Pyramus and Thisbe

“Pyramus and Thisbe” is an extremely important myth due to the fact it inspired Romeo and Juliet, a classic love story in English literature. The parallels between the stories Romeo and Juliet and “Pyramus and Thisbe” cannot be ignored. The theme of the two works is very valuable; feuding families, forbidden love, and death of loved ones are all mentioned in the stories (Holmer). The significance of the myth “Pyramus and Thisbe” has influenced popular culture, especially seen in movies such as West Side Story (Comparisons Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story). “Pyramus and Thisbe” and Romeo and Juliet are both works of literature that have a huge significance in our day-to-day lives due to the valuable themes and influence in popular culture.
In the original Ovidian story told in Ovid’s Metamorphis, Pyramus and Thisbe reside in the city of Babylon, in a home, which is connected by a wall. Their parents are rivals and forbid the two to wed. A crack in the walls allows the lovers to whisper to each other. When they arrange to meet, Thisbe arrives first. She sees a lioness covered in blood, frightened, she leaves, forgetting behind the veils she was wearing. Pyramus arrives and is appalled after seeing Thisbe’s veils, assuming the lion had eaten her. Pyramus stabs himself after assuming his lover dead. Thisbe returns to the scene, finding Pyramus’ body, covered in blood. Overwhelmed with emotion, she stabs herself with Pyramus’ sword. The mulberry leaves were splashed with blood in the process, representing the change in color of mulberry fruits to honor the two lovers. (Pyramus and Thisbe)
Romeo and Juliet is the playwright William Shakespeare’s tale about star-crossed lovers, whose death ends up bringing together their feuding families. Romeo and Juliet fall in love after meeting a party at the Capulet mansion. They are married secretly. After a fight breaks out, Romeo is banished from Verona for the murder of Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. The distressed couple “enlists the help of Friar Lawrence, in order to devise a plan so the lovers can be reunited” (Romeo and Juliet). Juliet ingests a potion, making her appear to be dead for 42 hours. Romeo is to be notified that she is actually alive, but he is not, resulting in him purchasing poison that will allow him to be with his wife in the after life. He goes to her tomb and upon seeing her “dead” body drinks the poison. Juliet awakens and stabs herself with a dagger after seeing her beloved Romeo dead. The deaths ended the ongoing feud between the Capulet’s and the Montague’s. (Romeo and Juliet)
The two works, though written in different time periods, have many similarities, such as character parallels. Pyramus and Romeo are very similar characters. This is evident in many ways, one being that they both jump to the conclusion that their lovers are dead before analyzing the situation. They made an tremendously rash decision before thinking it through. Juliet and Thisbe are also similar; they are blinded by their love for their man, causing them to rush into matrimony. The parents of both are also alike. They are not supportive of their children, causing them to be manipulative and go behind their parents’ backs. (Pyramus and Thisbe vs. Romeo and Juliet)