Derek Pham

Mrs. Parrott / Mulvey

English 1P / Per. 1
3/17/17

Collective 4 Summative Essay

Lao Tzu once stated, Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving

someone deeply gives you courage. This quote is saying being loved by someone makes you

stronger and loving someone makes you confident. In the play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

by Shakespeare, the author shows the readers how people would do anything for love.

Additionally, In the myth Pyramus and Thisbe, by Ovid, the reader is introduced to two people

that love each other very much and would die for each other. This myth of Pyramus and Thisbe

and their love for each other. These two lovers were separated by a wall, but the wall had a crack

in it and they were able to talk to each other. They make a secret plan to see each other and when

Pyramus gets there he sees a bloody scarf and assumes that Thisbe is dead so then he kills

himself. When Thisbe get there and sees Pyramus dead, she kills herself. The text describes how

Romeo and Juliet love each other, but arent allowed to get married. They are not allowed to be

with each other because they are from different families that hate each other. But at the end of

the story they end up killing themselves to be with each other. Three characteristics of love

expressed in these stories are pain, conflict and joy.

In both stories pain is represented when the two lovers were not allowed to be with each

other. In this part of the story Lady Capulet just saw Juliet dead and is telling her to wake up.

The text states, my child, my only life! Revive, look up or I will die with thee!(Shakespeare IV
/ v / 19-20). This quote is saying that if Juliet does not wake up Lady Capulet will kill herself

because Juliet is Lady Capulets only daughter. This quote shows pain because because Lady

Capulet is very sad saying she will die too if Juliet does not wake up. In addition, Thisbe is also

very sad when she sees Pyramus dead and bloody on the floor. The author points out, She beats

her arms - though they do not deserve such punishment she tears her hair. Enfolds her loves dear

form. She fills his wounds with tears that mingle with his blood (Ovid 800-802). This quote is

showing how she is devastated over his death. This reveals how Thisbe is expressing her pain

when she tears her hair and is crying because the love of her life has killed himself. In

addition, the pain they experience is from some kind of conflict that has happened. In conclusion,

these two quotes show how they were in pain when someone they loved very much died.

In both of these stories there is conflict when something is holding them back from not

being able to be with each other. In the story Romeo and Juliet they have just gone to a party and

met each other for the first time. The author states, my only love, sprung from my only hate!

Too early seen unknown, and known too late! (Shakespeare I / v / 136-137). This quote explains

how the person she loves is from a family, she hates and its too late to change her mind about

Romeo. This is important as the conflict is that Romeo is from the Montague family and Juliet is

from the Capulet family and these two families hate each other. In addition, their family holds

them back from loving each other and in Pyramus and Thisbe a wall holds them back from being

able to be with each other. In Pyramus and Thisbe, they are wanting to be with each other but a

wall is holding them back to being able to be with each other. The text states, O Jealous wall,

why do you block our path? (Ovid 28). This evidence showcases how the wall is blocking their
path to be able to be with each other. This is important because the wall that is separating them

and this wall is a conflict where they cannot see each other so they have to sneak out which ends

up killing them both. In relation to this, love does not only come with bad things it also comes

with happiness and joy. All in all, conflict can cause many problems in a relationship between

two people.

In these two stories there is also the joy, a joy that comes from the two lovers. In this

scene from Romeo and Juliet they are about to sneak out ,with the help of the nurse, to get

married by Friar Laurence. The author points out, Then hie you hence to Friar Laurence cell;

There stays a husband to make you a wife (Shakespeare II / vi / 67-68). To better understand

this position, readers learn here that Friar Laurence is going to marry Romeo and Juliet secretly.

They have to do this secretly because their family would never allow them to get uu= because

they are from families that hate each other. This quote shows joy because Romeo and Juliet can

be together and call each other husband and wife. This also shows joy because they have a hard

time being able to be with each other so this will be a very special time for the both of them. On

a similar note, Romeo and Juliet were able to be with each other when they get married and

Pyramus and Thisbe were able to talk to each other through a wall. In Pyramus and Thisbe there

was a brick wall that separated them, but it had a cleft in it. The text states, ...In all these years,

no one had seen that cleft, but lover will discover everything you were the first to find it and you

made that cleft a passageway which speech could take (Ovid 17-22). This evidence illustrates

how no one has found this cleft in the wall, but lovers will look for anything to be able to talk to

each other. So this cleft in the wall allows them to be able to talk to each other. This is an
example of joy because the lovers are able to talk to each other. Even though the wall separates

they are still able to talk to each other. Without the cleft that is in the wall, they would have no

way of communicating with each other. In conclusion joy can come from two people even when

they are not able to be with each other.

Love does not always go the way you want it to. Love can come with good things like joy

and happiness. But on the other hand, love can also come with some things you dont want like

pain and conflict. Pain is shown in both stories when someone they love dies. Conflict is shown

in Romeo and Juliet when Juliet finds out that Romeo is from the Montague family and in

Pyramus and Thisbe the brick wall that separates then causes conflict because they are not

allowed to be with each other. Then joy is shown in Romeo and Juliet when they sneak out to get

married then, in Pyramus and Thisbe joy is seen when they are able to talk to each other through

a crack in the wall. A crucial theme to remember is not to always believe what you see or not to

jump to conclusions. If Romeo knew this then he wouldve been alive with Juliet ,And if Thisbe

knew this then he would still be alive because all he saw was a bloody scarf and thought it was

Pyramuss so he killed himself.