Q. #2 pg.55

The story's closing lines conclude the darkness/death imagery Ovid has developed throughout the narrative by combining Pyramus and Thisbe's wishes with the themes. For example, Thisbe wants the tree to have "pullosque et luctibus aptos semper habe fetus" which is noticeable in the last lines by the phrase "nam color in pomo est, ubi permaturuit, ater". In this insistence and many others in the story the darkness represents joy because it means their wishes have come true and its the time during the day when they can escape without being seen and under protection. Their plan to meet each other consists of happening "sub noctem" and "lateantque sub umbra arboris". The darkness in the story also portrays feelings of danger and worried. For example, Thisbe "sic facit incertum pomi color" of the tree because it is darker than usually. This makes her worried because she thinks something bad has happened and she doesn't know if she is at the right tree. Death is represented in the last lines because Pyramus and Thisbe "una requiescit in urna" which was their dream of being together. Throughout the story and especially in the last line death represents the unity of Pyramus and Thisbe and how much they love each other. For example, when Pryamus is talking to the lion who is not there he says, "Nostrum divellite corpus, et scelerata fero consumite visera morsu". The key word he uses is our when he talks about his and her death because it reveals how much he loves her since he wants the lion to kill him too. Then towards the end of the play Thisbe says a powerful line that summarizes the meaning of death. She says, "dabit hic in vulnera vires." This shows she loves Pyramus so much that the love is driving her to kill herself so they can be together at last, unite.

Question One pg. 49

Ovid's graphic depiction of Pyramus' suicide is very essential to the story-line because it displays the everlasting love he has for Thisbe. For a man to stab himself in the grion, it shows that he must really love her because this spot is very sensitive. This feeling comes from the word Ovid uses instead of stab which increases the pain you feel as a reader. Ovid uses the word "demisit" which means plunged. This word gives a deeper depiction and stronger image the pain he is going through. Pyramus' graphic suicide is important to the story-line because it follows the tragic pattern that has been occurring. It starts with the parents not allowing Pyramus and Thisbe to love each other. Then it goes to the wall that literally stops them from loving each other. Finally, it goes to Pyramus killing himself because he thinks she is dead. This descriptive suicide is essential to the story-line because this is one of many other descriptive scenes in the story so far. Another descriptive scene is when Thisbe embraces Pyramus' dead body and mixing her tears with his blood.

Limerick on Story so Far

A girl and a boy had to try

To love through a wall that made them cry

They plan to meet where

Something happens there

He thinks she is dead he says goodbye.

Pyramus and Thisbe 105-127 Figure of Speech

The first figure of speech I noticed in this part of the story was the use of an apostrophe. Ovid used this when Pyramus was speaking to the lion. For example, Ovid wrote, "o quicumque sub hac habitatis rupe leones!" This is an apostrophe because Pyramus is addressing the lion as present when the lion is really absent or not there. Ovid uses this figure of speech to show how sad Pyramus feels about Thisbe's death by screaming to the lion as if it was there to kill him too. The second figure of speech I noticed was the use of an anaphora. An anaphora is the repetition of a word or words at the start of successive clauses. Ovid used this form of a figure of speech when he said, "utque dedit notae lacrimas, dedit oscula vesti." The repetition of the words "he gave" stresses to the reader of how upset Pyramus is feeling about thinking Thisbe is dead because he found her veil soaked with blood. The third figure of speech I noticed was the use of a transferred epithet. A transferred epithet is when a qualifying word modifies "the wrong" word. For example, when Ovid wrote, "scelerata fero consumite viscers morsu." The transferred epithet is Pryamus' "wicked guts". I strongly believe Ovid used this figure of speech because it shows the reader how mad Pyramus is at himself, since he thinks he caused Thisbe's death. He is so mad he calls himself sinful and wishes himself dead too by the same lion.