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Comparing Ovid's 'Pyramus And Thisbe'

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"Pyramus and Thisbe" is a story of love and sadness. Two lovers named Pyramus and Thisbe plan to elope, but end up taking their own lives. Years later, author William Shakespeare wrote a similar book titled "Romeo and Juliet." Shakespeare transforms the themes of Ovid’s tale “Pyramus and Thisbe” in the opening of the play "Romeo and Juliet," by using the following techniques. He uses words from ¨Pyramus and Thisbe¨ such as blood, rage and death. The text states "Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean," which includes words from "Pyramus and Thisbe" and refers to an incident in the story. Just like Romeo and Juliet, Pyramus and Thisbe were killed, demonstrating that these two stories share multiple similarities. The text states "Where …show more content…

An example is when the text states "Do with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love." These two sentences include the death of two lovers and hatred between the two families. Thus, they both bring the themes romance and tragedy from "Pyramus and Thisbe" into the proltogue of "Romeo and Juliet." Shakespeare uses third person point of view, similar to "Pyramus and Thisbe." The prolouge of "Romeo and Juliet" states "The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love" and "Pyramus and Thisbe" states "They made their decision." This shows both stories use the same point of view and proves Shakespeare transforms the themes of Ovid’s tale “Pyramus and Thisbe” into the opening of the play "Romeo and Juliet". As in Ovid's story of Pyramus and Thisbe, Shakespeare explored the old conflicts that arise when he uses words such as blood, rage and death. These two stories share several similarities, such as romance, tragedy, and death. He uses words that are used in ¨Pyramus and Thisbe." He mentions multiple incidents included in Ovid's story and uses the same point of view. Why settle for "Pyramus and Thisbe" when you have "Romeo and

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