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Hell is empty and all the devils are here.

William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2

Literature

The story behind the card

The words are Ferdinand's, son of the King of Naples, but the audience hears them from Ariel. In Act 1, Scene 2 of The Tempest, one of the last plays Shakespeare wrote alone, the spirit tells his master Prospero how he raised the storm. Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, was overthrown by his brother; now his enemies' ship is passing his island. Ariel describes flames on the masts and everyone but the sailors leaping overboard, Ferdinand first, hair on end, crying this line. Yet nobody is hurt.

Türkçe oku
Cehennem boş; bütün şeytanlar burada.
William Shakespeare, Fırtına, 1. perde, 2. sahne

Söz aslında Napoli Kralı'nın oğlu Ferdinand'ındır, ama seyirci onu Ariel'in ağzından duyar. Shakespeare'in tek başına yazdığı son oyunlardan biri sayılan Fırtına'nın 1. perde 2. sahnesinde ruh Ariel, efendisi Prospero'ya fırtınayı nasıl kopardığını anlatır. Milano'nun meşru dükü Prospero'nun dükalığını kardeşi elinden almıştır; şimdi düşmanlarının gemisi adasının önünden geçmektedir. Ariel'in anlattığına göre direklerde alevler yanmış, tayfalar dışında herkes denize atlamıştır. İlk atlayan, saçları diken diken olmuş Ferdinand'dır ve atlarken bu sözü haykırır. Oysa kimsenin burnu bile kanamamıştır.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: William Shakespeare
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