Read the passage.
excerpt from Act V, Scene 1, in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare's version of Ovid's Pyramus and Thisbe myth
Pyramus
O grim-look’d night! O night with hue so black!
O night, which ever art when day is not!
O night, O night! alack, alack, alack,
I fear my Thisby’s promise is forgot!
And thou, O wall, O sweet, O lovely wall,
That stand’st between her father’s ground and mine!
Thou wall, O wall, O sweet and lovely wall,
Show me thy chink, to blink through with mine eyne!
Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this scene and the myth.
How has Shakespeare transformed the source material he found in Ovid's myth "Pyramus and Thisbe"?
A. He has provided a weightier philosophical theme.
B. He has changed the overall tone of the myth.
C. He has made it mainly about love, not death.
D. He has added action to the story.
Read the passage.
excerpt from Act V, Scene 1, in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare's version of Ovid's Pyramus and Thisbe myth
Pyramus
O grim-look’d night! O night with hue so black!
O night, which ever art when day is not!
O night, O night! alack, alack, alack,
I fear my Thisby’s promise is forgot!
And thou, O wall, O sweet, O lovely wall,
That stand’st between her father’s ground and mine!
Thou wall, O wall, O sweet and lovely wall,
Show me thy chink, to blink through with mine eyne!
Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this scene from the play.
Pyramus calls the wall "sweet and lovely."
What effect does this choice of adjectives have on the meaning of the speech?
A. It hints that Pyramus is not expressing a sincere emotion, but instead is showing off.
B. It implies that Pyramus is likely to see the good in everything, even in a mere wall.
C. It indicates that Pyramus is going to be disappointed by what happens to him and Thisbe because of the wall.
D. It shows that Pyramus is so overwhelmed by his love for Thisbe that he has lost his sense of proportion.
Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this scene and the myth.
How does Shakespeare transform Ovid's myth "Pyramus and Thisbe” in Act V, Scene I of A Midsummer Night's Dream?
A. He heightens the emotions to make the story sad.
B. He adds comic asides to make the story humorous.
C. He uses more action to make the plot more exciting.
D. He creates a dramatic effect by increasing the conflict.
