Editing Pyramus and Thisbe (section)

{{Short description|Pair of ill-fated lovers from Greek mythology}}
{{about||the "mock opera" by John Frederick Lampe|Pyramus and Thisbe (opera)}}
{{For|other uses of "Pyramus" and "Thisbe"|Pyramus (disambiguation)|Thisbe (disambiguation)}}
[[Image:Thisbe - John William Waterhouse.jpg|right|thumb|''Thisbe'', by [[John William Waterhouse]], 1909.]]

In [[Greek mythology]], '''Pyramus and Thisbe''' ({{langx|grc|Πύραμος καὶ Θίσβη|Púramos kaì Thísbē}}) are a pair of ill-fated lovers from [[Babylon]], whose story is best known from [[Ovid]]'s narrative poem ''[[Metamorphoses]]''. The tragic myth has been retold by many authors.

Pyramus and Thisbe's parents, driven by rivalry, forbade their union, but they communicated through a crack in the wall between their houses. They planned to meet under a [[mulberry tree]], but a series of tragic misunderstandings led to their deaths: Thisbe fled from a lioness, leaving her cloak behind, which Pyramus found and mistook as evidence of her death. Believing Thisbe was killed by the lioness, Pyramus committed suicide, staining the mulberry fruits with his blood. Thisbe, upon finding Pyramus dead, also killed herself. The gods changed the color of the mulberry fruits to honor their forbidden love.

Ovid's version is the oldest surviving account, but the story is likely to have originated from earlier myths in [[Cilicia]]. The tale has been adapted in various forms, inspiring works such as Shakespeare's ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' and ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'', as well as modern adaptations in literature, opera, and popular culture. The story is depicted in works of art from ancient [[Roman mosaic]]s to [[Renaissance]] paintings.