Republic of the Philippines

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Calauan, Laguna Campus

A Literary Analysis of the Short Story

“Greek Myth: Orpheus and Eurydice”

Retold by
Hugh Lupton

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for World Literature for the Degree of
Bachelor of Business Technology and Livelihood Education
Major in Home Economics

GEED 10223

SUBMITTED BY:
Relleta, Princess L.
BBTLEd H.E. 4-1

SUBMITTED TO:
Professor Charlyne Flores
Course Instructor

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I. Background of the Author

Lupton was born in 1952, the eldest child of Francis G. H. Lupton

and Mary Gee/Lupton. He is the great nephew of Arthur Ransome (1884-
1967) whom, as a boy, he often visited. Lupton can recall hearing his
great uncle's classic children's stories set in Norfolk and the Lake
District. "He (Ransome) was very old by then, in his dotage, but I
remember him and stories were very important as I grew up." Lupton
was born in Cambridge shire, where there was much family heritage,
and educated at the King's College School, Cambridge. He studied to
become a teacher in Norwich. As of 2013 he was based at Spratt's
Green near Aylsham.
Lupton co-founded the Company of Storytellers (with Ben
Haggarty [de] and Sally Pomme Clayton) in 1985, and for a while ran a
branch of The Crick Crack Club in Norfolk. Lupton tells a wide variety of
stories, including epics such as Iliad and Odyssey, but also collections
of shorter stories such as I become part of it (tales from the pre-world)
and folktales such as The Three Snake Leaves (tales from the Grimm
Forest).

II. Summary of the Story

The lyrist Orpheus fell in love with the beautiful Eurydice, only for
her to die shortly after; Orpheus made the journey into Hades, the
Underworld, to try to bring his beloved back. His wish was granted – but
on the condition that he mustn’t look back at Eurydice as she followed
him out of Hades, until they were both safely back in the land of the living.
Orpheus couldn’t resist one quick glance … and Eurydice was lost to
him forever.
Eurydice was a nymph – a dryad, specifically (a nymph
associated with the forests) who married Orpheus. One day, while she
was out among the Thracian countryside, she was pursued by a
shepherd, Aristaeus, who wanted her. As she fled from him, she stood

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on a serpent which reared up and bit her on the leg, killing her with its
venom.
Orpheus grieved at the loss of the love of his life. But the one thing
he had was his song, and so he went to the Underworld (or Hades, or, if
you like, Hell) to beg for the return of Eurydice to the land of the living.
Orpheus used his lyre and his beautiful singing to charm the
demons of the Underworld. His singing even charmed Hades, the god of
the Underworld, and his wife (for half the year, anyway), Persephone,
goddess of the Underworld.
Perhaps because Hades and Persephone knew, as husband and
wife, what it was like to love someone, they were moved not only by
Orpheus’ music but by his petition as well; they certainly agreed to his
request, and allowed Eurydice to return with Orpheus to the land of the
living. Orpheus’ song, and his perilous journey into the Underworld, were
proof of his love and devotion to Eurydice.
However, Hades and Persephone imposed one condition:
Orpheus was to lead the way out of the Underworld, with Eurydice
following behind him – but on no account was Orpheus to turn back and
look at his wife until they were clear of the Underworld and back in the
world of the living.
Orpheus agreed, but as he was making his way back from the
Underworld, he was gripped by a terrible doubt. What if Hades and
Persephone had tricked him, and he was leaving his wife behind? What
if she wasn’t behind him at all? Eventually – when he was not far from
exiting the Underworld – Orpheus couldn’t resist any longer, and turned
back to see his wife, Eurydice. He shouldn’t have doubted.
But in looking back, he had broken the one condition Hades and
Persephone had laid down: not to glance back until they were both out
of the Underworld. And so, he had to watch in horror and despair as
Eurydice was taken back down into the Underworld – all because he
looked back at her. So, Eurydice died a second time – this time thanks
to her husband.

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 Orpheus tried to return down into the Underworld to plead with
the gods again, but he found the entrance to Hades barred – this time
for good. Not even his song could gain him entry.

III. Analysis
This section addresses certain character-related narrations, dialogues,

and events from the short story. Through these, the analyst was able to

pinpoint the story's point of view, characters, plot structure—such as conflict—

literary devices, author’s values, diction, imagery, and symbolism.

1. Point of View
Matrix 1
Element of Short Story as to Point of View

Type Features / Descriptions Quoted Lines

Third-Person This story is told from a third-person, objective “She fell to the
Point of View point of view. the author narrates the story ground and no skill
from an outside perspective, referring to of any doctor could
characters by name or using pronouns like save her life.”
“he,” “she,” and “they.”
“Orpheus himself,
The author of this story uses the third-person sitting solitary on
point of view, as he refers to the characters the seashore form
in pronoun forms like “he”, “she”, and “they”. day-break to
sunset mourned
for his wife to the
sad music of his
lyre.”

“They could not

refuse his request
and they called for
Eurydice.”

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 2. Characterization
Matrix 2
Element of Short Story as to Characterization

Methods of
Character(S) Descriptions
Characterization
Son of one of the Muses, and the god Apollo. A
famous poet and musician, who married his
Orpheus Expository
wife who was named Eurydice.

A nymph and one of the daughters of the god

Apollo. She was married to Orpheus, a
legendary musician and poet. In other version
of Orpheus and Eurydice, she was bitten by a
poisonous snake while walking with her Dryad
friends and then died, on some account it was
because after her marriage with Orpheus that a
Eurydice Expository
man name Aristaeus has been relentlessly
pursuing her, and to her effort of avoiding him,
she accidentally stepped on a snake, and was
bitten and died. Other than this description, she
only has a short time appearing on the story as
the story mainly revolves on Orpheus journey
on taking her back from the underworld.
Hades, the god of the underworld, stern and
pitiless, unmoved by prayer or sacrifice (like
death itself). Forbidding and aloof, he never
quite emerges as a distinct personality from the
shadowy darkness of his realm. However, in
Hades the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, he was Expository
(Pluto)
touched by the words and music of the grieving
Orpheus, and so he had granted Orpheus his
wife back, but only on the condition that he
should go in front of her and not turn his eyes
back to her until they reach the upper world.

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 The goddess queen of the underworld, wife of
the god Hades. She was also the goddess of
Persephone
(Proserpine) spring growth, who was worshipped alongside Expository
her mother Demeter in the Eleusinian
Mysteries.

3. Plot Structure
Matrix 3
Element of Short Story as to Conflict
Character(s) Types of Conflict Quoted Lines

“Orpheus stood in front of

Persephone, and her
Orpheus vs. Man vs. Man husband Hades, still
Hades striking music from his lyre
he spoke to them…”

“Through the thick dark

mist, in the tremendous
silence of Hades, they took
the steep path, and they
were already close to the
Orpheus vs. borders of the upper world,
Man vs. Self
Himself when there swept over the
mind of Orpheus, in his
love and fear for Eurydice,
a sudden madness,
something which might,
one would have thought,
have been forgive him, if
only the powers below

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 knew how to forgive. Now
all his toil was in vain. He
had broken the conditions
which savage Hades, and
had made three times
came the crash of thunder
from the lakes and rivers of
the hell.”
“He gave no thought to
women. Though many
women loved him and
wished to be married to
him. At last, they say, a
band of women, driven wild
by their dancing in the
Orpheus vs. Man vs. Society mountains by night, and
Maenads angry at being despised by
him, swept down upon the
divine singer and tore him
limb from limb, scattering
the fragments of his body
far and wide throughout
the fields of Thrace.”

4. Devices Used in the Story

Matrix 4
Element of Short Story as to Literary Devices
Device(s) Descriptions Passage
Symbolism As we wake up, we typically forget our "as she spoke, she
dreams. We watch them fade away into melted away
the shadows, out of reach. We stretch out suddenly from his
to grasp onto our dream and attempt to sight and
remember it, much like Orpheus did with disappeared like
Eurydice. But as soon as we open our smokes disappears
eyes, the dream is gone, leaving us with into thin air.
nothing but the memory of having had a Eagerly, he
vivid dream whose only details we can stretched out his
recall are bits and pieces of transitory arms to embrace
visuals. Even though we may crave for her, but these arms
them, our attempts to experience them encountered
again are doomed, just like Orpheus'

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 failed attempt to bring back his Eurydice. nothing that could
We can only remember the past through be touched "
recollections or dreams. We are unable to
travel back in time and change or reverse
what has already been done.
Imagery Darkness, devastation, and death are the "Farewell, oh
recurring themes in the depiction of the Orpheus. Still, I
underworld in which Eurydice is stretch out to you
imprisoned. She claims that she needs to my feeble hands,
go back to hell. In the underworld, where but I am yours no
there is no light or color, nothing can longer. I am being
survive. The sole color in the underworld pulled away from
comes from the destroying fires of hell, you, and all around
which is starkly different from the vibrancy me is the vastness
of the flowers on earth. of night"

5. Author’s Values
Matrix 5
Element of Short Story as to Author’s Values
Story Order of Paragraphs/ Events Quoted Lines
The protagonist (Orpheus) dive into the
journey on the underworld just to reclaim
his wife. The story would not progress if
“He even dared to
its not because of Orpheus love for his
descend to the lower
wife, that he would even go through the
Love world where the
depths of hell just to take back her
insubstantial ghosts’ flit
Eurydice. He even dared make a
to and FRO, the terrible
negotiation with Hades himself, knowing
kingdom of Persephone.”
that this god is not one to be forgiving.
Still Orpheus tried his best and got what
he wants.
Reclaiming Eurydice was a success; “They were already close
however, the couple still have a long to the borders of the
way to get out of Hades Kingdom, and to upper world, when there
add another conflict they needed to swept over the mind of
Trust vs. resolve, Hades and Persephone lay out Orpheus, in his love and
Doubt a condition that Orpheus needs to follow fear for Eurydice, a
for them to be able to get back to earth sudden madness,
safely. The condition was never met by something which might,
Orpheus himself, as his love for his wife one would have thought,
made him doubt in the thick mist of the have been forgive him, if

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 underworld and looked back to see if his only the powers below
wife was really with him, it angered the knew how to forgive.
god of the underworld, and takes back
Eurydice once again, leaving Orpheus
grieving on his loss.
6. Imagery
Matrix 6
Element of Short Story as to Imagery
Imagery Passage
“At the sound of his lyre the ghosts came thronging in crowds like
the flocks of birds that nightfall or a sudden winter shower drives
down from the mountains to roost among the leaves of trees”
Visual
“All these were penned in by the dark muddy banks of the slow
rivers of hell with their ugly reeds, the river Cocytus and the river
Styx which folds in the ghosts with its nine sweeping circles.”

“Eagerly, he stretched out his arms to embrace her, but these

Feels
arms encountered nothing that could be touched "

7. Symbolism
Matrix 7
Element of Short Story as to Symbolism
Symbolism Passage
When Orpheus lost his wife, he descended to the land of the
dead, and with his lyre, he managed to subdue the Furies and
Guardians of the underworld. He then proceeded to Hades and
Persephone to ask them for Eurydice.

“Powers of the lower world, to whom all of us who are mortals

must come in the end, let me speak to you sincerely and tell you
Lyre the truth. I have not come here as a robber or to vex you in your
kingdom. The reason I have come here is my wife. A serpent bit
her and took away her life just as she was growing up. I tried to
bear her loss, but I cannot. Love is too strong for me. In the world
above, Love is a well-known god: whether he is known here also
I do not know, but I think that he must be and, if the old story is
true, you also were joined together by Love…”

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 It is by the help of Orpheus lyre and his words that touched the
King of the underworld, and have granted him his wish of taking
back his wife.

On the last part of the story where Orpheus got back on the
upper land devastated because of his twice lost of his wife. He
still continued living but still in grieve as his love for Eurydice
was great that his will of living was gone, and all he does was
played his lyre, which attracted everyone, starting from the rocks
to the trees, it would gather around Orpheus once he started to
play his lyre. It also calls the attention of the maenads who
adored Orpheus and also wanted to be his wife, but to no avail
every one got rejected, which angers the maenads and led to
killing Orpheus, tearing him from limb to limb and scattered his
remains on the fields of Thrace.

8. References
https://www.thecollector.com/orpheus-eurydice-story/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Lupton

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