Orpheus

2 Pages 621 Words

In the Metamorphoses of Ovid, Orpheus, madly devoted to his wife, Eurydice, goes into hell, and pleads for the chance to see her again. Shortly after their wedding, Orpheus’ wife steps on a snake whose venom kills her. This deeply upsets Orpheus who feels that seeing his wife again will soothe his soul.
Orpheus’ request to see his wife occurs in the form of a song to the kings of the dead. As he begins his song, he explains that his true intentions are to see Eurydice, not the same as many of those before him. He adds that although he tried to live without her, but his love for her had made it impossible for him to stay away. Unsure whether the Gods of the underworld could symphathize with his submission to Love, he explains that “within the upper world, he has much fame”(326) and hopes that the God of love “has gained renown”(326) in the underworld. The “he” that Orpheus refers to is Love. He argues that Love is too powerful to resist, as he begs for the gods to “restore the life”(326) of his beloved wife. Orpheus accepts that at some point in time, all humans must report to the underworld. “Our final home is here; the human race must here submit to your unending sway”(326). Yet, though Orpheus realizes this, he also believes that Eurydice was taken too soon. “She, too, will yet be yours when she has lived in full the course of her allotted years”(326). Not until his wife has lived to an old age, does Orpheus feel that she should be taken to her death. He is so determined to see her, that he proclaims, “if the Fates deny my wife this gift, then I shall stay here, too, I won’t go back; and you can then rejoice-you’ll have two deaths”(326). If Orpheus is not allowed the opportunity to see his wife and for her to regain life, he swears that he too will remain in the underworld.
“Moved by Orpheus’ song, the Furies wept”(326). He had brought about the “only tears the Furies ...