Hadestown is not the first to have used Greek Mythology to pull audiences in and it certainly will not be the last. Orpheus and Eurydice, the center focus of Hadestown, have a tale for the ages as their story has been remade into shows, movies, and operas. Earlier renditions of the Orpheus myth were seen in L’Orfeo and Orfeo ed Euridice. These are especially heartbreaking as the reasoning behind why Orpheus turns around varies between each story and each deserve its own analysis.
The Fall:
The most heartbreaking depiction is that Orpheus heard Eurydice stumble and wanting to help his love he turns to catch her. Simple, he has no doubt it is just instinctual to save the woman he loves and in that single moment everything is taken away from him. This version often sees Orpheus become cold to the world and pessimistic. This shows the human nature of wanting to help without thought, that actions have consequences.
The Doubt:
As Hermes mentions “the meanest dog you’ll ever meet. He ain’t the hound dog in the street. The dog you really got to dread. Is the one the owls inside your head. It’s him whose howling drives men man. And a mind to its undoing.” This is the point emphasized in Hadestown that Orpheus doubts and that is why he turns. He doubts that he is enough for Eurydice, he doubts that Eurydice would love him enough, he doubts that he can do it, he doubts. Doubt is something every human experiences and the urge to check became too much showing that even though he is the story's hero, he is just a human.
The Excitement:
Another theory goes that Orpheus, having made it to the top seeing the sun and realizing that he made it out turns before Eurydice fully makes it out. His excitement and joy overtake his fear and he think of only himself in that single moment. He is in the sun but when he turns, he gets a single glimpse of Eurydice who is still in the dark, not having made it yet. This plays into the ideal that humans are selfish at heart and not even love can overcome it.
The Love:
The last theory is that there was no other option. To love is to turn around. This is why it is such a tragedy Orpheus loves Eurydice so much that he walked into Hadestown to save her, and that same love is the reason he can’t save her. If he loved her any less, he would not need to turn around but because his love is too overwhelming, he has to look at her. There was no other option for him and her. The flaw in all humans is to love.
Greek Mythology:
Each reason for the turn, every interpretation is wrong and right at the same time. One cannot exist without the other and that is part of the reason Greek Mythology has become so powerful. Myths are born out of the need to educate people in the world. The world is complex, and a myth can help simplify the meaning of death, disasters, and joy as without a story the idea would be too overwhelming to understand. Greek mythology specifically reflects on our past civilizations their fails and successes. It also shows us how much we have grown and how much we have stayed exactly the same. It lays bare the parts of being a human that we tend to ignore in favor of a happier thought. It causes people to think beyond what is told and to understand the actions around us and the inevitability of it all.
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