Question

Read the passage.

excerpt from Act V, Scene 1, in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare's version of Ovid's Pyramus and Thisbe myth

Pyramus
Sweet Moon, I thank thee for thy sunny
beams;
I thank thee, Moon, for shining now so bright;
For, by thy gracious, golden, glittering gleams,
I trust to take of truest Thisby sight.
But stay, O spite!
But mark, poor knight,
What dreadful dole is here!
Eyes, do you see?
How can it be?
O dainty duck! O dear!
Thy mantle good,
What, stain’d with blood!
Approach, ye Furies fell!
O Fates, come, come,
Cut thread and thrum;
Qual, crush, conclude, and quell!

Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this scene and the myth.

How does Shakespeare's treatment of the moon in A Midsummer Night's Dream differ from how Ovid uses the moon in the myth "Pyramus and Thisbe"?


A. Shakespeare's references to the moon create a sense of doom, while Ovid portrays the moon as a judgmental, all-seeing eye.

B. Shakespeare's references to the moon enhance the mysterious setting, while Ovid speaks of how the moon affects the characters.

C. Shakespeare's references to the moon show the passage of time, while Ovid uses the moon to symbolize the lovers’ feelings for each other.

D. Shakespeare's references to the moon symbolize the characters’ perception of their circumstances, while Ovid uses the moon in the setting.

Answer 1

The correct option is option D.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

Shakespeare's references to the moon symbolize the characters’ perception of their circumstances, while Ovid uses the moon in the setting.

Answer: Option D.

Step-by-step explanation:

Shakespeare's treatment of the moon in show "A Midsummer Night's Dream" varies from Ovid's utilization the moon in the legend "Pyramus and Thisbe" by symbolizing characters impression of the conditions – Pyramus right off the bat thanks the Moon for his light which symbolizes his brilliant future with Thisbe.

But then he sees her clock recolored with blood and calls upon the Furies to murder him (his view on conditions changes). Then again, Ovid utilizes the moon only for the setting, there are no implications of ghastly end.