he muttered ill things upon Prospero’s name eventhough he knew that

his (Prospero’s) spirits hear him. On his unpleasant mutterings, he used the third ‘pinch’

(verb; simple present):

All the infections that the sun sucks up

From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall and make him

By inch-meal a disease! His spirits hear me

And yet I needs must curse. But they'll nor pinch,

Fright me with urchin--shows, pitch me i' the mire,

Nor lead me, like a firebrand, in the dark

Out of my way, unless he bid 'em;

Caliban’s use of the third ‘pinch’ here refers to hurt – like saying, “they’ll never hurt

me”. He assured himself that eventhough the spirits could hear him, they could not do any

worse than provide him with trivial misfortunes unless Prospero tells them to do more than

that.

The next ‘pinch’ (noun; plural) was used for the fourth time, again, by Caliban. Out of

haste to kill Prospero and irritation upon Stephano and Trinculo’s halting their mission to

steal fine garments, Caliban exclaimed the fourth pinch to warn them of Prospero’s skill to

provide them with magical curses or ill-giving magical incantations if they would not hurry:

The dropsy drown this fool I what do you mean

To dote thus on such luggage? Let's alone

And do the murder first: if he awake,

From toe to crown he'll fill our skins with pinches,

Make us strange stuff.

And on the fifth use of ‘pinch’ (compound adjective) thundered by Prospero to Ariel

in a fit of fury – Caliban’s warnings came true. Prospero ordered his goblins to do

mischievous things upon Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban for trying to kill him on his sleep

and stealing clothes from his wardrobe:

Go charge my goblins that they grind their joints

With dry convulsions, shorten up their sinews

With aged cramps, and more pinch-spotted make them

Than pard or cat o' mountain.

‘Pinch’ here was used with the word ‘spotted’, as in ‘pinch -spotted’ like a pard, a cat

of mountain – a leopard. Prospero ordered his goblins to fill them with so many wounds and

ailments until their skin were with numerous and widespread wound spots as in a leopard’s

skin – a wound-spotted/filled skin.

However, for the first time, the sixth and the seventh ‘pinch’ words did not refer to

or include Caliban, instead it was used solely for Sebastian. As he observed the circle of

bewildered men before him and proclaimed their goodness and their faults, he told them of

the truth behind the stories that occurred within the play:

Most cruelly

Didst thou, Alonso, use me and my daughter:

Thy brother was a furtherer in the act.

Thou art pinch'd fort now, Sebastian. Flesh and blood,

You, brother mine, that entertain'd ambition,

Expell'd remorse and nature; who, with Sebastian,

Whose inward pinches therefore are most strong,

Would here have kill'd your king;

In “pinch’d fort now, Sebastian”, ‘pinch’ (adverb of manner) was used in a matter of

saying like, “Your fort of lies are revealed now, Sebastian. You have nowhere to go.” On

the other hand, in the “whose inward pinches”, ‘pinch’ (noun; plural) was used to refer to

Sebastian’s inner evils that urged him to do despicable things such as killing and usurping

Alonso as king.

As an end, the last use of pinch (verb; future; commisive) was graced by Caliban’s

tongue on his embarrassment for taking in Stephano and Trinculo as his new masters. He

used ‘pinch’ on equal meaning with ‘ashamed’ in the common expression of, “be ashamed

to death” and ended up respecting Prospero as his good and noble master on the last parts

of the play; attesting to Prospero’s (and Ariel’s) wise magical works that served as a medium

to turn the dark hearts of the villains to righteousness.

I shall be pinch'd to death.