Gonzalo continues to remark about the freshness of his garments and to make references to the daughter of the King of Naples. Gonzalo is still attempting to cheer his king. However, King Alonso angrily silences the counselor:
You cram these words into mine ears against The stomach of my sense. (106-07)
The word stomach means appetite or, more precisely, desire. The word sense means hearing. Alonso has no desire to hear any words about the marriage. King Alonso regrets marrying his daughter to a prince of Tunis. He realizes that he will never see her again. More importantly to him, he thinks that he will never see his son Ferdinand again because he believes that Ferdinand has drowned. Thus, with Ferdinand dead and with his daughter married away in Africa, Alonso has no heir, no child to inherit his throne. The grieving king then imagines “strange fish” dining on the carcass of his drowned son.
The other attendant lord named Francisco attempts to cheer up his king by declaring that the last time he saw Ferdinand, the young prince was swimming bravely toward the shore. Francisco believes that Ferdinand may still be alive. Alonso, however, is certain that Ferdinand is dead.
Sebastian (who is the King’s brother) takes the opportunity to blame Alonso for the double misfortune. He reminds Alonso that all of the lords of Naples had advised him against the marriage of his daughter to the King of Tunis. Even Claribel, the princess, did not want to marry into African nobility and become a queen there:
… the fair soul herself Weighed between loathness and obedience at Which end of the beam would bow. (129-31)
Sebastian is declaring that Alonso’s daughter was loath or unwilling to get married in Africa, but her father forced the marriage upon her. And as Claribel was noble and wished to obey her father, she did as he commanded. Sebastian uses the metaphor of a scale to emphasize his point.
Obedience was the more powerful force in her compliance with her father’s wishes. The scale weighed down against her. Sebastian is also employing a double meaning in his use of the word fair to describe the daughter. The word fair means both (1) beautiful and (2) having fair features (white skin, blond hair, blue eyes). Sebastian would thus be subtly contrasting the beautiful and light appearance of the princess to the loathsome and dark appearance of the African groom.
Gonzalo directly points out the inappropriateness of Sebastian’s remarks:
The truth you speak doth lack some gentleness And time to speak it in. You rub the sore When you should bring the plaster. (136-38)
As noted previously, Sebastian is continuing to speak ignobly and dishonorably. He is not acting in a genteel manner. He is not behaving as a nobleman. The word plaster in Gonzalo’s metaphor refers to soothing medicine or a bandage. Sebastian’s words are making matters worse and are making King Alonso feel even more miserable.