Storytelling for Week 2: The Misfortune of Pyramus and Thisbe

Thisbe, young and beautiful, lived a very lonely life. She was an only child and lived with her parents in a rather big house in Babylon. It was very large. People would always walk by it slowly, staring at it in awe and admiring its massive size and delicate structure. Some would even dare to compare it to a castle. Although many people loved it from the outside, Thisbe grew to hate it from within. It was filled with many things, but she felt as though she was living in an empty space. She craved to travel to a different place filled with more possibilities. However, her parents would never allow this. They were very strict and protective of Thisbe.

One cool morning, Thisbe stared out of her bedroom window fantasizing about a life she believed she was destined to have. In the midst of her imagination running wild, she saw more people passing by. 

"Oh, great, more have arrived to admire something they know nothing about. If only they grew up in my position, they would know and they would soon grow tired of this place, too."

She continued to watch them, but something else grabbed her attention. Her eyes drifted to a young man. He caught sight of her and smiled softly. She let out a little gasp. His beautiful smile invited her. He was like no one she had ever seen before. As she was just making sense of this odd, but wonderful, connection with the stranger, he turned to leave, returning from the direction in which he came.

Thisbe, captivated by the man, ran downstairs, exclaiming to her parents that she was going for a walk as she moved towards the front door.

"Okay, but Thisbe, don't take too long. Be back within the hour," her mother replied.

Thisbe went outside, turning this way and that, looking for the mysterious man she had seen moments ago. She then spotted him, not far off, sitting under a tree. It was as if he was waiting for her to find him.

"What is your name?" Thisbe blurted out.

"Pyramus. And yours?" he replied.

"My name is Thisbe. I live in that house back that way. Where do you come from? You don't look familiar. I see a lot of people in this city but your face seems new."

"My family and I just moved here from Esar. My father was looking for a better job and thought he might be able to find it here. Personally, I was hoping to make some new friends here. Maybe you could be my first and possibly show me around?"

Without hesitation she replied, "I'd be happy to."

************

Thisbe and Pyramus spent a lot of time together. Thisbe began to take more "walks" as she would tell her parents. She was now also eager to run errands. Not long after, they fell in love. It was an inexplicable kind of love. A love so strong it could lift a thousand earths. They were sad to be apart but happy they were able to feel that for they knew their love was one that would last an eternity. 

Even sooner than they realized their love for each other, Thisbe's parents found out about them. They were quick to express that they did not approve of the relationship and would not accept it. Thisbe's father, especially, grew to hate Pyramus. Many arguments with Thisbe would lead to him losing his temper. Time and time again Thisbe would explain to her parents how she could not, and would not, stop loving Pyramus.

One day, after the worst argument she had with her father, Thisbe decided to pack her things and run away. She went to Pyramus' house and told him what had happened. Pyramus, always willing to stand by his love, ran away with her. They fled the city in search of a new life together.

************

It had been months since Thisbe and Pyramus left Babylon. Thisbe had heard talk of her parents trying to find her but she and Pyramus went far away to a city where they believe they could live together in peace. This peace that they hoped for, though, would soon come to an end. Thisbe's father became very worried, desperate and angry as he knew that his beloved, only child, had run away with Pyramus. So, he sent many men to find Thisbe and bring her back. But they were also under very strict orders to find Pyramus and kill him.

Late one evening, Pyramus left the house he and Thisbe were living in to get more food. Halfway to his destination some of Thisbe's father's men stopped him. 

"Where is she? Where is Thisbe?" the men shouted.

Knowing that the men meant nothing but trouble for her, Pyramus refused to respond. Without wasting any time, the mean began beating him up. He attempted to fight back, but to no avail. One pulled out a knife and stabbed him in his side. Pyramus lay on the ground, bleeding, and from the corner of his eye he watched the men storm off.

"I'm sorry my love," he whispered into the darkness.

As the night carried on, Thisbe became worried as Pyramus had not returned. She went to look for him and found him lying on the ground, dead. Realizing this, Thisbe, broke down and with tears streaming down her face took his body to a close friend of theirs who she knew might be able to help. Attempting to talk through her tears, she begged their friend, Theo, to bring Pyramus back. Through stuttered words and short breath, she exclaimed how she could not live without him. Theo was eager to help. He brewed a magical liquid and spread it across Pyramus' open wound. 

*************

Although it took months of waiting, Pyramus eventually woke up, and Thisbe was the first thing he laid eyes on. Knowing the danger they were still in, they immediately got their things together, thanked Theo, and fled to another city.

"Pyramus and Thisbe by Hans Baldung"
Source: Wikipedia Commons

Author's Note: I decided to retell the story of Pyramus and Thisbe (which can be found here). The original story tells of Pyramus and Thisbe, two characters that have fallen in love with each other but their parents denied their love and marriage. They decide to meet in the night one day, and Pyramus, believing a lion killed Thisbe, kills himself with his sword. Thisbe, completely fine, finds Pyramus and then kills herself with the same sword. I retold the story in a way that has a more positive ending, but still not a happily ever after as they are sort of "on the run," with no idea when the next group of men will come and try to kill Pyramus and return Thisbe to her parents. I personally really like romance stories like this one, so that's why I decided to retell it with my own touch. I liked the "Romeo and Juliet" aspect of the story and how they put their love above all else, but I wanted it in a way where they're still able to be with each other. Well, at least for a while. That's why I had Pyramus escape death in my storytelling!

Bibliography:

"Pyramus and Thisbe" translated by Tony Kline, from Ovid's Metamorphoses I (2000). Web Source: Mythology and Folklore UnTextbook