 In act 5, scene 2 the main character Othello compares himself to a myrrh tree with its constant stream of tears (Myrrha's tears).The reference is justified in the way that it draws inspiration from Book X of Ovid's "Metamorphoses", just like his previously written poem, "Venus and Adonis", did.The tragedy "Mirra" by Vittorio Alfieri (written in 1786) is inspired by the story of Myrrha.