Orpheus loves music. There’s no doubt about it. Every time Eurydice asks him what’s on his mind, he is thinking about music. He’s a musician; it’s what he does.
Eurydice loves books and words. She likes to mull over the opinions of others and think through arguments. She likes interesting new things. She likes to hear stories. Nothing wrong with that.
They’re two nice people, ridiculously good-looking, and they’re in love. So what’s the problem? Well… they have two different ways of looking at the world. Orpheus is more concrete; more black and white. Things are just how he sees them. Eurydice sees more possibilities; more options. Even this wouldn’t be a problem, except that when Orpheus looks at Eurydice, he only sees music. At best, he’s uninterested and at worst, uncomfortable with her love of language. He tries to change the subject – back to music.
From almost the very first page of the script, Orpheus tries to make Eurydice over into how he sees her. He tries to teach her his melodies. He says he’s going to turn every strand of her hair into an instrument to play his music. He pesters her to practice and remember his melodies. If he weren’t so darn adorable, I’m sure she’d notice that he’s a tad controlling.
Throughout her play, Sarah Ruhl uses music and words to play out the relationships and story line. Language plays a big role in remembering in the Underworld and building the relationship between Eurydice and her Father. The power of Orpheus’ music is how he gets into the Underworld… almost. Actually it’s the power of his music and Eurydice’s name. To successfully reach Eurydice, he had to utilize both; he had to sing her name.
After Eurydice makes her choice to stay and they are saying goodbye, he brings up again her appalling lack of rhythm – spelling out the ways she did not measure up to his ideal. In the very end, I think he starts to get it. He calls out, “Will you talk to me!”[i]By then it is too late.
Orpheus came to find Eurydice with music – his music. I wonder… would he have succeeded if he found her with words?
[i] Ruhl, Sarah. Eurydice. New York: Samuel French, 2008. Print.
3 comments:
This article feels a little generalized to me, so I'd like to offer a second opinion from an inside perspective.
This post says Orpheus looks at her and sees music. There's never any indication of music being something visual to Orpheus. Rather he looks at her, and hears music.
Ya Orpheus loves music, but he also loves Eurydice. Like any good artist his work is connected to his experience of life. When he looks at her he hears music. That's beautiful. She inspires him. How many wonderful husbands have said that about their wives? Orpheus plays THE saddest music when she is gone. So sad, the stones weep. So sad, he breaks through the gates of hell by singing her name over and over and over again. Her name. The name he speaks more than any other word in the play. Why? Because he loves her. He loves HER. He doesn't love his made up image of what he wants her to be. He loves her. I feel like saying, "At best, he's uninterested and at worst, uncomfortable with her love of language" belittles his love for her. He isn't uncomfortable with her love of language. He adores it in the way we adore in others the passions and drive that we may not always understand. I feel he is being completely honest in saying, "I love how you love books." He even lowers a book into the underworld, wondering if she misses reading them.
So to paint a picture of Orpheus as someone who's love isn't genuine, who doesn't know Eurydice, who is absorbed in his musical ego, seems to me an unnecessary and unfounded direction. For those of you looking for something else in this play, I suggest looking at their relationship with compassion. Their mistakes are so often our mistakes. It's so easy to let small differences and choices break-up, that which is beautiful and enduring.
Not quite sure where this is coming from. This is not the Orpheus I am reading about in the script, nor seeing on stage… I feel like most of this is over generalized opinion at best, if not just plain drawn out of personal conclusions. Telling the audience how to view Orpheus before he is presented before them is probably not a good idea… especially if it is completely off base from what the actor and cast are portraying.
I don't think Orpheus' love in ingenuine - I think he's very sincere, but I also find support for my comments in the script.
That being said, the posts here are just food for thought. There is no right or wrong way to look at a story or to connect to a story. Everyone will find their own way to interact with the play.
Along those lines, thank you for posting your ideas and opinions - it makes the conversatons richer.
Post a Comment