The rude mechanicals' play, The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe, is based on a Babylonian myth depicting separated lovers. In Shakespeare's version, Pyramus and Thisbe meet at a couple of places. First, they meet at and primarily communicate through a hole in the wall that separates them. Additionally, the lovers meet at night by Ninus' tomb to court each other in secret. It's also suggested that they meet...
The rude mechanicals' play, The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe, is based on a Babylonian myth depicting separated lovers. In Shakespeare's version, Pyramus and Thisbe meet at a couple of places. First, they meet at and primarily communicate through a hole in the wall that separates them. Additionally, the lovers meet at night by Ninus' tomb to court each other in secret. It's also suggested that they meet under a mulberry tree, as Thisbe is depicted as waiting under a mulberry tree for Pyramus. This detail is consistent with the original Babylonian myth, which has the two lovers planning to meet under a mulberry tree.
The play as performed in A Midsummer Night's Dream is particularly hilarious, as it parodies the essential plot of Romeo and Juliet in addition to drawing from Babylonian myth. In that case, The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe is a great example of Shakespeare playfully making fun of himself.
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