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With a willow in hand,° wafting her love 4 / Holding a willow, and
To come again to Carthage. 5

—Jessica On such a night,
Medea gathered the enchanted herbs
6 7
That renewed° life to Jason’s dying father. / did bring

—Lorenzo On such a night,
Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew,
And with a poor lover,° did run from Venice {an unthrift love} / wasteful love 8
As far as Belmont. {As far as Belmont}

—Jessica Yes, on such a night,
Did young Lorenzo swear he loved her well,
Stealing her soul with many vows of faith,
And not a one was true.° {And ne’er a true one}

—Lorenzo On such a night,
Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew,
Slander her love—and he forgave her for it. 9 / but then she was forgiven.

—Jessica
10
I would outplay° you did nobody come, {out-night}
But hark, I hear the stepping° of a man. 11 {footing} / footsteps

Enter Stephano, a messenger

4. {Stood Dido with a willow in her hand | Upon the wild sea banks and waft her love | To come again to
Carthage}
/ Stood the forsaken queen Dido upon | The wild shore wafting her love to return,
/ Stood queen Dido, with willow in her hand, | Upon the wild sea banks, and waft her love
/ Upon the banks of a billowing sea | Stood the forsaken queen Dido, wafting | Her beloved to return.
5. An additional line, concerning the legend, could be added: + But alas, | Aeneus ne’er returned.,
6. An additional line could be added: +Yet Jason still left her for Creon’s daughter.,
7. It is revealing that the lovers, shown together for the first time, only cite stories and legends which tell of betrayal,
abandonment, and tragedy—all ending in death. Thus, the outer appearance of harmony belies the underlying
turmoil of the two lovers. Perhaps the author has used this game of free-association as a way to reveal some of this
unspoken, yet looming, inner conflict.
It is interesting to note that the portions of the legends recalled by these two lovers tell only of the romanticized
aspects—such as the images of the legends that take place under the full moon. Yet, when the full scope of these
stories are revealed, we see that they all end in tragedy. Outwardly, Lorenzo and Jessica are surrounded by the lush
gardens of Belmont, christened by the moonlight—which allows them the luxury of a borrowed moment. Soon they
must give up this moon lite world and face the harsh reality of their situation. [See Additional Notes, 5.1.13] [See
Appendix: “Night Game” for summaries of the four legends].
8. unthrift love: a) a poor or wasteful lover, or love, (such as Lorenzo) or b) a wasteful, carefree (or extravagant)
kind of love that is unconcerned with wealth; a love with spends now and is not concerned with the future.
9. {and he forgave it her}
10. out-night: outplay you (in mention of all these things that the night reminds us of)
11. / I would outplay you at this night game—but | Listen, I hear the stepping of a man.