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ArchivesThisbe and Tisbe
Anyone know what they mean or their origins? I know Thisbe was used by Shakespeare and Chaucer but that's about it.
Thanks!
Melissa
Thanks!
Melissa
1
Replies
As Mkali says, Thisbe's originally Greek, all right - Shakespeare took the Pyramus and Thisbe story from the classics, names and all.
Not many languages make a th sound - English and Greek spring to mind! So it's likely that people living in, say, Germany would have dropped the H which they wouldn't pronounce anyway, and arrive at the Tisbe spelling that way.
This probably wouldn't happen now - so much scholarship has gone into researching the historically accurate sounds of words, and this is reflected in our versions of the old stories. I grew up with the knowledge that Ulysses met a sorceress called Circe, but kids today learn that they were Odysseus and Kirke all the time!
Which is cool - but I bet the lad in question wouldn't recognise himself as oh-DIS-ee-is; nor would I know what he would have answered to ...
Not many languages make a th sound - English and Greek spring to mind! So it's likely that people living in, say, Germany would have dropped the H which they wouldn't pronounce anyway, and arrive at the Tisbe spelling that way.
This probably wouldn't happen now - so much scholarship has gone into researching the historically accurate sounds of words, and this is reflected in our versions of the old stories. I grew up with the knowledge that Ulysses met a sorceress called Circe, but kids today learn that they were Odysseus and Kirke all the time!
Which is cool - but I bet the lad in question wouldn't recognise himself as oh-DIS-ee-is; nor would I know what he would have answered to ...
1
Well...
From my normal (usually reliable) sources I found that
Thisbe -f- Greek- where the doves live
but somewhere else I found it meant lover. Its greek either way..
I would go with the first meaning...the other seems to be fixated around the shakespearean meaning ...well..don't trust me ^.^ lol.
I hope thats right..I couldn't find Tisbe anywhere though..sorry ^.^
From my normal (usually reliable) sources I found that
Thisbe -f- Greek- where the doves live
but somewhere else I found it meant lover. Its greek either way..
I would go with the first meaning...the other seems to be fixated around the shakespearean meaning ...well..don't trust me ^.^ lol.
I hope thats right..I couldn't find Tisbe anywhere though..sorry ^.^
1