Famous Love Story Allusions in Romeo and Juliet

1
Famous Love Story Allusions in Romeo and Juliet
2
A Few Cupid Allusions

• Well, in that hit you miss. Shell not be hit
  with Cupids arrowFrom Loves week childish bow
  she lives uncharmed (Romeo I, i, 209-212).
• You are a lover. Borrow Cupids wings and soar
  with them (Mercutio I, iv, 17 18).

3
Eros/Cupid--God of Love

• ErosGreek Root meaning physical love
• Aphrodites son
• Greeks depicted him as a young man Romans
  depicted as a young boy
• Sometimes considered blind (Hence the saying,
  Love is blind.)
• Shot special love arrows--gold true love
  lead lust
• If shot with his arrow, youd fall in love with
  the first person you saw

4
King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid (Mercutio
II, i, 14).

• Ballad from the Middle Ages
• King Cophetua was a ruler in Africa
• Was not interested in women
• Fell in love at first sight with a beggar lady
  dressed in gray (some say Cupid shot him)
• Said that if he couldnt have her as his wife he
  would die
• Married her despite the poverty
• Some stories say it ended happily others say it
  didnt

5
Echo and Narcissus

• Bondage is hoarse and may not speak aloud, Else
  would I tear the cave where Echo lies (Juliet
  II, ii, 161 162 )
• Echo--nymph who could only repeat what others
  said because of a curse from Hera
• Narcissus--beautiful selfish nymph who vowed to
  never fall in love Echo loved him
• Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection
  was dying later turned into a flower
• Echo wasted away in a cave for love of Narcissus

6
Allusions from Mercutios Speech Act 2 Scene 4

• Without his roe, like a dried herring flesh,
  flesh,
• how art thou fishified! Now is he for the numbers
• that Petrarch flowed in Laura to his lady was
  but a
• kitchen-wench marry, she had a better love to
• be-rhyme her Dido a dowdy Cleopatra a gipsy
• Helen and Hero hildings and harlots Thisbe a
  grey
• eye or so, but not to the purpose. (Mercutio
  Romeo and Juliet, II, iv, 38-44.)

7
Petrarch and Laura

• Franscico Petrarch lived in the 1300s
• Father of Humanistic Philosophy and his passion
  for reading and writing helped end the Dark Ages
• He supposedly fell in love with Laura de Noves at
  first sight, but she was already married.
• For her, he wrote numerous poems and is
  considered to have perfected the sonnet (a poem
  form that Shakespeare used frequently).
• His love, Laura, possibly died from the plague
  which also took most of his family and friends
  lives.
• When asked whether his poems were about Laura De
  Noves, he denied it.

8
Dido and Aeneas

• Dido, also called Elissa, was princess of Tyre in
  Phoenicia
• She left Tyre and founded. her own city,
  Cathrage.
• Aeneas, a hero from the Trojan war, landed on her
  shores.
• She treated him well and fell in love with him.
• He spurned her love and left her.
• She is said to either have burned herself alive,
  or killed herself with Aeneas sword.

Dido preparing to kill herself with Aeneas sword
9
Marc Antony and Cleopatra

• Queen of Egypt (but was actually Greek)
• Married to Julius Caesar and had a child with him
• After Caesars death, Marc Antony went to Egypt,
  fell in love with her and divorced his wife to
  marry her
• They made plans to conquer Rome
• Hearing a false report that Cleopatra was dead,
  Antony fell on his sword
• Cleopatra had a asp (snake) bite her when she
  received the news of Antonys death

10
Helen Who Launched a 1000 Ships Cause of Trojan
War

• Helen was the most beautiful mortal woman
• Married to King Menelaus of Sparta
• Paris, Prince of Troy, met her at a party in
  Sparta and fell in love with her
• Paris kidnapped her or she went willingly to Troy
• The Greeks spent 10 years during the Trojan War
  trying to get her back
• Finally they did and killed most of the Trojans
  (Trojan War)

11
Hero and Leander

• Hero lived as a priestess of Aphrodite in a
  secluded tower.
• Leander, who lived across the strait, saw her
  and fell in love with her.
• Every night he would swim the strait to stay with
  her.
• One night there was a horrible storm as he swam,
  and he drowned.
• When Hero found out Leander died, she threw
  herself from her tower into the ocean and died.

12
Thisbe and Pyramus

• Young neighbors who fell in love
• Parents forbid the two of them from seeing each
  other.
• Would talk at night through the wall secretly
• Decided to sneak off to meet each other near a
  fountain
• Thisbe got there first and a lioness returning
  from a kill scared her off--she dropped her veil.
• Pyramus, seeing her veil and the bloody tracks of
  the lion, thought the lionness ate Thisbe.
• Blaming himself for her death--he stabbed
  himself.
• Thisbe went back later, saw Pyramus just before
  he died.
• She then stabbed herself.
• Their parents buried them in one tomb and planted
  a mulberry tree outside to represent their love
  and the blood that was spilt.

13
Bibliography

• "Cophetua." Wikipedia. 02/25/08. Wikipedia. 14
  Mar 2008 lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Cophet
  uagt.
• "Echo and Narcissus in Greek Mythology."
  Mythography. www.loggia.com. 14 Mar 2008
  lthttp//www.loggia.com/myth/echo.htmlgt.
• "Hero and Leander." Wikipedia. 02/25/08.
  Wikipedia. 14 Mar 2008 lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wi
  ki/Hero_and_Leandergt.
• "Pyramus and Thisbe." Wikipedia. 02/26/08.
  Wikipedia. 14 Mar 2008 lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wi
  ki/Pyramus_and_Thisbegt.
• Sadlon, Peter. "Laura de Noves." Francesco
  Petrarch and Laura De Noves. 09/10/07. 14 Mar
  2008 lthttp//petrarch.petersadlon.com/gt.