Ryder Malloy

Mrs. Mulvey and Parrot

English IP/ Period 2

17 March 2017

Love Has No Boundaries

In collection 4 William Shakespeare, the author of Romeo and Juliet has been

considered one of the greatest writers in the English language, and Ovid, author of Pyramus and

Thisbe has been considered one of the greatest Roman poets of all time. In the play Romeo and

Juliet by William Shakespeare, the author shows the readers how these two lovers have come

together, rebelling against their parents by going behind their backs to be with each other. The

play tells the story of the Montagues and the Capulets, two families that have had a bitter rivalry

against each other for years. Meanwhile, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet meet for the first

time and feel a love for one another, something they have never felt before. In the literary work

Pyramus and Thisbe by Ovid, the reader is introduced to two people whose houses are side by

side and their parents wont let them be together. The text describes how the parents wont allow

them be together so they build a wall to keep them away from each other. Then the two lovers

find a hole in the wall which allows them to communicate and make plans to find each other

outside of their houses so they can be together. Love can be found in literature through joy,

passion, and pain allowing the reader to connect with the story because they are feelings that

many of us will experience and could find ourselves in similar circumstances.

 Joy is one of the facets of love that makes literature interesting because its able to keep

the reader entertained and make them want to keep reading the story. In Romeo and Juliet and

Pyramus and Thisbe, joy is found throughout these stories in many ways. For example, when

Romeo is is going to see Juliet he is happy and feels joy when he says, But soft, what light

through yonder window breaks that I might touch that cheek (Shakespeare II.ii.2-25). This

example explains how every time Romeo is with Juliet he is happy and cant stop thinking about

her and what he feels inside. This reveals how Romeo feels for Juliet because he describes her in

various and romantic ways that makes them both feel joyful and makes them want to be together

even more. Furthermore this connects to Pyramus and Thisbe because they both have that same

joyful feeling that Romeo and Juliet have for each other. The author points out how Pyramus and

Thisbe have that feeling of joy when he says, The flame that love burned both of them fire

acquires still more force (Ovid 13-16). This evidence explains how Pyramus and Thisbe have

that fiery feeling for each other that does not stop. This matters because that joyful fiery feeling

they have inside for one another will not end despite how hard their parents try to prevent it, it

just wont work. In conclusion both lovers have that joyful feeling inside that binds them

together until they take their last breath and thats how this facet of love keeps the story

interesting.

Another facet of love that keeps the story interesting is passion because it expresses the

deep and powerful emotion people want to feel in the story. There is many ways that passion is

found in Romeo and Juliet and Pyramus and Thisbe. By looking at the scene, you can tell how

Juliet is starting to feel for Romeo when she is on the balcony of the Capulets house when she

says, O Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo no longer be a Capulet (Shakespeare
II.ii.21-52). This evidence illustrates how Juliet is starting to fall in love with Romeo because

she says she would leave her family and name to be with him. This is important because its

showing that she is willing to do anything for Romeo and wants to be with him no matter what

risks she has to take to be with the love of her life. In addition, Pyramus and Thisbe have this

same passion that Romeo and Juliet have for each other. For example, the text says how

Pyramus and Thisbe have a passion for each other when they say how much they love each other

and dont want to separate from each other any night and day when it says, Although those

kisses could not reach their goal bright far fire from the shy (Ovid 38-41). This evidence

showcases how Pyramus and Thisbes passion for each other has no limits even if they are

separated from one another. This reveals that no matter how far away they are from each other

or if people try to stand between them, their passion binds them together because they love each

other and no one can deter them from thinking about one another. Furthermore, passion is an

important facet of love because it reveals how someones feelings for another person can be so

strong and uncontrollable you will do anything for the love in your life.

The final facet of love that is able to make literature interesting is pain because it brings

that emotion of sadness when a character is about to die or a mental feeling of being heartbroken.

The author points out how everyone is heartbroken when Romeo and Juliet die when he says,

The people in the street cry Romeo, and some Juliet and some Paris; and all run, with open

outcry, toward our monument (Shakespeare V.iii.191-193). This examples explains how

everyone is feeling pain inside by the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because relationships were

formed with them and they were loved and cared for, therefore the people were deeply affected

by their deaths. This matters because no matter how much pain you feel inside for them, love is
what makes people do anything for each other and thats how love conquers all. In relation to

this Pyramus and Thisbe had pain for each other that affected their love. For example, the text

says love is what caused Pyramus death when Thisbe finds him dead and she is in sorrow of his

death when she says, Dear boy, you died your love has killed you (Ovid 131-132). This

evidence displays how the pain and Thisbes fake death made Pyramus have so much grief inside

he decided to kill himself. This is important because when the facet of pain is put into the mix

that despair you are feeling can make you do crazy things in life. To sum it up, pain is an

important facet on love because it builds the drama in the story and keeps the reader entertained.

In conclusion, the feelings of joy, passion, and pain are all aspects of love shown through

the characters in literature allowing us to relate to those characters in the story because they are

facets of love that are within ourselves. Whether its joy that cannot be contained, uncontrollable

passion or pain that torments us they are all attributes of love which keep a story interesting and

the reader entertained because they are all feelings we can relate with in one way or another.

One universal theme found in both stories is forbidden love between two people. Even in the

21st. century there are many parents who dont approve of their children dating certain people

for many different reasons. Another theme found in both pieces of literature is that of

all-consuming love, which was apparent because the characters in both stories were willing to

do anything to be together. The theme of forbidden love and all-consuming love make literature

interesting and entertaining to read because both love stories are realistic and can be understood

in the world we live in today.