Thematic Differences Between Orpheus/eurydice Accounts

Thematic Differences between Orpheus/Eurydice Accounts

Orpheus and Eurydice is a popular Greek myth that tells a love story, punctuated by tragedy and heartbreak (Virgil). In Grecian myths, Eurydice has been portrayed as a sweet and charming maiden.  In some accounts, she is said to be the daughter of the powerful God of light, Apollo. In other versions, she is presented as a daughter of an unnamed supreme being. In all of these, Eurydice is said to be the wife to Orpheus. Orpheus was a musician by trade, one who was famous for his skills. According to most accounts, they were newlyweds living a happy life, that is, before the death of Eurydice and the ensuing journey of Orpheus to the Underworld.

As with many famous romantic stories, there are accounts that try to elaborate on the events of the relationship of Eurydice and Orpheus—specifically on their love—and these versions are found in the works of classical Greek poets. Of these, the accounts of Ovid and Virgil are the best known to us. Virgil wrote his account of the story in his Georgics, which was sometime around 29 BC. His account was written as part of a relatively long poem, the thematic framework of which revolved around the discourse of Greek mythologies and of nature in general. Ovid, another great poet, followed suit approximately forty-one years later. His account of the story was included in his Metamorphoses (Ovid). Both writers recount the story of Orpheus and Eurydice in a largely similar fashion (although there are notable differences), i.e. both are told in poetic verse, and both portray the lovers as ill-fated. The consistency of these accounts have since given us a rough idea of how the myth was originally told.

Carol Ann Duffy presents the myth with a different spin, and in a slightly modernized sense. According to her poem Eurydice, a woman from the underworld is handpicked by Orpheus to be his bride. The twist, however, is that Eurydice is hell-bent on staying in the underworld where she lived. In the poem, although she had no power to refuse, she noted that she would rather be dead than be labeled as Orpheus’ chosen bride. In order to escape her predicament, she manipulates Orpheus as they “traveled an uphill schlep from death to life”. She manages to fool him into turning and facing her, guaranteeing he would lose her forever, and thus escape potential bondage as his living wife. In light of the original myth, Duffy’s version serves to contrast rather than confirm its elements (Duffy).

In Duffy’s version, Eurydice could not stand the idea of devoting her whole life and future to a man who she deemed dominant and oppressive. She openly mocks Orpheus, an act which does not parallel the Eurydice portrayed in the classical renditions of the myth. Duffy’s Eurydice holds different opinions regarding marriage, opinions which lie in stark contrast with how women are portrayed in classical texts. Women, as they were traditionally portrayed in Greek classic texts, tended to view marriage as the epitome of female existence. Once married, women were presumed to live a happier and more fulfilling life. In many ways, Eurydice’s portrayal in Duffy’s account deviates from this tradition—downright rejecting its core principles. This is especially true for the Eurydice of the original myth. Instead of a damsel-in-distress, swayed by the forces of the Underworld and waiting for Orpheus’ rescue, Eurydice is portrayed as a defiant figure who was the sole determiner of her destiny. Making fun of men’s courtship techniques, she proudly declares her preference to the underworld as the place where a lady is safe from the kind of men who deceive women with dime-a-dozen poems that they hand around like pamphlets (Duffy). Here, she demonstrates that she is very well capable of thinking for herself, and choosing for her own. It was as if she was pointing out that women too, can make a choice; that they do not have to be dependent on men or on the institution of marriage to be happy.