Pyramus and Thisbe

Star-crossed lovers: Pyramus and Thisbe tells a tragic story of how two lovers, forbidden to be together but cannot bear to live apart, that try to find a way to get past the walls that divide them. They speak to each other through a wall, and one night they make a plan to flee the city and meet in the country at a well-known mulberry tree. Trees represent wisdom, which really contrasts to the naivety of the two young people. Pyramus gets there and thinks Thisbe has been eaten by a lion, so he kills himself. Thisbe then finds him, and she kills herself.

This is the classic tale of two people, longing to be together but unable to be. ''Love, however, cannot be forbidden. The more that flame is covered up the hotter it burns," is a direct quote, which pretty much sums up the whole point of stories like these. Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde and this story all show that people who are in love cannot be restricted by the hatred and disagreements of their parents, by walls, or even by death. In the end of each of these stories, the characters prove their love for each other by killing themselves. Death is the ultimate sacrifice, and for these lovers is always their fate.

You could argue that Pyramus and Thisbe's love was different than that of Romeo and Juliet, or Tristan and Isolde because they learned to love each other over time. They grew up living side by side and got to know each other, and then fell in love. It was love at first sight for Romeo. But both stories ended the same, they both ended in death for both lovers. Do you think either love was stronger? Since Pyramus and Thisbe knew each other, was their love for each other stronger than the others? They both seem to be making the same mistakes, one trait they all seem to have is impatience. If Pyramus would have simply waited for Thisbe before killing himself, at least a few minutes, they would have both lived and been together. Juliet and Romeo fought for their love to last forever and fought to be together, and it was all ruined. However, another problem for all four lovers was carelessness. If Juliet would have made sure Romeo knew what she was planning, he wouldnt have killed himself. Thisbe went to the meeting place and waited for what sounded like awhile, and then fled to hide from a lion. When Pyramus got there, he found her bloody coat, that she had conveniantly dropped for the lion to rip at. If they would have gotten to the meeting place closer to the same time, they could have lived. If Thisbe was more careful, and didnt drop her coat, she could have saved them both.

Night and day, and darkness and light played an important role in this story. The sun's light is talked about alot, when it first streams into their homes in the morning is when they talk to each other through their walls, and they decide to meet at night. During the day, when they talk to each other suggests the hope in their relationship and their hope that they can finally be together. The night they meet started as a mystery, the night often implies an the unknown, and it ended in despair and tragedy.