Pyramus and Thisbe were two lovers who had been forbidden to marry by their parents, but like Romeo and Juliet, they continued t
o meet and planned to run away to be together. Thisbe arrived a little bit early at the designated place—under a mulberry full of white berries and near a cool spring. Thisbe arrived first and while she waited, a fierce lion appeared, jaws bloodied from a recent kill, and she ran to safety, dropping her cloak in her rush. When Pyramus arrived, he found only her cloak trampled and bloody from the lion who had found her scent and torn the cloak with his mighty jaws. Pyramus’ despair was great. He blamed himself for not being there to protect his love. In his sorrow, he picked up the bloody cloak and kissed it again and again. Despairing, he drew his sword and plunged it into his side, his blood staining the white mulberries a deep red. Thisbe, though still fearful of the lion, got up her courage and returned minutes later to find her love dead. She kissed him, and finding his sword by his side, took it and killed herself. The gods, pitying them, made the berries of the mulberry tree red forever in their honor. Which purpose of mythology is illustrated by the story of Pyramus and Thisbe? religion history explanation of natural phenomena philosophy
The story of the lovers "Pyramus and Thisbe" follows what is commonly known as "The Star-Crossed Lovers archetype", in other words, it is a tale the captures a typical character, it's actions and situations in a way that they represent universal patterns observed in human behavior and relatioships. Two people who fall inlove for each other; however, their relatioship is doomed since the begining, because by fate or destiny they cannot be together.
"Pyramus and Thisbe" depicts a Babylonian hero and heroine. The tale was related in the form of a latin narrative poem by the Roman poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses in book number IV. The book the story comes from is full of myths and it chronicles the history of the world from its creation to the deification of Julius Caesar. In this particular story the myth is about thwe color of the fruit, which is red due to the lovers spilled blood. About this type of writing William Shakespeare was the first one to represent this archetype with "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet." The japanese culture have a similar story that supports their Tanabata Festival.
