There is a lot of humour written into the script, such as “These lily lips, this cherry nose, these yellow cowslip cheeks are gone” (3.3.3) Shakespeare has also written in little errors that the actors make during performance, such as “I see a voice, and I can hear my sweet Thisby’s’ face” (1.1.95) and “Wilt thou at Ninnys Tomb meet me straight way?” (5.1.204), instead of Ninus Tomb. In some versions this is seen as comical, but in the BBC version the audience just sigh disappointedly.
In both the Michael Hoffman version and the RSC version the prompt (Quince) gets very frustrated at the actors and shouts the corrections, disturbing the play.
The play is written in very bad verse, which is meant to sound intelligent but in fact lowers the audiences’ opinion of the mechanicals. The prologue is written with all of the punctuation in the wrong places, so that when read out it sounds muddled up. For example; “If we offend, it is with our good will, that you should think, we come not to offend, but with good will” (5.1.108) This quote also shows that the mechanicals are apologising for their performance before it has even begun, which lowers the audiences opinions of them even further; “His speech was like a tangled chain: nothing impaired, but all disordered” (5.1.126). There is also over use of alliteration. For example; “Whereat, with blade, with bloody blameful blade, he bravely broache’d his boiling bloody breast” (5.1.148). This sounds unintelligent and does not impress the audience.
Pyramus’ opening speech is a complete waste of time. He repeats the same points again and again. He is trying to be profound and intelligent but it just makes him sound silly; “O Night, which ever art, when day is not: O Night, O night, Alack, Alack, Alack” (5.1.171) the rest of the speech is pretty much a repetition of that quote. It is completely ridiculous and exaggerated.
I have seen ‘Pyramus and Thisby’ represented on film in three different versions. I watched the Royal Shakespeare Company version, the BBC version, and the Michael Hoffman version (Starring Michelle Pfeiffer).
The RSC version was very different from the others because they had made it more modern. The wedding had obviously had a Hawaiian theme and the Duke and Hippolyta spoke in almost modern English. What I didn’t like about this version was that they had added a character, a little boy, which I didn’t understand.
The BBC version was very monotonous and the acting was very serious.
In the Michael Hoffman version before the play starts Wall tries to run away backstage but the others pull him back. The casts’ costumes are ridiculous and exaggerated. Pyramus inappropriately wears Armour. Thisby (played by Snout, a young man) wears a dress, a lot of make up and extraordinarily long pigtails. Lion has the best costume and is very realistic. In all of the versions the lion seems to be an audience favourite as he tries his best to be intimidating yet still fails. He comes across as a real gentleman when he tells the ladies not to be afraid of him; “You ladies, you whose gentle heart do fear the smallest monstrous mouse that creeps on floor...then know that I, as Snug the Joiner, am a lion fell” (5.1.221) In the Michael Hoffman version the lion is wheeled on in a cart, for no apparent reason, but it still adds humour.
In all of the versions, Moonshine isn’t a very strong character. In the RSC version, Moonshine wears pyjamas and his dog is a fake dog on wheels. This Moonshine is the only Moonshine that actually tries really hard, but the smarmy Duke Theseus keeps interrupting him so he gives up.
In the Michael Hoffman version Moonshine has a cigarette in his mouth and he looks like he doesn’t really want to be there. He misses his cue and isn’t in costume. His dog, however, is a live dog, which attacks Pyramus’ costume. Pyramus swings the dog round and it goes flying into the audience. This is an example of slapstick comedy.
Pyramus’ death is very silly and too long. He stabs himself with his sword, but the sword is too long, gets stuck in the stage and the death is obviously fake.
When Thisby finds Pyramus dead, she completely over reacts, and the audience find her very funny. Snout (who plays Thisby) seems very upset that the audience does not take him seriously, so he removes his wig and begins to speak in his normal voice. Both the audience and the cast back stage suddenly take him seriously and all is quiet. In the Michael Hoffman version there are even a few tears at the end. Thisby obviously has a great impact on the audience. She turns out to be the strongest character in the play.
In the RSC version, Thisby wears a pink frilly dress. I think this Thisby was the most believable. Pyramus wears a lot of make up in this version, and he wears an exaggerated metal breastplate that sticks out, making him look fat. The prologue is read out very quickly, the actors rush around the stage trying to act it out. It looks very jumbled. The audience find this humorous, I, however didn’t think that it worked very well.
The Wall, in this version is very interesting. His costume consists of a solid box painted with a brick pattern, but whenever Pyramus or Thisby ask for the chink, he punches his hand through a trapdoor in the wall. When Pyramus and Thisby talk through the chink, Wall moves his hand to whoever is speaking, almost like a microphone. Wall cringes and looks disgusted at two men trying to kiss through a ‘chink’ in his hand, and Pyramus and Thisbe kiss and then wipe their mouths. That part of the play is obviously not very popular!
When Thisby enters, she seems very dainty and feminine. She kisses the Wall repeatedly, until the Wall has to move away. Pyramus exaggerates and over acts his speech. He screams “Alack! Alack! Alack!” (5.1.174) At the top of his lungs, scaring the audience. He hits the Wall with his sword, causing the Wall to ‘yelp’ out in pain. The audience seems to enjoy this.
Lion in this version is not very good. He turns every other word into a growl and his costume is neither realistic nor comical. All of the lions took off their lion’s head during their speech, but only this one sings a little fanfare for him, which makes the audience groan. When the Lion attacks Thisby, it goes wrong and he and Thisby roll into the audience, fighting on the Dukes cloak. When lion exits, he gets his tail trapped in the door, which makes the audience laugh.
With all the madness, Thisby had forgotten to drop the ‘blood stained mantle’, so when Pyramus enters, he discreetly brings it with him and drops it on the floor before ‘finding it’. He thinks he manages to succeed in doing this unnoticeably but the audience spots him.
The audience seems to be very moved at Pyramus finding the bloodstained mantle and they stop laughing and take it seriously. Pyramus suddenly jumps up and shouts, breaking the silence and scaring the audience. He draws his sword, and screams idiotically when dying. The audience seems to cringe at his atrocious acting skills, they are quiet and are partly moved by Pyramus’ death. Then Pyramus jumps up and continues to die. He scared the audience again.
When Thisby find Pyramus dead, she comically bangs on his enormous breastplate. She unrealistically cuts her wrists and head off when saying “Adieu, Adieu, Adieu”. Despite the comedy, the audience is very moved by this version, and the mechanicals get a good reception.
I think that some parts in both versions succeed as a tragedy, such as Pyramus’ death in the RSC version, and the audiences’ reaction to Thisby in the Michael Hoffman version.
To conclude, ‘The Tragedy of Pyramus and Thisby’ did not succeed as a tragedy because it was poorly written and poorly acted. It did, however, work brilliantly as a comedy, even if the mechanicals did not mean it to be. If it had been successful as a tragedy, it would not have been such a success, because people want to be happy on their wedding day. Pyramus and Thisby- a successful disaster.
