Pyramus And Ovid Compare And Contrast

Have you ever wondered why the “Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet” and “Pyramus and Thisbe” are very similar styles? Some say that Shakespeare got his idea of Romeo and Juliet from Ovid, but there are some differences that could contradict that. They are both tragic, romantic stories that have parents that don’t approve of their love,but both tales have different settings. The stories endings are almost identical because the couples perish by their own will,but they have differing reasons for why they decided to end their lives. William Shakespeare and Ovid have writings that share likeness, but do contain some dissimilarities.
There are a great deal of similarities in the writings of Shakespeare and Ovid. First off, both stories contain lovers that weren’t allowed to be together by their parents. Pyramus and Thisbe loved each other very much, and wanted to be joined together by marriage, but were not permitted. “They longed to marry, but their parents forbade”(Ovid 488). Romeo and Juliet faced the same issue. “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean”(Shakespeare 377). Also, both of the stories have a tragic ending. Romeo and Juliet, in
“Once upon a time the deep red berries of the mulberry tree were white as snow. The change in color came about strangely and sadly. The death of two young lovers was the cause”(Ovid 487). In Romeo and Juliet their death didn’t change anything,but the deaths of Pyramus and Thisbe changed the color of the berries. Another difference is that Romeo and Juliet actually married,while Pyramus and Thisbe did not. “Come,come with me,and we will make short work,For,by your leaves,you shall not stay alone,Till Holy Church incorporate two in one”(Shakespeare 420). There are similarities, but the key differences create two contrasting