I have chosen the story of Orpheus and Eurydice as the myth that I will analyze. It is one of the earliest tales of a relationship that ended tragically, and countless modern stories have undoubtedly been inspired at least in part by it. There have been many artistic interpretations of the myth, and each offers its own unique perspective. Ovid's Essential Metamorphosis is the first primary source I will analyze. It begins with the musician Orpheus discovering the corpse of his beloved Eurydice in the grass. In his grief, he traveled to the River Styx where he sang to Hades and the other spirits of the underworld asking for a second chance for Eurydice. He also played on Hades' own story with love and Persephone (Ovid, ln. 28), asking him for a "loan" of life, rather than a resurrection. His song was successful and even the Furies mourned him and recovered Eurydice. Orpheus was given a condition: he would not look at his wife until they left the Valley of Avernus. Just as they were about to make it, Orpheus turned and watched Eurydice return to the underworld. He cried and waited on the banks of the River Styx for seven days, but in vain (Ovid, ln. 76). Eventually he left and although many women lashed out at him, he rejected all advances and sat in a forest playing in the trees. The Derveni Papyrus is my other primary source. It is an ancient Greek papyrus scroll that contains the commentary on a poem written by Orpheus regarding the birth of the gods. Since it is written in several Greek dialects, its translation is rather rough, but some interesting insights can be drawn from it. The very fact that he exists is noteworthy: the poems of Orpheus justify such philosophical study even... middle of paper... Orpheus as an ideal conglomerate of every man in a difficult-to-understand environment, observing something he cares about . disappear for no apparent reason other than coincidence. At its most basic, this story boils down to "in life sometimes bad things happen", something I tried to capture in my portrait. Works Cited "A Translation of the Derveni Papyrus". Art of the essay. Np, nd Web. 05 November 2013. .Corot, Jean-Baptiste Camille. Orpheus leads Eurydice from the Underworld. 1861. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.Ovid. "Book 10." Metamorphosis. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2009. 128-31. Print.Raoux, Jean. Orpheus and Eurydice. 1709. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Rodin, Auguste. Orpheus and Eurydice. 1893. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.
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