PYRAMUS and THISBE
Pyramus - the most beautiful of youth
Thisbe - the loveliest of all maiden of all
Narrator
Scene: On the night the lovers decided to flee their city and meet at the Tomb of Ninus, under a tall mulberry tree full of snow-white berries.
Pyramus: Thisbe, dearly beloved I could no longer bear the desire to see and kiss you.
Thisbe: Pyramus, my lover, I also burn in the desire to be kissed by a lover whose lips are dipped in the sweet nectar of love.
Pyramus: Oh Thisbe. We shall meet at our tryst. Wait and I shall come. Under that tall mulberry tree we shall pass the goodness of the night.
Narrator: At last, the sun sank into the sea and night arose. In the darkness Thisbe crept out and made her way in all secrecy to the tomb.
Thisbe: Pyramus dear, where are you now? The warmth of my cloak cannot suffice to stand the chill of the night. I need your arms to cover me from this coldness. It is the heat of your body which will me warm. I shall wait ‘till dawn wear away the stars.
Narrator: Pyramus had not come. But out of a sudden she saw by the light of the moon a lioness. The fierce beast made a kill; her jaws were bloody and she was coming to slake her thirst in the spring. She was still far way for Thisbe to escape, but as she fled she dropped her cloak. The lioness came upon it on her way back to her lair and she mouthed it and tore it before disappearing into the woods. This is what Pyramus saw when he appeared a few minutes later.
Narrator: (Pyramus was awe-stricken. In utter disbelief he begin to caress the cloak as if a maiden in his arms)
Pyramus: This cloak I recognize. But, what is this? Where is my Thisbe? Why this filthy remains of her cloak? (Almost in tears) No. No! This cannot be! (Screams) NO! (Begins to stutter) Wha..what..e.e..evil..bea..s.t h.a..ve.. preyed upon my..Th..i..s..be? (Screams angrily) Show your face, you evil beast! I shall hack your flesh from your bones. Oh Thisbe... I allowed you to suffer this cruel fate. It is I who is the beast. It is I who killed you.
Narrator: He lifted up from the trampled dust what was left of the cloak and kissing it again and again carried it to the mulberry tree.
Pyramus: Now, you shall drink my blood too.
Narrator: He had drawn his sword from its case which hung from his side. After which;
Pyramus: With the blade of this sword I shall end my life so that I may spend it with you my Thisbe. We shall resume our love in underworld’s Elysian Fields where I shall grieve no more. Take this you beast, Pyrmaus.
Narrator: He plunged it into his side. The blood spurted up over the berries and dyed them dark red. Thisbe, although terrified of the lioness was more terrified to fail her lover. Thisbe, after running away from the lioness, decided to go back to their tryst, the mulberry with the shunning white fruit. When she had returned to the exact spot where was seated waiting for Pyramus she blurted in surprise;
Thisbe: Where is it? Where is that tree so pompous and overbearing? That tree in whose bough hangs snow-white berries? Why, that tree, in my stare I could not find?
Narrator: She noticed something moved on the ground beneath the tree.
Thisbe: But wait. What is that shadow I see moving? Who are you? If you are a god pardon my insolence but if you’re not then show your face at once. I’m not afraid of you!
Narrator: But it did not respond nor move. But in a moment, peering through the shadows, she saw what was there. It was Pyramus, bathed in blood and dying.
Thisbe: Pyramus? What had befallen unto you? Speak! Let your lips whisper the same sweet words you used to whisper to me on that wall. Speak for my hearts bleeds for your voice. Burry me in the warmth of your embrace, flood me with your burning kisses. Spare me the sight of your eyes.
It is I, your Thisbe, your dearest.
Narrator: She cried to him. At the sound of her name he opened his heavy eyes for one look. Then death closed them.
Thisbe: (Shaking Pyramus’s body) No...! How could fate be scornful to us?!
Narrator: She saw his sword fallen from his hand and beside it her cloak stained and torn. She understood all.
Thisbe: Why allow this sword snatch life from you oh my Pyramus? No beast had devoured me. That hateful wall might have prevented our hands from touching each but you are now in my arms. Kiss me! Only that, your lips is no longer hot but pale and cold. If I mourn, I shall mourn eternally. But my mourning cannot retrieve the same hot blood which had once fueled your being. (She held the sword in her hands) This sword shall not only fierce my heart but shall also send me to where you are now my beloved. In this same tomb where Ninus is laid unto rest, shall also our tomb. Under this mulberry tree, the night shall witness me taking my own life.
Narrator: She plunged into her heart the sword that was still wet with life’s blood. The deep red fruit of the mulberry is the everlasting memorial of these true lovers.
~Fin~
Note:
Italicized words are not included in the word count since those are lifted from Edith Hamilton’s MYTHOLOGY; Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
Total word count: 543
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