Pyramus and Thisbe -- Teaching Shakespeare (Day 9)

Bear with me. I'm in the midst of documenting Teaching Shakespeare to sixth graders, so my posts for the last two weeks have been all about that. I didn't plan it. It just happened spontaneously, much like things sometimes happen in the classroom.

Today my schedule was peppered with parent conferences, so I was in and out all day. One highlight was reading the Roman myth Pyramus and Thisbe, as told by Ovid in his Metamorphoses.

The myth recounts the tale of two lovers, separated by their parents and a wall, which serves as a physical obstacle. The lovers plan their escape to meet in the wood, where they will finally be together. Thisbe escapes her house, veiled and unseen, only to drop her veil, which is then taken up by a blood-ridden tiger. Thisbe hides in a dark cave. That's when Pyramus comes along, sees the bloodied veil, and takes his own life under the assumption that his love is dead and gone forever. Thisbe appears from the cave and stumbles upon Pyramus's body. She takes his crimson sword, points it between her breasts, and falls on it. And now her prayers to the gods are answered and she will eternally lie next to her love.

That's it in a nutshell. If Romeo and Juliet comes to mind, you'd be correct. Even Shakespeare stole ideas and, of course, made them all his own.