Drawing for the myth of Orpheus in the underworld. Orpheus and Eurydice - continuation

" - a famous painting painted by a French artist Jean Baptiste Camille Corot(1796-1875). The painting was based on one of the paintings, which tells the story of the musician Orpheus and his wife, the nymph Eurydice. It is worth noting that Camille Corot is not the only artist who turned to this myth to create a painting; for example, Nicolas Poussin has the painting “Landscape with Orpheus and Eurydice.” It is also worth knowing that the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice played a very important role in the development of opera.

Brief description of the myth “Orpheus and Eurydice”

Eurydice, a beautiful nymph, became the wife of the great musician Orpheus. Orpheus, in turn, was the son of the river god Eager and the muse Calliope. Orpheus loved his wife very much, but his happiness was prevented by the bite of a poisonous snake. His favorite muse died from the bite.

After much suffering, Orpheus finally decided to return Eurydice and descended into the kingdom of the dead. Here he met the ferryman of souls Charon, whom he bewitched with his music on the lyre and who transported him to the other side of the River Styx, to the kingdom of Hades. Orpheus also impressed King Hades with his music, so much so that he agreed to release Eurydice into the world of the living, but only on one condition. Hermes will go ahead of him, whom Orpheus must follow relentlessly. Eurydice will walk behind him. No matter what happens, he shouldn't look back. If Orpheus looks back at least once, his wife will return to the world of the dead. Orpheus agreed and followed Hermes.

They walked for a long time in the twilight. Since Eurydice was only a shadow in the world of the dead, he did not hear her steps at all and constantly doubted whether his beloved had fallen behind, had she gotten lost in the darkness? And now a light appeared ahead, which indicated the exit to the world of the living. The path began to climb steeply, everything around was cluttered with stones. Orpheus became even more worried that Eurydice had fallen behind, because when the exit was already so close, he could simply lose her... and then he turned around. Orpheus saw his wife very close, but Hades’ instructions worked and she immediately disappeared.

Jean Baptiste Camille Corot - Orpheus leading Eurydice through the underworld

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In the north of Greece, in Thrace, lived the singer Orpheus. He had a wonderful gift of songs, and his fame spread throughout the land of the Greeks.

The beautiful Eurydice fell in love with him for his songs. She became his wife. But their happiness was short-lived.

One day Orpheus and Eurydice were in the forest. Orpheus played his seven-stringed cithara and sang. Eurydice was picking flowers in the meadows. Unnoticed, she moved far from her husband, into the wilderness of the forest. Suddenly it seemed to her that someone was running through the forest, breaking branches, chasing her, she got scared and, throwing the flowers, ran back to Orpheus. She ran, without knowing the road, through the thick grass and in a rapid run stepped into a snake’s nest. The snake wrapped itself around her leg and bit her. Eurydice screamed loudly in pain and fear and fell onto the grass.

Orpheus heard his wife's plaintive cry from a distance and hurried to her. But he saw large black wings flash between the trees - it was Death that was carrying Eurydice into the underworld.

Nights and days passed, but Orpheus could not console himself, his sadness grew with every hour.

No, I can’t live without Eurydice! - he said. - The land is not dear to me without her. Let Death take me too, let me at least be in the underworld with my beloved!

But Death did not come. And Orpheus decided to go to the kingdom of the dead himself.

For a long time he searched for the entrance to the underground kingdom and, finally, in the deep cave of Tenara he found a stream that flowed into the underground river Styx. Along the bed of this stream, Orpheus descended deep underground and reached the bank of the Styx. Beyond this river began the kingdom of the dead.

The waters of the Styx are black and deep, and it is scary for the living to step into them. Orpheus heard sighs and quiet crying behind him - these were the shadows of the dead, like him, who were waiting for crossing into a country from which no one can return.

Take me to the other side too! But Charon refused:

I only transfer the dead to the other side. When you die, I will come for you!

Have pity! - Orpheus prayed. - I don’t want to live anymore! It's hard for me to stay on earth alone! I want to see my Eurydice!

The stern ferryman pushed him away and was about to set sail from the shore, but the strings of the cithara rang plaintively, and Orpheus began to sing. Sad and gentle sounds echoed under the gloomy arches of Hades. The cold waves of the Styx stopped, and Charon himself, leaning on his oar, listened to the song. Orpheus entered the boat, and Charon obediently transported him to the other side. Hearing the hot song of the living about undying love, the shadows of the dead flew from all sides. Orpheus walked boldly through the silent kingdom of the dead, and no one stopped him.

So he reached the palace of the ruler of the underworld, Hades, and entered a vast and gloomy hall. High on the golden throne sat the formidable Hades and next to him his beautiful queen Persephone.

With a sparkling sword in his hand, in a black cloak, with huge black wings, the god of Death stood behind Hades, and his servants, Kera, crowded around him, flying on the battlefield and taking the lives of warriors. The stern judges of the underworld sat to the side of the throne and judged the dead for their earthly deeds.

Memories were hidden in the dark corners of the hall, behind the columns. They had scourges made of live snakes in their hands, and they painfully stung those standing before the court.

Orpheus saw many kinds of monsters in the kingdom of the dead: Lamia, which steals small children from mothers at night, and the terrible Empusa with donkey legs, drinking the blood of people, and ferocious Stygian dogs.

Only the younger brother of the god of Death - the god of Sleep, young Hypnos, beautiful and joyful, rushed around the hall on his light wings, stirring a sleepy drink in his silver horn, which no one on earth can resist - even the great Thunderer Zeus himself falls asleep when Hypnos splashes into it with your potion.

Hades looked menacingly at Orpheus, and everyone around him began to tremble.

But the singer approached the throne of the gloomy ruler and sang even more inspired: he sang about his love for Eurydice.

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In the north of Greece, in Thrace, lived the singer Orpheus. He had a wonderful gift of songs, and his fame spread throughout the land of the Greeks.

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The beautiful Eurydice fell in love with him for his songs. She became his wife. But their happiness was short-lived.

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Orpheus heard his wife's plaintive cry from a distance and hurried to her. But he saw large black wings flash between the trees - it was Death that was carrying Eurydice into the underworld.

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Great was the grief of Orpheus. He left people and spent whole days alone, wandering through the forests, pouring out his melancholy in songs. And there was such power in these melancholy songs that the trees moved from their places and surrounded the singer. Animals came out of their holes, birds left their nests, stones moved closer. And everyone listened to how he missed his beloved. Nights and days passed, but Orpheus could not console himself, his sadness grew with every hour. - No, I can’t live without Eurydice! - he said. - The land is not dear to me without her. Let Death take me too, let me at least be in the underworld with my beloved!

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But Death did not come. And Orpheus decided to go to the kingdom of the dead himself. For a long time he searched for the entrance to the underground kingdom and, finally, in the deep cave of Tenara he found a stream that flowed into the underground river Styx. Along the bed of this stream, Orpheus descended deep underground and reached the bank of the Styx. Beyond this river began the kingdom of the dead.

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A boat separated from the opposite shore: the carrier of the dead, Charon, was sailing for new newcomers. Charon silently moored to the shore, and shadows obediently filled the boat. Orpheus began to ask Charon: - Take me to the other side too! But Charon refused: “I only transfer the dead to the other side.” When you die, I will come for you! - Have pity! - Orpheus prayed. - I don’t want to live anymore! It's hard for me to stay on earth alone! I want to see my Eurydice!

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So he reached the palace of the ruler of the underworld, Hades, and entered a vast and gloomy hall. High on the golden throne sat the formidable Hades and next to him his beautiful queen Persephone.

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Memories were hidden in the dark corners of the hall, behind the columns. They had scourges made of live snakes in their hands, and they painfully stung those standing before the court. Orpheus saw many kinds of monsters in the kingdom of the dead: Lamia, which steals small children from mothers at night, and the terrible Empusa with donkey legs, drinking the blood of people, and ferocious Stygian dogs. Only the younger brother of the god of Death - the god of Sleep, young Hypnos, beautiful and joyful, rushed around the hall on his light wings, stirring a sleepy drink in his silver horn, which no one on earth can resist - even the great Thunderer Zeus himself falls asleep when Hypnos splashes into it with your potion.

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Hades looked menacingly at Orpheus, and everyone around trembled. But the singer approached the throne of the gloomy ruler and sang even more inspired: he sang about his love for Eurydice.

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The singer fell silent, and the silence lasted for a long time. Then Hades raised his head and asked: “What are you looking for, singer, in the kingdom of the dead?” Tell me what you want and I promise to fulfill your request.

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Orpheus said to Hades: - Lord! Our life on earth is short, and Death overtakes us all someday and takes us to your kingdom - no mortal can escape it. But I, alive, myself came to the kingdom of the dead to ask you: give me back my Eurydice! She had lived so little on earth, had so little time to rejoice, loved so briefly... Let her go, lord, to earth! Let her live in the world a little longer, let her enjoy the sun, warmth and light and the greenery of the fields, the spring beauty of the forests and my love. After all, she will return to you after all! So spoke Orpheus and asked Persephone: - Intercede for me, beautiful queen! You know how good life is on earth! Help me get my Eurydice back!

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Let it be as you ask! - Hades said to Orpheus. - I will return Eurydice to you. You can take her with you up to the bright earth. But you must promise... - Whatever you order! - Orpheus exclaimed. - I’m ready to do anything to see my Eurydice again! “You shouldn’t see her until you come out into the light,” Hades said. - Return to earth and know: Eurydice will follow you. But don't look back and don't try to look at her. If you look back, you will lose her forever! And Hades ordered Eurydice to follow Orpheus.

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Introduction

1. Summary of the story

2. “Orpheus and Eurydice” in fine arts

Literature

Introduction

Where is the shady grove of the Muses, near the abyssal streams of Olmey and at the springs with the “violet-like” water of Pegasus, on Helikon, next to the muses stood a statue of Orpheus. She was wonderful: copper with art brought into being this beauty, the brilliance of a beautiful body signifying the gift of a musical soul. On this statue, Orpheus was decorated with a Persian-looking tiara, embroidered with gold. She rose high on his head, descending from his shoulders to the very bottom. He was tied around his chest with a gold belt. His hair was lush, there was a lot of life and animation in it. His shoes shone with gold, and his cape hung loosely over his shoulders and down to his heels; He still had in his hands his favorite lyre with the same number of strings as the muses had. On the pedestal at his feet was depicted the entire breed of birds, brought to amazement by his singing, all the mountain animals and everything that lives in the depths of the sea. The horse was tamed, obeying his song, the bull stopped his pasture, listening to the songs of the lyre, even the lions, with all their bloodthirstiness, allowed themselves to be tamed by the enchanting music.

Rivers flowed from their sources, heading towards the sounds of melodies, the sea wave rose high in admiration, the rocks were shocked, everything that nature gave birth to, with all its essence, strived towards him. The artist managed to convey the delight of animals in front of music. He was able to miraculously convey the charm that bloomed brightly in the feelings of these animals.

The ten-oared ship Argo sailed along the blue waves of the southern seas, past unknown islands, through narrow, treacherous straits, towards dangers and adventures. Under the leadership of the brave Jason, brave sailors - the Argonauts - gathered on the Argo. They were heading from their native Greece (the Argonauts called it Hellas, and themselves Hellenes) to distant Colchis for the golden fleece - the precious wool of a golden ram.

Among the stern warriors rattling their weapons, one Argonaut stood out, armed with... a golden cithara - a musical instrument similar to a lyre. But in the hands of Argonaut Orpheus it was a powerful weapon!

As soon as the strings of the cithara sounded and the singing of Orpheus was heard, all the Argonauts froze enchanted. And whole herds of fish and dolphins appeared on the surface of the sea and obediently swam after the Argo. What! Not only people and animals, but even trees and rocks were subject to the magic of Orpheus’ singing; Having listened to him, they stopped their flow of the river.

It was not without intention that the valiant Jason took Orpheus with him. The ship "Argo" had to pass by the island of the Sirens. Sirens - wonderful birds with female heads - sang in sweet human voices, beckoning tired swimmers to rest in the flowering meadows of the island. Enchanted sailors forgot about the dangers and died, crashing against underwater rocks. But Orpheus entered into a competition with the sirens. His singing turned out to be more powerful than their insidious songs, and the Argo safely passed the terrible island.

When did all this happen? When did this amazing singer-poet Orpheus live?

Never! - answer strict historians. - After all, all this is a myth, an invention, a fairy tale. All this was invented by the ancient Hellenes, rich in imagination. Well, what about these wonderful monuments of antiquity - skillfully painted vases made of baked clay? - archaeologists ask. “We carefully dug them out of the ground and carefully calculated their age: they are two and a half thousand years old. And they depict Orpheus so expressively, with such detail! His head is crowned with a laurel wreath, and he holds a seven-stringed cithara in his hands. And all around are warriors, shepherds, forest animals, birds listening to him!

A drawing on a vase is not yet a document, historians inexorably object. - After all, Aristotle himself, the great scientist of the ancient ancient world, considered Orpheus a fictitious, mythical person!

But the ancient Greek and Roman poets enthusiastically described the life of Orpheus and, moreover, even considered him the creator of the art of poetry itself and the inventor of writing. Some attributed to him bold freethinking, claiming that the king of all gods, Zeus, struck Orpheus with lightning for disrespectful songs about the gods.

And the musicians did not agree at all and stubbornly do not agree with the dry verdict of the historians. For many centuries now they have resolutely prevented Orpheus from leaving the stages of musical theaters. Musicians do not ask Orpheus for his birth certificate: for them he is an eternally living image. He is immortal because he personifies the power of music.

This all-conquering power of musical art is still called by the name of the ancient Greek miracle singer - Orphic. For music, born of great noble feelings of love and fidelity, will never cease to excite sensitive human hearts, unite people, inspire them, help them miraculously transform the world...

1. Summary of the story

“Orpheus and Eurydice” is a sad, touching legend about a young musician in love and her beautiful wife, a nymph.

The myth “Orpheus and Eurydice” tells a sad story about a young man in love, Orpheus, and his wife Eurydice. Orpheus was the son of the muse Calliope and the Thracian king Eagar. Later in legends he is listed as the son of Apollo, who taught him the art of singing. His voice and lyre were famous throughout Greece. Orpheus personified the admiration that music aroused among primitive peoples. He was famous as a singer and musician, endowed with the magical power of art, which not only people, but also gods, and even nature conquered. The melodious voice, charming, magnificent, inspiring playing of the lyre of this young man worked wonders: the ship "Argo" itself launched into the water, enchanted by the playing of Orpheus; the trees bent to better listen to the divine music of the young man, and the rivers stopped flowing; wild animals became tame, lying at his feet; he could soften people's hearts.

Orpheus participates in the Argonauts' campaign for the Golden Fleece under the leadership of Jason. By playing the forging and prayers, he pacifies the waves, he saves his comrades from the terrible serenas who enchanted the Argonauts with their singing, covering their voices with the melody of his lyre; his music calms the anger of the powerful Idas.

Orpheus' wife Eurydice was a forest nymph. He loved her very much, bitten by a snake, the girl soon died. After her death, Orpheus went around all of Greece, singing pitiful songs. Soon he reached the place where there was a door to the other world. He went to the kingdom of shadows to beg Persephone and Hades for the return of Eurydice. The shadows of the dead stop their activities, they forget their torment in order to take part in his grief. Sisyphus stops his useless labor, Tantalus forgets his thirst, the Danaids leave their barrel alone, the wheel of the unfortunate Ixion stops turning. The Furies, even those, were moved to tears by Orpheus’s grief. Hades, captivated by the sounds of Orpheus' sad lyre, agrees to return Eurydice if he fulfills his request - not to look at his wife before entering his house. When they had to take the last step to get out of the underworld, doubt crept into his soul, not keeping his promise, Orpheus turned around, he wanted to look at her, hug her, she screamed, uttered his name for the last time and disappeared, dissolving in the darkness. lead.

Having lost Eurydice through his own fault, Orpheus spent seven days on the banks of the Acheron in tears and sadness, refusing all food; then he struck Thrace. Avoiding people and living among animals that were attracted to him by his tender, sad songs...

Orpheus did not honor Dionysus, considering Helios the greatest god, calling him Apollo. The angry Dionysus sent maenads to attack him. They tore him to pieces, scattering his body parts everywhere, but then collected them and buried them. Ovid claimed that the Bacchantes who tore Orpheus to pieces were punished by Dionysus: they were turned into oak trees. The death of Orpheus, who died from the wild fury of the bacchantes, was mourned by birds, animals, forests, stones, trees, enchanted by his music. His head floated along the Gebr River to the island of Lesbos, where Apollo received it. The shadow of Orpheus descended into Hades, where it united with Eurydice. On Lesbos, the head of Orpheus prophesied and performed miracles.

2. “Orpheus and Eurydice” in fine arts

World art, thanks to this story, which told us about the love of Orpheus and Eurydice, throughout its existence, has been enriched with paintings by many famous painters: Peter Paul Rubens, Titian Vecellio, Camille Corot, Giovanni Bellini, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Jacopo del Sellaio, Nicolas Poussin, George Watts, Christian Kratzenstein, John Waterhouse, Frederic Leighton, Alexander Ivanov, Henryk Semiradsky, Martin Drolling, Gustave Do, Albrecht, Durer, Francois Perrier, Niccolò del Abbate, Jacopo Tintoretto, Ambrosius Franken the Elder, etc.

For example, in ancient art Orpheus was depicted as a beardless youth, wearing a light robe; Orpheus the Thracian - in high leather boots, from the 4th century. BC. known images of Orpheus in a tunic and a Phrycian cap. However, from the oldest surviving images of Orpheus as a participant in the Argonauts' campaign. In early Christian art, the mythological image of Orpheus is associated with the iconography of the “good shepherd” (Orpheus is identified with Christ).

Looking at the images, it is interesting to note a certain continuity of artistic solutions among a number of authors. Thus, the tradition traced back to Bellini represents the image of Orpheus in a blue tunic or draperies in paintings by Bruegel, Franken, Perrier, Semiradsky, Moreau. Like Bellini, the hero's attire is complemented by a pinkish-lilac cloak in the versions of Bruegel and Franken, in which there is an obvious similarity in the background of the scene depicted as if from opposite points of view. You can also pay attention to the common color scheme for many of the listed authors in the clothes of Hades and Persephone - red draperies for the ruler of the underworld, and blue and gold for his wife.

Another considerable number of artists - Del Sellaio, Tintoretto, Provenzale, Rubens, Poussin, Kratzenstein, Drolling, Cervelli, Leighton, Watts, Brunton - drape the figure of Orpheus with fabrics in red tones.

To the melody of Orpheus's lyre, the wild boar, deer and hare do not run away from the lion, wolves, sheep, birds, and even Zeus's eagle. They gathered in a crowd to listen to the soul-bewitching musician. And the birds should not be left unattended. There are songbirds here, but she doesn't sing, they are frozen in amazement. A loudly screaming jackdaw, a croaking raven, a Zeus bird, soaring mightily on its wings in the heights, looks at Orpheus, not paying attention to the timid hare, who, like the others, froze in the pleasure of the melody. The artist decided to tear the trees from their roots and bring them to the musician. Pine with cypress, alder and other trees connect their branches, surrounding Orpheus. He is sitting: young, beautiful, and as always he is wearing his gold-woven tiara. And in his gaze there is determination, inspiration, gentleness. His clothes shine in different colors, changing with every movement, resting his left foot on the ground, his elbow is pushed forward, his palm is concave inward; the fingers of the left hand extended forward touch the strings. All living things listen to its sounds with tenderness.

3. “Orpheus and Eurydice” in literature

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice sounds as vividly and sublimely as possible in poetic lines, and it is no secret that Orpheus himself has become a symbol of lyrical poetry for many poets.

"Orpheus, son of god, my teacher,

I once sang like that between tigers...

I'm going to hell with a song,

Like him, he would come down, proud and brave."

(V. Bryusov, "Orpheus's Apprentice")

In European literature of the 20-40s. 20th century The theme “Orpheus and Eurydice” was developed by R.M. Rilke, J. Anouilh, I. Gogol, P.Zh. Zhuv, A. Zhid and others. In Russian poetry, beginning. 20th century The motives of the myth of Orpheus are reflected in the works of Mandelstam and M. Tsvetaeva.

Ovid was one of the first to describe the tragic love story of Orpheus and Eurydice. He collected the myths known to him and created a poem called "Metamorphoses." The poetic work consisted of 15 books, and the myth known to us is part of this poem.

The wonderful Italian fairy tale "Matteo and Mariuccia", which came to us from the island of Corsica, in its narrative echoes the love story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Like the ancient myth, this fairy tale tells us about eternal love, fidelity and boundless devotion. In it, as in the myth, two lovers are separated by the will of evil fate. The ruler of the Kingdom of the Dead takes Matteo to him, leaving poor Mariuccia in grief and sadness. Like Orpheus after Eurydice, so Mariuccia, without hesitation, decides to follow his beloved Matteo, not afraid of wild places, sun-scorched valleys and rocky steep mountains. Mariuccia is a brave girl, and this bravery is fueled by love. Not afraid to enter the Kingdom of the Dead, where there is darkness and silence, where there are disembodied shadows and nothing living, she boldly enters the gate above which hangs a terrifying inscription - “This threshold is not crossed twice.” Among the silent shadows, Mariuccia finds her lover and, putting a ring on his finger, sees him alive and unharmed. Now you can’t hesitate, you need to quickly return, and at the same time it is very important to remember that you cannot look back and in no case should you talk while they are walking back. But they really don’t cross that threshold twice. A terrible seven-headed monster guarding the entrance to the Kingdom of the Dead raised one of its heads to attack Matteo. The girl felt the impending danger in her heart, looked around, screamed, “Beware, Matteo, my beloved!”... And at that same moment, the gates of the Kingdom of Shadows slammed shut and Matteo and Mariuccia remained there forever. Like the shadows of Orpheus and Eurydice, the shadows of Corsican lovers wander through the fields, but they are happy in their own way, because they will remain inseparable forever, and this touching and sad story will forever remain in our memory.

The poem “Orpheus, Eurydice, Hermes” by Rainer Maria Rilke 1904, the novel “The New Eurydice” by Marguerite Yourcenar, 1931, the play “Eurydice” (Jean Anouilh) 1942, Pierre Emmanuel: The Tomb of Orpheus, book of poems 1941,

Johann Wolfgang Goethe: poem 1817, Ivan Kozlov: “Hymn of Orpheus”, poem, Robert Browning: “Eurydice to Orpheus”, Valery Bryusov: “Orpheus” 1893, “Orpheus and Eurydice” 1903-1904, poems Vladislav Khodasevich: “The Return of Orpheus”, poem 1910, Georg Trakl: poem 1914, Victor Segalen: “Orpheus the King”, opera libretto for Debussy (no music was written), Oskar Kokoschka: “Orpheus and Eurydice”, drama 1918. ,Paul Valery. “Orpheus”, sonnet by Rainer Maria Rilke: “Orpheus. Eurydice. Hermes", poem, "Sonnets to Orpheus", book of poems 1923, Jean Cocteau: "Orpheus", drama 1926, Hilda Doolittle: "Eurydice", poem, Marguerite Yourcenar: "New Eurydice", novel 1931, Pierre

Emmanuel: “The Tomb of Orpheus”, book of poems 1941, Jean Anouilh: “Eurydice”, drama 1942, Jack Kerouac: “Emerging Orpheus”, novel 1945, Angelo Poliziano: “The Tale of Orpheus”, poem (1470);

Nikolai Karamzin poem “The Death of Orfeev”,

Gottfried Benn: The Death of Orpheus, poem in Static Poems (1948); Alda Merini: “The Presence of Orpheus, a book of poems” 1953;

Vinicius de Morais: “Orpheus of Conceição”, drama (1954, formed the basis of the film by Marcel Camus Black Orpheus, 1959, Tennessee Williams: “Orpheus Descends into Hell, drama” 1957, Jozef Wittlin: “Orpheus in the Hell of the 20th Century” 1963

Gunter Kunert: Orpheus I--VI, cycle of poems 1970, Yannis Ritsos poem “To Orpheus”, Lucebert poem “Orpheus”, Wolfgang Bauer: “Ach, armer Orpheus!”, drama 1989, Neil Gaiman: Sandman: Fables and Reflections , comic 1988--1996, Roger Munier Orpheus, cantata 1994, Czeslaw Miłosz: Orpheus and Eurydice, book of poems 2003.

Orpheus is the hero of J. Cocteau's tragedy "Orpheus" (1928). Cocteau uses ancient material in search of the eternal and always modern philosophical meaning hidden at the heart of the ancient myth. That is why he refuses stylization and transfers the action to the surroundings of modern France. Cocteau practically does not change the myth of the “magician poet” who descends into the kingdom of death to bring his wife Eurydice back to life, and then dies, torn to pieces by the maenads. For Cocteau, this is a myth not about eternal love, but about a “torn poet.” The playwright contrasts the world of poetic consciousness (Orpheus, Eurydice) with the world of hatred, enmity and indifference (Bacchantes, police), which destroys the creator and his art.

Orpheus is also the hero of V.I.’s tragedy. Ivanov “Orpheus” (1904). In this version, Orpheus is the son of Zeus and the nymph Pluto, the king of Sipila in Phrygia, punished for insulting the Olympian gods with severe torment. V. Ivanov essentially created a new myth, connecting it with the spiritual collisions of the “Silver Age”. The theme of the tragedy of the symbolist poet is the fight against God, encroaching on the world order and the natural order of things.

Orpheus is the hero of M.I.'s tragedy. Tsvetaeva “Phaedra” (1927), as well as the short poetic cycle “Phaedra” (1923), created during the period of work on the tragedy. Taking a traditional mythological plot as the basis for the tragedy, Tsvetaeva does not modernize it, giving the characters and actions of the main characters greater psychological authenticity. As in other interpretations of this plot, the conflict between passion and moral duty is an insoluble internal dilemma for Tsvetaeva’s Phaedra. At the same time, Tsvetaeva emphasizes that, having fallen in love with her stepson Orpheus and revealing her love to him, Phaedra does not commit a crime, her passion is misfortune, fate, but not a sin, not an atrocity. Tsvetaeva ennobles the image of Orpheus, “cutting off” some aggravating circumstances.

Creating a lyrical image of a pure, honest and madly loving woman, Tsvetaeva at the same time reveals the idea of eternal, timeless, all-consuming and disastrous passion. In the tragedy, the layers of all literary incarnations of the plot about Orpheus are noticeable. Tsvetaevsky's Orpheus seems to bear the burden of all the Orpheus created by the world cultural tradition.

Orpheus is the hero of the “Bacchanalian drama” by I.F. Annensky "Famirakifared" (1906). Following the tragedy of Sophocles, which has not reached us, I. Annensky conceived the “tragic Orpheus”. The historical motive as presented by the author is as follows: “the son of the Thracian king Philammon and the nymph Agryope, Orpheus became famous for his playing of the cithara; his arrogance reached the point that he challenged the muses to a competition, but was defeated and, as punishment, deprived of his musical gift.” I. Annensky complicates this scheme with the sudden love of the nymph for her son and portrays the latter as a dreamer, alien to love and yet dying in the snares of a woman in love with him. Rock appears in the form of the brilliantly indifferent muse of lyric poetry - Euterpe. Orpheme burns out his eyes with charcoal and goes begging; the criminal mother, turned into a bird, accompanies him on his wanderings; she draws lots from the already useless lyre. Orpheus is the madman of the dream, its martyr. He is detached from life, obsessed with music and resembles a hermit who lives only for spiritual joys. He recognizes the only god - the contemplator Apollo - and does not want to join the carnal joys of the Dionysian actions of satyrs, bacchantes and maenads. The nymph's proposal to compete with Euterpe makes Orpheus rush between “stars and women”; he dreams of becoming a titan who stole fire from heaven. For his pride, Orpheus was punished by Zeus, who sentenced him “so that he would not remember or hear music.” In a fit of despair, he deprives himself of the gift of sight.

4. “Orpheus and Eurydice” in music

For a long time, poetry and music have been interconnected. Ancient Greek poets composed not only poetry, but also music to accompany instrumental recitations. The writer Dionysius of Halicarnassus said that he saw the score of Euripides' Orestes, and Apollonius, another ancient author, himself distributed the lyrical poems of Pindar, stored in the famous Library of Alexandria, into modes. And it is not for nothing that, finally, the word “lyrics”, well known to all of us, arose precisely in that distant time when poets performed poems and songs to music on the lyre-cithara.

Poets awarded awards at the Pythian agony, which was celebrated in Delphi every four years in honor of the singer Orpheus, were given high honor: skillful carvers reproduced their poetic works on marble slabs. Several slabs were discovered by archaeologists: they were the most remarkable find of their kind, dating back to the 3rd-1st centuries BC.

On three such slabs (unfortunately, significantly damaged) the text of the hymn of Orpheus is carved. The hymn glorifies the “divine offspring”, who became famous for playing the cithara. The poetic text was accompanied by ancient notes, which are placed at the top of each stanza of the hymn and indicate its tune.

Musical and poetic competitions in the theater of Delphi, dedicated to Orpheus, consisted, first of all, in singing hymns of praise to Orpheus to the sounds of a cithara or flute, and sometimes in playing these instruments without singing. The main prizes here were a palm branch (a traditional award in all Greek agons), and also, as evidenced by the image on one of the Delphic coins, a laurel wreath and a raven figurine. Like the games themselves, all these awards were directly related to Orpheus. Orpheus allegedly rewarded the winners with palm branches. As for the wreath, according to the historian

Pausanias, such a prize was established because Orpheus fell hopelessly in love with a forest beauty.

One day Orpheus saw a lovely beauty living in the forest. She, embarrassed by the beauty of the young man who suddenly appeared, rushed off to her father, a river deity, who, covering her daughter, turned her into a laurel tree. Orpheus, who came running to the river, wove a wreath of laurel branches, hearing the heartbeat of his beloved in them. He also decorated his famous golden lyre with laurel leaves.

This is how they explained in Greece the custom of placing a laurel wreath on the head of a distinguished poet or musician - a reward for the hero-patron of art. The Greeks called these virtuosos daphnophoras, that is, crowned with laurels, and the Romans called them laureates.

The patron of the arts, the hero Orpheus, favored not only musicians and poets: the imagination of the Greeks endowed him with the qualities of a remarkable athlete.

The Greek writer Lucian, whom Marx called “the Voltaire of classical antiquity,” mockingly said that Orpheus must have a hard time coping with so many things to do and that he should do one thing - music or sports.

The Greeks highly valued the amazing strength and intelligence of Orpheus, his courage and fearlessness: he, the favorite of numerous legends, patronized sports schools, gymnasiums and palaestra, where they taught young men the art of winning. And among the Romans, retiring gladiators dedicated their weapons to the famous hero.

In music, one of the first to touch on this topic was the Italian composer and singer Jacopo Peri. He composed his musical performance “Eurydice” (c. 1600) in honor of the marriage of Marie de Medici to King Henry IV of France, which took place in a luxurious palace in Florence. In order not to overshadow the royal wedding, the tragic ending of the ancient Greek myth has disappeared. Orpheus, having conquered the gods with his art, takes his Eurydice from the underworld, and happy they return safely to earth.

In 1607 in Mantua, another composer Claudio Monteverdi presented his operatic version, but like the myth, it told about the tragic fate of Orpheus and Eurydice (Claudio Monteverdi "La Favola d" Orfeo"). The story of this composer very closely resonates with the history of ancient heroes The fact is that Claudio himself had his own Eurydice - a young wife, the daughter of a court musician, and her name was the same as his - Claudia. The young spouses lived in love and harmony, but it so happened that after the birth of the long-awaited son, Claudia fell ill with an unknown and incurable disease. At this time Monteverdi was composing his opera "The Tale of Orpheus" and, just like his hero, he struggled with despair, believed and hoped to snatch his Eurydice-Claudia from the hands of death. But he followed the myth and retained the tragic ending, in his opera Orpheus loses Eurydice forever, Claudio also forever lost his beloved wife...

In 1647, Luigi Rossi wrote the music for the tragicomedy Orpheus (libretto by Francesco Butti). This production differs in many ways from the plot of Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”; it features Aristaeus (son of Bacchus), Orpheus’ rival, who calls on Venus to help him find Eurydice, and she, turning into an old procuress, tries to persuade the young nymph to leave Orpheus. The amazed Eurydice angrily refuses, but her fate, as in the ancient myth, is predetermined. While dancing in the garden, she steps on a snake, which stings her. Aristeus rushes to the rescue, but Eurydice is faithful to Orpheus... The end of the story is tragic - Orpheus, who came to the underworld for Eurydice, violates the ban of the gods not to turn to Eurydice while they return to earth. By violating this ban, Orpheus loses Eurydice forever. It is noteworthy that in this opera there is the image of the singer’s lyre, which symbolizes the lily of France, the rays of glory of which penetrate all countries of the world.

Years passed, musical styles changed, and the classical period in the history of music brought us a beautiful, lively opera filled with wonderful melodies by Christoph Willibald Gluck “Orpheus and Eurydice” (1762). The libretto of the opera, written by Ranieri de Calzabigi, differs from the famous myth, but it, just like ancient history, is filled with tenderness and immeasurable love...

Orpheus mourns for his dead wife, she was bitten by a snake. The sadness and grief sounded in his song touched the god of love Cupid, who gives advice to Orpheus - to go down to the underworld, find his beloved wife and bring her back. But most importantly, you need to be careful and under no circumstances should you look back and look at Eurydice while they walk through the underworld. Orpheus immediately sets off on his journey, but his path is blocked by evil furies. The singer takes his golden lyre, strikes the strings and begins to sing.

With his song and enchanting voice, he bewitches the furies, who eventually, under the spell of his song, allow the singer to pass further. Then he finds himself in the beautiful kingdom of Elysium (Champs Elysees) - dead souls live here. Orpheus finds Eurydice and they begin their journey back. Orpheus walks, leads his Eurydice and remembers that he should not look at his beloved. Eurydice does not know this, she cannot understand Orpheus’ silence and thinks that he has stopped loving her, and the further they go from the underworld, the more persistent her reproaches. Orpheus cannot bear such torment and looks back at her, and at the same moment Eurydice falls lifelessly to the ground. The horror that gripped Orpheus has no boundaries; he also wants to die, to go to the kingdom of the dead after his beloved. At this time, Cupid appears and brings Eurydice back to life. Love triumphs over death... Orpheus Eurydice mythology art

It is noteworthy that in Russia, from the beginning of the 19th century to the present day, Orpheus appeared on stage mainly in Gluck’s opera. On the St. Petersburg stage of the Mariinsky Theater this performance was created by the great theatrical artists V. S. Meyerhold, M. M. Fokin and A. Ya. Golovin. The opera had a truly grand scale, more than two hundred people took part in it, huge sums of money were spent on stage design and costumes, and although the audience saw it only nine times (from 1910 to 1913), this opera remained extraordinary in the history of Russian theater , an amazing and wonderful event.

The period of its production coincided with the heyday of the Silver Age in Russia, which was characterized by the creative upsurge of Russian culture and its unusually subtle sensitivity to past eras. It was during this period that both Golovin and Meyerhold chose to stage Gluck's opera "Orpheus and Eurydice", in which the ancient plot was not completely recreated, but a more elegant interpretation was chosen with a different ending to the myth - the resurrection of Eurydice and her reunion with her lover Orpheus. What Gluck showed in his production unexpectedly turned out to be in demand at the beginning of the twentieth century. Meyerhold's talent as a director was undeniable, "... his work seemed hidden, but it was precisely this that was the backbone, the structure of the performance.

Fokine's choreographic performances had amazing plasticity. “He subtly and talentedly realized one line of the plan of Meyerhold and Golovin, namely ancient reality, where, dissolving in the music of Gluck and to the accompaniment of the music of the scenery, he created the most tender and poetic elegy” (Khmeleva N., Vision of Paradise...).

The brilliant Russian singer L.V. Sobinov performed the part of Orpheus and, in the opinion of many critics, created one of the best stage and vocal images in the entire history of opera, although other equally talented performers sang in this opera at different times (M. P. Maksakova , I. S. Kozlovsky, etc.). Sobinov in the role of Orpheus was beautiful: “classical profile, warm matte whiteness of the face; on light golden hair, as if styled by the chisel of an ancient Greek sculptor, a laurel wreath of dark gold leaves glittered... When in the Hades scene, on the high rocks of gray-red Orpheus appeared in color, he was so fabulously beautiful that a wave of admiration swept through the entire theater." (Khmeleva N., Paradise Vision...)

But the most significant place in the production of "Orpheus" was given to Golovin. His picturesque settings were not only amazingly beautiful, each sketch complemented and revealed one or another mise-en-scène; several years of work were spent on the production of complexly conceived scenery, costumes and ornamental curtains that required fine finishing. “He felt on an equal footing with past eras and could compose at any time, being completely free from its stylistic requirements, but incomprehensibly preserving its spirit.” (Khmeleva N., Paradise Vision...). Thanks to these most talented artists of the Mariinsky Theater, Gluck's opera "Orpheus and Eurydice" turned into an unusually bright performance, which "was created from fine matter", became a "beautiful vision", but at the same time structural, stylistically multi-layered, and decorated with jewelry." (Khmeleva N ., Paradise vision...)

It should be noted that at the beginning of the twentieth century, in the season of 1902-1903, Gluck’s opera “Orpheus and Eurydice” was also staged at the Moscow Hermitage Theater. Sketches of the scenery for this performance were created by the young artist of the “new wave” Nikolai Sapunov, who later worked together with V. Meyerhold.

Gluck's opera had an indelible impression on other composers. Ludwig van Beethoven has his Fourth Piano Concerto. So, the composer himself claimed that the middle slow movement of this work was inspired by the scene of Orpheus with the Furies. The English artist and sculptor of the 19th century Frederic Leighton depicted Orpheus in a painful pose for him; he, as in Gluck’s opera, is trying with his last strength not to look at his beloved wife and turns away from the pleading and perplexed Eurydice.

Other composers also dedicated their works to the theme of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Joseph Haydn wrote the opera "Orpheus and Eurydice, or the Soul of a Philosopher" - written at the end of the 18th century, the opera was published only 150 years later; Franz Liszt composed the symphonic poem "Orpheus"; Jacques Offenbach wrote the operetta "Orpheus in Hell"; in 1923 Austro-American composer Ernst Kshenek, together with librettist Oskar Kokoshko, wrote the opera “Orpheus and Eurydice” in the style of expressionism, and in 1948 Igor Stravinsky staged the ballet “Orpheus” in the style of neoclassicism, keeping intact the entire plot of the ancient myth.

In 1975, composer Alexander Zhurbin, together with librettist Yuri Dimitrin, staged the rock opera / zong opera "Orpheus and Eurydice", and the main roles in it were performed by Albert Asadullin and Irina Ponarovskaya. The opera director was Mark Rozovsky. Its plot is very different from the famous myth, but the main theme of love and tenderness, separation and loss is preserved.

“The myth of Orpheus begins with how the events of our opera end - the death of Eurydice,” explained Yuri Dimitrin. “Of course, both in the libretto and in the music of the opera, we tried to carefully preserve the high heroism, the humanism of the immortal ancient legend. But, approaching the time of the opera "To this day, we decided to offer viewers and listeners a different plot. In a sense, our plot outline is the prehistory of an ancient myth."

Eurydice gives Orpheus a song. For the sake of fame, Orpheus goes to a singing competition and thanks to it becomes the winner. And then the song - the gift of Eurydice's love - is performed by hundreds of singers, replicated in millions of copies, and in these distorted copies the personality of Orpheus is lost. Fame and the admiration of fans change the singer, his heart becomes icy, and when he returns to Eurydice, she does not recognize her beloved in him. “Orpheus, the way back is lost,” Charon, the carrier of souls to the afterlife, warns Orpheus about the danger that threatens him of losing his voice and talent if he loses his love. Eurydice disappears, Orpheus loses her.

Orpheus is shocked, he remembers the words of old Charon and forces himself to wake up and hit the road again, look for what he has lost, find and return, first of all, himself. He resolutely challenges fate, and Eurydice’s song, tender and beautiful, begins to sound in his heart again, he is not afraid of glory, he knows that its fire will never burn his heart again, because love has settled there forever.

The story of “Orpheus and Eurydice” leaves no one indifferent, so many artists and writers are increasingly resorting to using the plot of this myth in their works: sculptors carve the image of Orpheus from stone.

Artists depict lovers on canvas. Each creator fills a stroke of paint with magnificence and admiration. Writers write prose, putting in their vision, poets write poems. Composers - operas.

There are no people indifferent to this art.

Literature

1. Bryantsev V. Myths in Ancient Greece and music. - M. 1978. - With. 5-7.

2. Rene Menard. Myths in art, old and new. - M., 1994. -p.96.

3. Mythological, historical and literary subjects in works of Western European painting and sculpture / Ed. Grigorieva G.B. - M.: Fine Arts, 1994. - 70-72.

4. Philostratus (senior and junior) “Paintings”, Callistratus “Statues”. - OGIZ, IZOGIZ, 1936. - p. 173-174.

5. http://www.romeo-juliet-club.ru/lovemuseum/orfeo.html

6. http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurydice

7. http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_of_Orpheus_in_art

8. http://www.erudition.ru/referat/ref/id.25658_1.html

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Drawing for the myth of Orpheus in the underworld. Orpheus and Eurydice - continuation

Brief description of the myth “Orpheus and Eurydice”

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