Orpheus and Eurydice: Why Ancient Myths are Reinterpreted for the Stage

Ancient myths have long since been the subject of adaptations; from film to literature, myths are often brought from the past and updated or translated for the tastes and interests of modern audiences.  A way in which such adaptations of myths have been seen is through the medium of theater.  To answer the question: “How do ancient works get reinterpreted and recreated for modern cultures onstage?,” this project will examine a specific myth, that of Orpheus and Eurydice, as well as its many adaptations from the myth to the stage. Orpheus and Eurydice, a myth about a man going into the underworld to rescue his beloved after her untimely death and ultimately being unsuccessful, is a myth which has been found a great many times in antiquity, one of the first mentions of it being all the way back to 530 BC.  Famed authors such as Ovid and Virgil wrote their versions of it, and since then, it has been adapted many times, especially for the stage.  Each adaptation is distinctive from the others for a reason; due to their format, or in order to draw parallels to recent events, the writer and adapter of each production chose to write a play, based on a myth audiences have likely seen before, and put their own spin on it for a reason.  This investigation into the many adaptations of Orpheus and Eurydice for the stage, including recent Tony Award winner “Hadestown” will aim to show why ancient myths are reinterpreted for modern cultures and why the stage is often the medium in which it is done.