Orpheus and Eurydice

Orpheus is a renowned minstrel and poet from Thrace. Some mythological sources say he was taught to play the lyre by the god Apollo (who is sometimes named as Orpheus’s father). Orpheus is renowned for his music, which has the power to charm all of nature, including wild beasts, trees, and stones. In a different myth, when Orpheus joined Jason and the Argonauts on their quest across the seas to retrieve the Golden Fleece, his music was of such beauty that he helped to keep the peace among the rough-and-ready crew. Orpheus once saved the ship from the Sirens by playing his lyre so the crew could not hear the seductive Sirens’ songs.

Orpheus’s attempt to retrieve his dead wife Eurydice from the underworld forms a major part of his story, as related by Virgil and Ovid. His actions reveal both his grief at losing Eurydice and the depths of his love. They also show his boldness in descending to Hades and his confidence that he can accomplish this seemingly impossible task. Keeping his nerve, even in the intimidating presence of Hades, Persephone, and the assortment of hellish creatures, Orpheus makes an eloquent, well-thought-out, and moving appeal to the gods (as presented in Ovid).