i have been asking that question as well. we just got finished reading the book in my class and are doing a project on it. i recommend info please.com. !!
The story of Pyramus and Thisbe was told by Ovid.
The story of Pyramus and Thisbe is not as well known as the story of Romeo and Juliet, which is "substantially similar" (a polite way of saying "Shakespeare was ripping off the classics").
The character interested in Pyramus and Thisbe is Pyramus himself. He is a young man who falls in love with Thisbe and their tragic story is a part of Roman mythology as told in Ovid's Metamorphoses.
romantic love or doomed love
The characters are:Pyramus: Handsome youth of Babylon who falls in love with his neighbor, Thisbe.Thisbe: Beautiful young girl of Babylon who returns Pyramus' love.Parents of Pyramus and Thisbe: They oppose a relationship between Pyramus and Thisbe for reasons not explained in the story. The parents play no active role in the story.
Theseus chose Pyramus and Thisbe over the other shows because it is being preformed by simple people, and that intrests him.
Romeo and Juliet came from the story of Pyramus and Thisbe
Pyramus and Thisbe
Flute
One of the ultimate sources for the story of Romeo and Juliet is the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe, found in Ovid's Metamorphoses which was written sometime around the year 1. The story was retold many times by many authors including Bocaccio and Chaucer. Shakespeare had a go at it too, in his play A Midsummer Night's Dream, but in this case, the performance is ridiculously inept. In Pyramus and Thisbe, Pyramus finds Thisbe's bloodied cloak after hearing the sounds of a lion attack. He concludes that a lion has killed Thisbe and so kills himself. Thisbe (who has escaped the lion) discovers Pyramus dead and kills herself.
The conflict in the story of Pyramus and Thisbe arises from the feud between their families, which prevents them from being together. This conflict leads to their secret meetings and ultimately to their tragic deaths. The misunderstanding caused by the blood-stained veil also contributes to the tragic outcome of their love story.
Thisbe Nissen was born in 1972.