Pyramus and Thisbe

pg 49 #1

Ovid's graphic depiction of Pyramus' death is essential to the story because it is from his collection of metamorphoses. If it weren't for the extreme amount of blood, it wouldn't explain the change in color of the mulberry tree's fruit. The blood had to spurt high into the air so that it would be able to reach the fruit in the tree. It also soaked into the roots. He used the simile of the bursted lead pipes to show how messy the situation actually was, and that the blood would inevitably lget on the tree. This also shows the naivety of young Pyramus, he did not wait to see if what he believed to be really was. He had a deep love for Thisbe, this is why he went to such grusome measures, but if he had been older this would not have been the case. This fits the story completely because he was young and in love and had not yet experienced heartbreak.