![]() ![]() He is interrupted by Love, who declares that Orpheus has shown more than enough proof of his fidelity and that Eurydice will be restored to him at once. Inconsolable at his irrecoverable loss, Orpheus prepares to kill himself. He inveighs against such cruelty, acknowledges it is his fault, and laments once again the death of his beloved wife. Orpheus succumbs to temptation, turns to look at her and she dies immediately. Feeling weak from the demands of the journey and convinced Orpheus no longer loves her, Eurydice is close to collapsing. She cannot comprehend his uncharacteristically impatient behaviour, and rebukes him for his apparent indifference to her. Eurydice is restored to him, but he is careful not to look at her.Īs they make their return from the Underworld, Orpheus urges Eurydice to hurry up and follow him. ![]() Orpheus marvels at the radiant, other-worldly calm of the surroundings. His sublime singing beguiles those dispossessed beings he meets and eventually they allow him to continue on his way.Įurydice and the other Blessed Spirits are seen in the tranquil haven of the Elysian Fields. Orpheus stands on the forbidding threshold of the Underworld. ![]() He foresees Eurydice’s anxiety and distress at such behaviour at their reunion. However, a condition is imposed: Orpheus must not look at his wife until they have returned to the surface otherwise, she will be lost to him forever. If he uses the power of music to placate the Underworld’s inhabitants, Eurydice and he will be united once more. Love appears and tells Eurydice that he has permission to enter the forbidden kingdom of the dead. He resolves to journey to the Underworld and reclaim Eurydice from the dead. He can take no more, and grief gives way to anger. The mourners depart and the bereaved Orpheus is left to call to his wife, but only an echo answers him. ![]()
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