TRINCULO      I should know that voice. It should be – but he is drowned, and these are devils. O, defend me!

STEPHANO    Four legs and two voices – a most delicate monster! His forward voice now is to speak well of his friend; his backward voice is to utter foul speeches and to detract. If all the wine in my bottle will recover him, I will help his ague. Come. Amen! I will pour some in thy other mouth.

TRINCULO      Stephano!

STEPHANO    Doth thy other mouth call me? Mercy, mercy! This is a devil and no monster. I will leave him; I have no long spoon. (2.2.86-97)

Some clarity, or at least the possibility of clarity, begins to appear, although it’ll be a while yet. Trinculo again, hoping against hope that he hears a familiar voice – it should be – but he assumes that Stephano is drowned. More wriggling, trembling, struggling under the gaberdine. But drunken Stephano isn’t listening; he is too preoccupied with his precious monster, which he now imagines as having not only four legs but two voices (and hence, presumably, two mouths and, perhaps, two heads). This anatomical possibility makes it a most delicate monster. Theforward voice seems to be Trinculo’s, speaking well of his friend, that is, Stephano himself; his backward voice is therefore Caliban, suggesting that Caliban is, well, talking out of the imagined monster’s backside, and perhaps accounting for the strong smell which emanates from under the garberdine. The monster has a mouth at both ends… (Hilarious stuff; in mitigation, the potential for physical comedy can make this very funny, in the right hands. Or legs.) But Stephano is still determined to help its ague, which is making it shiver and tremble. There are two mouths for Stephano to tend to; he begins with Caliban’s (presumably, but not essentially visible by this point) and then is about to pour some wine in the other mouth – Trinculo’s – when he is disconcerted by its direct address. A monster that calls him by name must be a devil and no monster. Time for Stephano to desist from his attempted deed of charity (and his monster moneymaking scheme): if this is a devil then he will need a (proverbial)long spoon in order to sup with it (and hence to feed it). He’s not taking any chances…