Sunday, November 22, 2009

Pyramus and Thibe 1

In Pyramus and Thisbe, a poem so far about two lovers who, due to family feuds, aren't allowed to communicate. Instead they whisper "sweet talks" to each other through a crack in the wall that divides their houses. This far, the author Ovid has used some figures of speech to get across some of the messages by the characters.
One example of a FOS he uses is a rhetorical question. This can be found around line 66 when Ovid asks the reader, "What doesn't love perceive?" He is asking this about the crack in the wall, a flaw that has been noticed by no one through the long generations, but was noticed by Pyramus and Thisbe. They notice it because love noticed all, which I believe is what Ovid meant by that question; he meant that when two people love each other, the obstacles are meaningless, because if that person is truly worth it, you'll find a way around the issues put in front of you. Perhaps the obstacles are put there to see if the person you think you love is worth it all - worth all of the trouble you both go through for each other.
Another FOS used by Ovid is apostrophe. Around line 72, Pyramus and Thisbe ask the wall (who obviously is unable to answer), "Oh jealous wall, why do you oppose lovers?" They ask why the wall would keep 2 lovers apart, which brings me to the thrid FOS Ovid uses: personification. Right after that line, Pyramus and Thisbe ask that wall that if it is too much of a request to be allowed to be joined in whole body, then could the wall allow for kisses to be given? this is personification because it is giving human characteristics to an inanimate object. Obviously the wall cannot "oppose lovers" or :allow" for them to kiss.
These are 3 FOS that Ovid has incorporated thus far into the story of Pyramus and Thisbe.

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