One way to analyze this play is to look at the tragedy of the lovers, Orpheus and Eurydice, and the tragedy of Eurydice and her father. Orpheus and Eurydice are very much in love, perhaps "a little too in love", so Eurydice's untimely death is tragic in that it has taken her from her love. The tragic end to their tale, though, is self-inflicted because Eurydice calls out to Orpheus rather than following faithfully behind him back into the world of the living. Eurydice and her father are reunited and his dedication to her reeducation is incredibly touching. Therefore, when he dips himself in the river to forget just before she returns from her failed rebirth, she loses him all over again. Eurydice is then left to her decision to let go of Orpheus with her letter and to dip herself in the river to forget the loss of her father. For this view of the play I would choose the tagline:
"Love is a big, funny word."
Another view of this play is the absurdity of mortal dramatics in juxtaposition with the endlessness of the afterlife. In the Underworld, the Stones provide the only guidance and their advice is simple: forget. The memories of life bring bitterness and sadness into their realm and they much prefer peace and quiet. Even Eurydice's father cautions against her request to hear the names of her family members since it will be "a long time to be sad." In this view, Orpheus's quest to reclaim his bride seems more like a waste of time than much else since she would only be returning a comparatively short time later. Even Eurydice seems to understand the futility of her return when she tells her father "I'll come back to you. I seem to keep dying." For this take on Eurydice, the tagline I would choose is:
"Some things should be left well enough alone."
I find it interesting that you brought up that death is inevitable because the Father tells her to go back, then immediately dips himself into the river, making him forget everything about his life he had worked so hard to remember, knowing that she will return eventually.
ReplyDeleteReading other people posts, I saw a lot that were the same. However, the two quotes you picked weren't one's I've seen yet and I really like them, especially after your explanation about them. I specifically like the last quote because it makes a lot of sense. These characters tried to change their fate and, in the end, the outcome comes out (maybe) even worse than it would have if they didn't do anything. Orpheus tries to reclaim Eurydice, but it just ends up making everyone forget.
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