3–5
HERA
Love’s your master, good and proper. He drags you along, pulling you by the nose, as they say, and you follow wherever he leads you, and don’t mind changing into anything he bids you. Why, you’re nothing but love’s chattel and plaything. I can see already that you sympathise with Ixion, because you yourself once made free with his wife, Dia. and she brought you Peirithous.
ZEUS
What? Do you still remember every time I went down to earth to have some fun? Do you know what I think we should do with Ixion? We shouldn’t punish him or forbid him our table. That would be ill-bred. No, since he’s in love, and reduced to tears and suffers intolerable torment—
HERA
Quick, out with it; for I’m afraid you too will make some outrageous suggestion.
ZEUS
Nothing of the sort. No, let’s make a model of you out of cloud, and every night after dinner, when he can’t get to sleep for love, as is only natural, we can bring it and put it beside him. Thus he could be out of his misery, and imagine he’s got what he longs for.
HERA
Never! Curse him for lusting after what’s above him.
ZEUS
Still you must put up with it, my dear. What harm will the model do you, if Ixion makes love to a cloud?
5
HERA
But I’ll be mistaken for the cloud and so be put to shame, because we can’t be told apart.
ZEUS
What nonsense! The cloud could never become Hera or you a cloud. Ixion will be deceived, that’s all.
