Reading Notes: Week 3, Part B

Reading Notes:

- Pyramus and Thisbe reminded me of Romeo and Juliet and I looked it up and realized that Shakespeare was inspired by Ovid's story (obviously); I also realized that the story sounded familiar to me because it is performed in another one of Shakespeare's plays: A Midsummer's Night Dream, which I'm familiar with. I didn't make that connection before now!

- the story of Narcissus has got to be my favorite from this week

• the blind prophet predicts that Narcissus will live a long life if he does not "discover himself"
• Narcissus scorns a girl, Echo, who loved him a lot (she wastes away until only her voice is left)
• she (the story doesn't explicitly say it's Echo) asks the gods that he be repaid
• Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection and is miserable (because how do you date yourself?)
• note: I didn't realize until this time reading the story that Narcissus is aware that he is in love with himself. I always thought that he fell in love with his reflection somehow believing it to be another person?
• Narcissus kills himself essentially and Echo watches and weeps and echos his last words, a flower appears where his body was

A "Narcissus" flower is a Daffodil!
https://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/narcissus-sir-winston-churchill