By: Catherine Thai and Destiny Walton

The myth of Pyramus and Thisbe is a Greek tale of Romeo and Juliet. The two young lovers were forbidden to see each other by their parents, and were separated by a wall from conjoined houses and spoke to each other from a small crack in the barrier. One night, the two decided that their love could handle no more separation and they would meet the following evening to finally be together. They agreed to meet at a tree in a forest and wait for each other. A SUMMARY OF PYRAMUS AND THISBE

Thisbe arrived first, and when she did, she saw a lioness. She scurried to safety, all while dropping her veil. The lioness found Thisbe’s possession and rent and draught it with her bloody mouth. Pyramus came later and thought he arrived first, until he saw the veil covered in blood from the lioness, thinking that his love was dead. He chose that if she was dead, he would die too, without her love, and drew his sword into his heart. Thisbe came back, seeing the sword in her beloved’s body. Choosing not to let him suffer and die alone for her sake, Thisbe plunged the sword into her chest, wishing for berries to grow purple on the day of their memorial from their blood. The parents buried them together, and the purple berries grew on the tree they died next to from that day forth.

Thisbe Talking Through The Cracked Wall Pyramus And Thisbe Dying By The Mulberry Tree

∞The Mulberry Tree symbolizes the death and everlasting love of Pyramus and Thisbe. The tree was the meeting spot and also the place where the two lovers died. The berries that were once white now turn purple because of the blood from the two and represents their ongoing love. ∞The sword (or dagger) symbolizes the death and sacrifice of the two. They took their own lives with the sword so they wouldn’t have to live without each other and it was a sacrifice to be together in the after life and away from their parents. SYMBOLS

∞Thisbe’s veil symbolizes her life and also death. When Pyramus sees her veil bloodied and draught he assumes that she is dead. It is then that he decides to take his own life. Then Thisbe sees it and concludes it was the veil that caused him to kill himself and she, too, took her life because of it. ∞The wall represents the barrier between their love and what’s keeping them apart from each other. It can also represent their parents resentment on them being together. It is what drives them to great measures to be together. SYMBOLS CONTINUED

∞The color white means peace and innocence. The berries on the Mulberry were once white and showed of the two lovers’ innocence in just trying to be together. The tree was a safe haven and peaceful spot for them to die together. ∞Violet means advanced spirituality, which in this case, Pyramus and Thisbe, both take their lives and move on together as spirits. The berries turn from white to purple to represent the death and possibly the rebirth of the two’s love. ∞Also, the color red is the color of blood and meaning of death. The blood shed from them is what causes the berries to turn purple. It could represent their deep passion for each other and will to die for the other’s sake. SYMBOLS- ARCHETYPES

∞A lake means mystery and depth. The lioness drank from a lake while Thisbe ran off to hide. The depth of the story is when Pyramus comes in and finds the veil that was mauled by the lion and kills himself to be with his “dead” true love. ∞A tree is the base and heart of the story. A tree symbolizes knowledge and life in this story. The tree is where the lives of Pyramus and Thisbe end. The parents gain knowledge of knowing that they should have let their love be from the beginning or the tragedy would have never occurred. ARCHETYPES CONTINUED

∞A theme in this myth is tragedy or misfortune. The only thing Pyramus and Thisbe wanted was to be together. The one day they finally set off to be together is when things start to go wrong. Pyramus believes that Thisbe was dead and he kills himself; and when she finds out what happened, she kills herself, too. It is unfortunate for this to happen on the one day they had been waiting for, for so long. ∞Another theme is love or passion. The two teens were so in love that they would do anything for each other, such as die. They were so love struck that they went to extreme measures to be together and run away from their families. The very last moments together, they showed so much compassion toward each other that they took their own lives. They showed that they couldn’t live without each other and how they were passionate with each other. The passion and love for each other is what caused their actions and ended in them taking their lives. THEMES “Love conquers all even through tragedy and death”

∞Also, rebellion can be a theme of the myth. Thisbe and Pyramus were forbidden to see each other, but they chose to run away from their parents so they could be together. It shows rebellion because they disobeyed they’re parents’ rules and chose love instead. THEMES CONTINUED

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