Merchant of Venice. - Repositories

184 NOTES [ACT V.
1. 7. Thisbe. Thisbe, in love with Pyramus, comes to the
trysting-place by moonlight and is scared away by seeing a lion.
The beast picks up her veil in his bloody mouth, but drops it
just as Pyramus arrives upon the scene. The latter, seeing the
blood-stained veil, thinks that Thisbe has been slain by the
lion. In despair, then, the poor fellow stabs himself. Thisbe,
recovering from her scare, returns to find her lover lying dead,
and she too ends her life. In Shakespeare's Midsummer Nighfs
Dream there is a burlesque of this adventure of Pyramus and
Thisbe.
1. 10. Dido. Dido, queen of Carthage, who loved the wandering
Trojan prince -Sineas.
I. 13. Medea. By her magic arts, Medea brought back to
life -^son, the father of Jason. Where twice before in the
play has the story of Jason been referred to ?
II. 1-24. All the tragedy and fierce passions of the trial scene
have vanished now, and, preparatory to the joyous reunion of the
lovers in Belmont and the restoration of prosperity to Antonio,
Shakespeare has given us this bewitching scene in the garden.
It is like a soft prelude of beautiful music proclaiming the blissful
and tender loves of those whose married life is now to begin
in earnest. Show how full these verses are of old romance, of
passionate love, of sad strains of melancholy, of soft, tender
touches of humor, and of the magic and witchery of nature.
See the pictures old and new that arise before you. Note the
poetic suggestiveness of the words that are used. Lastly observe
the music in the lines of the poetry — how they sing
themselves. Responsive stanzas like these are called amoebean.