Pyramus+Thisbe/Darkness&Death

2.) In what ways do the story's closing lines (165-66) aptly conclude the darkness/death imagery which Ovid has developed throughout the narrative?

The last two lines just about capture both meanings, with the "color in pOmO..Ater," and the "urnA". Both the death of Pyramus and Thisbe as well as the transformation of the once light fruit to a deep, dark color are concluded.
Throughout the poem you see references to darkness and light, and life and death, both sets being related. As said in class, it seems as though Ovid is balancing. The real deep meanings of dark/light don't really appear until line 81, when they're starting to plan their escape. "Postera nocturnOs AurOra remOverat ignEs," there is an evident balance between the personified 'Dawn' and the 'nocturnal fires' (stars). Dawn obviously being the light and stars being the night/dark reference. This whole chunk of poem is a narrative balancing night and light saying the dawn removed the stars, the sun dried the grass, lots of references towards daytime. And not so much coincidentally they haven't decided to run away yet. But then they do plan it, in the "nocte silentI" they are going to decieve their parents. Not a good thing. They are in their boundaries and safe during the day, but once night comes, they are going to leave the safety into the darkness. Also, him talking about morning/light first then going on to talk about night/dark is him balancing. And not only are they going out into the unsafe darkness, they are meeting at "busta NinI..sub umbrA arboris"! Big flashing light of death AND darkness!! Ovid clearly does this on purpose. He balances life with death and light with darkness as well as safety with wilderness throughout the whole poem, each of which they bubble down to the simple life and death balance. And then, after repeatedly talking about the shade and the fruit's darkness and all the bad dark stuff that comes with night, Pyramus and Thisbe kill themselves, both ending up lying in the tree's dark shadow. And Ovid aptly concludes the darkness of the fruit and the death of the lovers with the summed up explanation of "nam color in pOmO est, ubi permAtUruit, Ater, quodque rogIs superest, UnA requiEscit in urnA." They have died, and with their bloody deaths, (also not a coincidence that it's when it matures and there have been many,many,many double meanings of words with fertility/unproductivity), the fruits start off white(light/life) and end up a deep purple/maroon(darkness/death). Nothing in this poem is a coincidence.

P+T 128-146 #3 pg.47

The simile isn't pretty or attractive as said but it definitely is effective. After reading the two things being compared, "fistula plumbO scinditur," and, "Cruor Emicat altE," you know what he's talking about. Then he goes further to say it spurts out as if long streams of water(coming out from the pipe), "longas EiaculAtur aquAs,". When you finish reading the simile you know the blood is shooting out high, you know he has inflicted upon himself a very deep and very fatal wound, and also, you know most definitely he is going to die with all of that blood beating out of him. And also, outside the simile, he goes on to paint an even more vivid and clear picture in the reader's mind, "ictibus Aera rumpit". In three lines Ovid not only disgusts and creeps out many people but he has captured one of the most horrific scenes and put the most distinct and intense image in my mind.

105-127 FOS

Throughout all of Pyramus and Thisbe, at this point just the parts that we've translated, I keep seeing figures of speech cleverly worked in. First in line 117 there is anaphora with 'dedit'. He sheds tears because of the veil and gives kisses to the veil, both describing how hurt he must have been under the impression Thisbe was no longer alive by his fault. Then in lines 122-123, there is a simile: "nOn aliter quam cum vitiAtO fistula plumbO scinditur,". This adds to the overall gore of the situation and unfortunately puts an even more vivid and unwanted image in my mind of his pulsing blood being similar to that of water spurting out of a broken pipe. And lastly, in line 124, there is chiasmus: "EiaculAtur aquAs...Aera rumpit." The simile before and the chiasmus here both work together to further illustrate how obviously fatal his self-inflicted wound was. All these figures of speech are used to add detail and clarity to the horrible prediciment Pyramus unnecessarily puts himself in.

105-127 Limerick

Pyramus was suppose to meet Thisbe,
but he arrived late accidentally,
he saw blood on her veil,
and tracks that prevailed,
so he stabbed himself through his thingy.

Pyramus et Thisbe 55-104

In this poem there are many walls, physical ones and various metaphorical ones.
First, there's the wall itself between their homes. It separates Pyramus and Thisbe by just being there. Although it separates them, it also is the only way for them to talk, which is pretty ironic. It keeps them from seeing and touching eachother but allows them to speak through a small crack, "fissus erat tenui rima, quam duxerat olim, cum fieret, paries". The other physical wall is the one which Semiramis surrounded the city with, "ubi dicitur altam coctilibus muris cinxisse Semiramis urbem". This wall separates the wilderness from the city where all the people live.
In a more poetic and metaphorical sense, there is another wall..the one that the fathers of Pyramus and Thisbe have created by forbidding them to be married, "sed vetuere patres".
Pyramus and Thisbe are separted by so many things, you can tell that they are not suppose to be together and maybe even that these things are the only way to stay safe.

Pyramus et Thisbe (55-77)

To start, Pyramus and Thisbe has to be seen as a classic work considering it is still remembered and that it's basic plot/scenes was borrowed in William Shakespeare's epic play Romeo and Juliet. Other than that, the poem itself is captivating.
Ovid uses a lot of rhetorical devices and figures of speech while expressing his intended explanation of transformation. The most fascinating, in my opinion, was his onomatopoeia in line 68 and into line 69. "vIdistis amantEs, et vOcis fEcistis". The repetition of 's' very much resembles the secret lovers whispering through the crack. He also uses a rhetorical question: "quid nOn sentit amor?". Not very fascinating but very much true. When you're in love, especially a concealed love, you will definitely notice anything that would allow your love to not be as confined. And lastly, in the beginning of the poem, the very first lines in fact, he uses chiasmus. "iuvenum pulcherrimus alter...altera...praelAta puellIs". What I think is interesting here, specifically, is not only his use of chiasmus but that it almost resembles Pyramus on one side of the wall and Thisbe on the other, "iuvenum" is on the far left(in its order) while "puellIs" is on the far right. When you look at the two lines together, it really does appear that one is on one side and the other is on the other side.

8 (limerick)

Catullus was so full of passion,
By Lesbia his heart took a lashin',
He chose to end his sadness,
Since his life was now crapness,
So now his life can be smashin'.