Whether thou best he or no,
Or some enchanted trifle to abuse me,
As late I have been, I not know: thy pulse
Beats as of flesh and blood; and, since I saw thee,
The affliction of my mind amends, with which,
I fear a madness held me. This must crave,
An if this be at all, a most strange story.
Thy dukedom I resign, and do entreat
Thou pardon me my wrongs. But how should Prospero
Be living, and be here?
– William Shakespeare
The Tempest, Act 5, Scene 1. Alonso is baffled and confused by the announcement that he is the wronged Duke of Milan. How could Prospero be living and be on the island, there must be an extraordinary story to explain this, he says. Nevertheless, he makes up his mind straight away to act: he acknowledges his guilt and asks for Prospero’s forgiveness for his wrongdoing. And he withdraws his support for Antonio taking Prospero’s dukedom.