Egyptian - Wall Hanging or Curtain Fragment with Orpheus and Eurydice - Walters 83466

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice () concerns the pitiful love of

Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

, located in northeastern Greece, for the beautiful

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice', classical pronunciation: ) was a character in Greek mythology and the wife of Orpheus, whom Orpheus tried to bring back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several ...

. Orpheus was the son of

Oeagrus In Greek mythology, Oeagrus () was a king of Thrace, and father of Orpheus. Biography Kingdom There are various versions as to where Oeagrus' domain was actually situated. In one version, he ruled over the Edonian kingdom in the region of My ...

and the Muse

Calliope In Greek mythology, Calliope ( ; ) is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry; so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. Hesiod and Ovid called her the "Chief of all Muses". Mythology Calliope had two famous sons, OrpheusH ...

. It may be a late addition to the Orpheus myths, as the latter cult-title suggests those attached to

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Persephone ( ; , classical pronunciation: ), also called Kore ( ; ) or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the Greek underworld, underworld afte ...

. The subject is among the most frequently retold of all Greek myths.

Versions

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...

's classic version of the legend, it completes his ''

Georgics The ''Georgics'' ( ; ) is a poem by Latin poet Virgil, likely published in 29 BCE. As the name suggests (from the Greek language, Greek word , ''geōrgiká'', i.e. "agricultural hings) the subject of the poem is agriculture; but far from bei ...

'', a poem on the subject of agriculture. Here the name of

Aristaeus Aristaeus (; ''Aristaios'') was the mythological culture hero credited with the discovery of many rural useful arts and handicrafts, including bee-keeping; He was the son of the huntress Cyrene and Apollo. ''Aristaeus'' ("the best") was a cu ...

, or Aristaios, the keeper of flying insects, and the

tragic A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsis, or a "pain ...

conclusion was first introduced.

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

's version of the myth, in his ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' (, , ) is a Latin Narrative poetry, narrative poem from 8 Common Era, CE by the Ancient Rome, Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''Masterpiece, magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the world from its Cre ...

'', was published a few decades later and employs a different poetic emphasis and purpose. It relates that Eurydice's death was not caused by fleeing from Aristaeus, but rather by dancing with nymphs on her wedding day. In the ''Bibliotheca'' by Pseudo-Apollodorus Eurydice is simply bitten by a serpent before dying and Orpheus goes to

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

to retrieve her. Other ancient writers treated Orpheus's visit to the underworld more negatively. According to Phaedrus in Plato's ''

Symposium In Ancient Greece, the symposium (, ''sympósion'', from συμπίνειν, ''sympínein'', 'to drink together') was the part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was accompanied by music, dancing, recitals, o ...

'', the infernal deities only "presented an apparition" of Eurydice to him. Plato's representation of Orpheus is in fact that of a coward; instead of choosing to die in order to be with his love, he mocked the deities in an attempt to visit Hades, to get her back alive. As his love was not "true"—meaning that he was not willing to die for it—he was punished by the deities, first by giving him only the apparition of his former wife in the underworld and then by having him killed by women.

Plot

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

gave Orpheus a

lyre The lyre () (from Greek λύρα and Latin ''lyra)'' is a string instrument, stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the History of lute-family instruments, lute family of instruments. In organology, a ...

and taught him how to play. It had been said that "nothing could resist Orpheus's beautiful melodies, neither enemies nor beasts." Orpheus fell in love with

, a woman of beauty and grace, whom he married and lived with happily for a short time. However, when

Hymen The hymen is a thin piece of mucosal tissue that surrounds or partially covers the vaginal opening. A small percentage of females are born with hymens that are imperforate and completely obstruct the vaginal canal. It forms part of the vulva ...

was called to bless the marriage, he predicted that their perfection was not meant to last. A short time after this prophecy, Eurydice was wandering in the forest with the

Nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

s. In some versions of the story, the shepherd

saw her and, beguiled by her beauty, made advances towards her and began to chase her. Other versions of the story relate that Eurydice was merely dancing with the Nymphs. Whether fleeing or dancing, she was bitten by a snake and died instantly. Orpheus sang his grief with his lyre and managed to move everything, living or not, in the world; both humans and gods learnt about his sorrow and grief. At some point, Orpheus decided to descend to Hades by music to see his wife. Any other mortal would have died, but Orpheus, being protected by the gods, went to Hades and arrived at the Stygian realm, passing by ghosts and souls of people unknown. He also managed to attract

Cerberus In Greek mythology, Cerberus ( or ; ''Kérberos'' ), often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a polycephaly, multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Greek underworld, underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. He was the offspring o ...

, the three-headed dog, who had a liking for his music. He presented himself in front of the god of the Greek underworld,

, and his wife,

. Orpheus played with his lyre a song so heartbreaking that even Hades himself was moved to compassion. The god told Orpheus that he could take Eurydice back with him, but under two conditions: she would have to walk behind him while walking out from the caves of the underworld, and he could not turn to look at her as they walked. Thinking it a simple task for a patient man like himself, Orpheus was delighted; he thanked Hades and left to ascend back into the living world. Unable to hear Eurydice's footsteps, however, he began to fear the gods had fooled him. Eurydice might have been behind him, but as a

shade Shade, Shades or Shading may refer to: * Shade (color), a mixture of a color with black (often generalized as any variety of a color) * Shade (shadow), the blocking of sunlight * Shades or sunglasses * Shading, a process used in art and graphic ...

, having to come back into the light to become a full woman again. Only a few feet away from the exit, Orpheus lost his faith and turned to see Eurydice behind him, sending her back to be trapped in Hades's reign forever. Orpheus tried to return to the underworld but was unable to, possibly because a person cannot enter the realm of Hades twice while alive. According to various versions of the myth, he played a mourning song with his lyre, calling for death so that he could be united with Eurydice forever. He was killed either by beasts tearing him apart or by the

Maenad In Greek mythology, maenads (; ) were the female followers of Dionysus and the most significant members of his retinue, the '' thiasus''. Their name, which comes from μαίνομαι (''maínomai'', “to rave, to be mad; to rage, to be angr ...

s in a frenzied mood. His head remained fully intact and still sang as it floated in the water before washing up on the island of

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of , with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, eighth largest ...

. According to another version,

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

decided to strike him with lightning, knowing Orpheus might reveal the secrets of the underworld to humans. In this telling, the

Muses In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

decided to save his head and keep it among the living people to sing forever, enchanting everyone with his melodies. They additionally cast his lyre into the sky as a

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellati ...

Retellings

Literature

* The Death of Eurydice episode which occurs in Book IV of ''

'' by

(29 BC) and Book X of ''

'' by

(8 AD) * The poem "Orpheus and Eurydice" in ''

The Consolation of Philosophy ''On the Consolation of Philosophy'' (), often titled as ''The Consolation of Philosophy'' or simply the ''Consolation'', is a philosophical work by the Roman philosopher Boethius. Written in 523 while he was imprisoned and awaiting execution ...

'' by

Boethius Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly known simply as Boethius (; Latin: ''Boetius''; 480–524 AD), was a Roman Roman Senate, senator, Roman consul, consul, ''magister officiorum'', polymath, historian, and philosopher of the Early Middl ...

(523 AD) * '' Sir Orfeo'', an anonymous narrative poem (c. late thirteenth or early fourteenth century) * '' The Tale of Orpheus and Erudices his Quene'', a poem by

Robert Henryson Robert Henryson (Middle Scots: Robert Henrysoun) was a poet who flourished in Scotland in the period c. 1460–1500. Counted among the Scots language, Scots ''makars'', he lived in the royal burgh of Dunfermline and is a distinctive voice in th ...

(c.1470) *"Orpheus. Eurydice. Hermes", a poem by

Rainer Maria Rilke René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926), known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was an Austrian poet and novelist. Acclaimed as an Idiosyncrasy, idiosyncratic and expressive poet, he is widely recognized as ...

(1907) * '' Sonnets to Orpheus'', an allusive

sonnet sequence A sonnet sequence or sonnet cycle is a group of sonnets thematically unified to create a long work, although generally, unlike the stanza, each sonnet so connected can also be read as a meaningful separate unit. The sonnet sequence was a very popul ...

by poet

(1922) *The Song of Orpheus, part of volume 6 (Fables and Reflections) of the Sandman by

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

(1990) * '' The Ground Beneath Her Feet'', novel by

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie ( ; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British and American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern wor ...

(1999) * "Orpheus and Eurydice: A Lyric Sequence", a book-length lyric sequence by Gregory Orr (2001) * '' Veniss Underground'', a novel by

Jeff Vandermeer Jeff VanderMeer (born July 7, 1968) is an American author, editor, and literary critic. Initially associated with the New Weird literary genre, VanderMeer crossed over into mainstream success with his bestselling Southern Reach Series. The se ...

(2003) * "No Looking Back", a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

from "Tiny Deaths" by Robert Shearman (2007) * "Hymn to Persephone", a poem by Craig Arnold in ''Made Flesh'' (2008) * "Eurydice's Footnote", a 1995 poem by A. E. Stallings * " A Song for Ella Grey", a 2014 novel by

David Almond David Almond (born 15 May 1951) is a British author who has written many novels for children's literature, children and young adult fiction, young adults from 1998, each one receiving critical acclaim. He is one of thirty children's writers, and ...

- also adapted for the stage in two different versions in 2017 and 2024 at Northern Stage * "

L'Esprit de L'Escalier ''L'esprit de l'escalier'' or (, , ; ) is a French language, French term used in English language, English for the predicament of thinking of the perfect reply too late. Origin This name for the phenomenon comes from French encyclopedist and ...

" is a 2021 fantasy short story by Catherynne M. Valente, retelling the story of Orpheus and Eurydice in a modern setting.

Film and stage

* '' The Orphic Trilogy'', a series of films by

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( , ; ; 5 July 1889 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost avant-garde artists of the 20th-c ...

(1930–1959) * ''

'', a play by

Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; ; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist and screenwriter whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ...

(1941) * '' Orfeu da Conceição'', a play by

Vinicius de Moraes Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed "O Poetinha" ("The Little Poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwrig ...

(1956) * '' Orpheus Descending'', a play by

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

(1957) * '' Black Orpheus'', a film by Marcel Camus (1959) * '' Evrydiki BA 2O37'', a film directed by

Nikos Nikolaidis Nikos Georgiou Nikolaidis (; 25 October 1939 – 5 September 2007) was a Greek film director, screenwriter, film producer, writer, theatre director, assistant director, record producer, television director, and commercial director. He is usually ...

(1975) * ''

Parking Parking is the act of stopping and disengaging a vehicle and usually leaving it unoccupied. Parking on one or both sides of a road is often permitted, though sometimes with restrictions. Some buildings have parking facilities for use of the bu ...

'', a film by Jacques Demy (1985) * '' Shredder Orpheus'', a film by Robert McGinley (1989) * An episode of '' The StoryTeller: Greek Myths'' (1990) * '' Highway to Hell'', a very, very loose adaptation film by

Ate de Jong Ate de Jong (born 1953) is a Dutch film and television director, film producer, and screenwriter. He is best known as the producer of '' The Discovery of Heaven'' (2001), nominated for a Golden Calf award, and '' Het Bombardement'' (2012). Fil ...

(1992). * '' What Dreams May Come'', a film by Vincent Ward (1998) * '' Orfeu'', film by Cacá Diegues (1999) * '' Moulin Rouge!'', a film by Baz Luhrmann (2001) * ''Metamorphoses'', play by

Mary Zimmerman Mary Zimmerman (born August 23, 1960) is an American theatre and opera director and playwright from Nebraska. She is an ensemble member of the Lookingglass Theatre Company, the Manilow Resident Director at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinoi ...

(2002) * ''

'', play by Sarah Ruhl (2003) * ''

Hadestown ''Hadestown'' is a musical with music, lyrics, and a book by Anaïs Mitchell. It tells a version of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Eurydice, a young girl looking for something to eat, goes to work in a hellish industrial vers ...

'', folk opera by

Anaïs Mitchell Anaïs Mitchell (; born March 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright. Mitchell has released eight studio albums, including ''Hadestown (album), Hadestown'' (2010), ''Young Man in America'' (2012),Molly Davies with music by James Johnston, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds for the

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and charity in London, created with the aim of developing young people's artistic skills via theatrical productions and other creative endeavours. Founded in 1956 as the world ...

at the Old Vic Tunnels, directed by James Dacre (2011) * '' You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet'', a film by Alain Resnais (2012) * ''Jasper in Deadland'', a musical by Hunter Foster and Ryan Scott Oliver (2014) * '' Life After Beth'', a zombie romantic dramedy by Jeff Baena, the myth inspired Beth's means of death and Zach Orfman's hesitation in accepting her zombie reanimation as the real Beth (2014) * ''

'', an expansion of the folk opera by

Anaïs Mitchell Anaïs Mitchell (; born March 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright. Mitchell has released eight studio albums, including ''Hadestown (album), Hadestown'' (2010), ''Young Man in America'' (2012),Rachel Chavkin, that premiered at the New York Theatre Workshop in 2016 before eventually transferring to Broadway in 2019. (2017) * '' Paris 05:59: Théo & Hugo'', a French film (2016) by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau, queering the myth * ''

Moulin Rouge! (musical) ''Moulin Rouge! The Musical'' is a jukebox musical with a book by John Logan (writer), John Logan. The musical is based on the 2001 film ''Moulin Rouge!'' directed by Baz Luhrmann and written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. ''Moulin Rouge!'' is se ...

'', a theatrical production based on the film by Baz Luhrmann * '' Portrait of a Lady on Fire'', a film by

Céline Sciamma Céline Sciamma (; born 12 November 1978) is a French screenwriter and film director. She wrote and directed '' Water Lilies'' (2007), '' Tomboy'' (2011), '' Girlhood'' (2014), '' Portrait of a Lady on Fire'' (2019), and '' Petite Maman'' (2021). ...

(2019) that uses the myth as a common thread * "The Fugitive Kind" (1960 film version of T. Williams' play "Orpheus Descending,") directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani, and Joanne Woodward. * '' Kaos'' A darkly comedic and contemporary re-imagining of Greek mythology, exploring themes of gender politics, power and life in the underworld. Six humans learn that they are component parts of an ancient prophecy. * '' O'Dessa'' A 2025 American

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction are genres of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astronom ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by Geremy Jasper, starring

Sadie Sink Sadie Elizabeth Sink (born April 16, 2002) is an American actress. She began her acting career in theater, playing the title role in the musical '' Annie'' (2012–14) and young Elizabeth II in the historical play '' The Audience'' (2015) on ...

, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Murray Bartlett, and

Regina Hall Regina Lee Hall (born December 12, 1970) is an American actress. She rose to prominence for her role as Brenda Meeks in the comedy horror ''Scary Movie'' film series (2000–2006). Hall received critical acclaim for her role in the film '' Sup ...

Music and ballet

* ''Euridice'', an opera by

Jacopo Peri Jacopo Peri (20 August 156112 August 1633) was an Italian composer, singer and instrumentalist of the late Renaissance music, Renaissance and early Baroque music, Baroque periods. He wrote what is considered the first opera, the mostly lost ''D ...

and Giulio Caccini with librettist

Ottavio Rinuccini Ottavio Rinuccini (20 January 1563Firenze, Registro dei battezzati al fonte di S. Giovanni tenuto dal preposto di S. Giovanni, Registro 14, Carta 76v. – 28 March 1621) was an Italian poet, courtier, and opera libretto, librettist at the end of th ...

(1600) * ''Euridice'', an opera by Giulio Caccini with librettist Ottavio Rinuccini (1602) * ''

L'Orfeo ''L'Orfeo'' (Stattkus-Verzeichnis, SV 318) (), or ''La favola d'Orfeo'' , is a late Renaissance music, Renaissance/early Baroque music, Baroque ''favola in musica'', or List of operas by Claudio Monteverdi, opera, by Claudio Monteverdi, with a li ...

'', the first opera by Monteverdi (1607) * '' Orfeo'', an opera by Luigi Rossi (1647) * ''

'', an opera by

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to b ...

(1726) * '' Orpheus and Euridice'', an ode by William Hayes (1735) * '' Orfeo ed Euridice'', an opera by

Christoph Willibald Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; ; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period (music), classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of th ...

(1762) * ', an opera by Ferdinando Bertoni (1776) * ''L'anima del filosofo, ossia Orfeo ed Euridice'', on opera by

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

with libretto by Carlo Francesco Badini (1791) * ''

Orpheus in the Underworld ''Orpheus in the Underworld'' and ''Orpheus in Hell'' are English names for (), a comic opera with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Hector-Jonathan Crémieux, Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy. It was first performed as a two-act "op ...

'', an operetta by

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ''The Tales of Hoffmann''. He was a p ...

(1858) * '' Orpheus und Eurydike'', an opera by Ernst Krenek (1926) *''Orpheus and Eurydice'', a ballet choreographed by Dame Ninette de Valois with music by

Gluck Christoph Willibald ( Ritter von) Gluck (; ; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire at ...

(1941) * ''Orpheus'', a ballet made by choreographer

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...

to music by

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

(1948) * ''Orpheus in the Underworld'', an album by Don Shirley (1956) * ''Orpheus'', a song by New York Rock & Roll Ensemble, from

Reflections (Manos Hatzidakis album) ''Reflections'' is a 1970 album composed by Manos Hatzidakis and performed by New York Rock & Roll Ensemble. The album was originally composed in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in t ...

(1970) * ''Orpheus and Eurydice'', a rock opera album by Alexander Zhurbin (1975) * '' The Mask of Orpheus'', an opera by composer

Harrison Birtwistle Sir Harrison Birtwistle (15 July 1934 – 18 April 2022) was an English composer of contemporary classical music best known for his operas, often based on mythological subjects. Among his many compositions, his better known works include '' T ...

and librettist

Peter Zinovieff Peter Zinovieff (26 January 1933 – 23 June 2021) was a British composer, musician and inventor. In the late 1960s, his company, Electronic Music Studios (EMS), made the VCS3, a synthesizer used by many early progressive rock bands such as Pi ...

(1986) * ''Orpheus'', a song by English singer-songwriter

David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt; 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan (band), Japan. During his time in Japan, Sylvia ...

from the album Secrets of the Beehive (1987) * ''Orpheus & Eurdice'', a song cycle in two acts, by Ricky Ian Gordon (2001) * '' Metamorpheus'', an orchestral album by former Genesis guitarist

Steve Hackett Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12 February 1950) is an English guitarist who gained prominence as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band Genesis (band), Genesis from 1971 to 1977. Hackett contributed to six Genesis studio albums, three l ...

(2005) * ''

'', an album of songs, and a stage musical, from the folk opera of the same name by

Anaïs Mitchell Anaïs Mitchell (; born March 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright. Mitchell has released eight studio albums, including ''Hadestown (album), Hadestown'' (2010), ''Young Man in America'' (2012),Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Jeremy Gara. The band's touring line-up includes former core ...

, from the album Reflektor (2013) * '' Orpheus Alive'', a ballet by Missy Mazzoli (2019) * ''

'', an opera by Matthew Aucoin with librettist Sarah Ruhl (2020) * '' Orphee l'Amour Eurydice'', opera created for the

Dutch National Opera The Dutch National Opera (DNO; formerly De Nederlandse Opera, now De Nationale Opera in Dutch) is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Dutch National Opera & Ballet housed in the Stopera building, a m ...

(2022)

Visual arts

* ''Orpheus and Eurydice'', stone relief, second century, Šempeter, Slovenia *''Orpheus and Eurydice'', a painting by

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

(c. 150

*'' Landscape with Orpheus and Eurydice'', a painting by

Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was a French painter who was a leading painter of the Classicism, classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and ...

(1650–1653) * ''Orpheus and Euridice'', a painting by Federico Cervelli *''Orpheus Mourning the Death of Eurydice'', a painting by Ary Scheffer (1814) *''Orpheus Leading Eurydice from the Underworld'', a painting by

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot ( , , ; 16 July 1796 – 22 February 1875), or simply Camille Corot, was a French Landscape art, landscape and Portraitist, portrait painter as well as a printmaking, printmaker in etching. A pivotal figure in ...

(186

* ''Orpheus and Eurydice'', a painting by

Edward Poynter Sir Edward John Poynter, 1st Baronet (20 March 183626 July 1919) was an English painter, designer, and Drawing, draughtsman, who served as President of the Royal Academy. Life Poynter was the son of architect Ambrose Poynter. He was born in P ...

(186

* :File:Frederic Leighton-Orfeo ed Euridice-1864.jpg, ''Orpheus and Euridice'', a painting by

Frederic Leighton Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British Victorian painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and clas ...

(1864) *''Orpheus and Eurydice'', a sculpture by

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

(189

*''Orpheus Searching Eurydice in the Underworld'', a painting by the Antwerp school

*'' The Kiss'', a painting by Gustave Klimt (1907) (Not explicitly Orpheus and Eurydice, but one interpretation of ''The Kiss'' is that it depicts their story) * ''Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici as Orpheus'', a painting by Agnolo Bronzino (c. 1537-153

Video games

* '' Don't Look Back (video game), Don't Look Back'' (2009), a Flash game and modern adaptation of the legend created by Terry Cavanagh, which follows a man who ventures into the underworld to guide the spirit of his deceased lover out of the caverns. * ''Hades'' (2020), an indie rogue-like game developed by Supergiant Games. The player, Zagreus, meets Eurydice and Orpheus, and is given the option of reuniting them.

References

External links

* {{Orpheus and Eurydice * Greek mythology of Thrace Greek myths Love stories Mythological duos Mythological lovers