Comparing the Film Black Orpheus and the Original Greek Myth
The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is one that has been retold countless times over the years. It started as a Greek myth, later being made into a movie titled Black Orpheus. After reading the myth and watching the movie, it is easy to see that there are far more differences in the two works than similarities. These differences are not only in the way the story is told, but also in the organization of the events that take place and in the description of the characters. The main differences in these two versions of the myth are the role of the characters, the main plot scheme, and the journey into the underworld.
The characters in the movie, Black Orpheus, are significantly altered from the Greek myth. In the myth, Orpheus and Eurydice are together from the beginning and are completely in love. Everyone is happy for their love and the only thing that stands in their way is death. In the movie, however, this is notably changed. Orpheus begins as a streetcar conductor that was engaged to Mira, giving the idea that Orpheus was in love with another woman. We quickly see that this is not the case as Orpheus is always very curt and rude with his fiancée. They are slated to get married, but there is an eerie feeling in the air that something is about to go wrong.
The main difference with these characters is that in the movie, Orpheus cheats on his fiancée. We soon see that Eurydice is the wildcard when it comes to Orpheus. It does not matter whether or not he is with another woman, she will do what it takes to win Orpheus’s love. This is where one of the main differences occurs. Contrary to the myth, Orpheus cheats on his fiancée and gives his love and affection to Eurydic...
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... Orpheus thinks that a trick is being played on him and turns around, causing Eurydice to be lost forever. This leads the viewer to believe that Orpheus was not really in the underworld and that this was just a fake journey into a nonexistent underworld. It seems quite odd that anyone can walk down a spiral staircase and be placed at the gates of Hades. This is the main reason the journey into the underworld appears to be a false one.
Overall, the two versions of the story convey the same message, but in very different ways. From the differences in the characters to the plot variances, we can see that the similar messages can be portrayed in a variety of ways. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is an ancient one that will forever be retold and altered. A prime example of this was shown in the differences between the original myth and that movie of Black Orpheus.
Oedipus Rex is a Greek play written by Sophocles. The play is set in Thebes; Thebes is infected with a plague that is killing its crops and unborn children. This plague is caused by the prophecy. The prophecy states that Oedipus would kill his father and wed his mother. Laius threw out Oedipus when he was a baby to avoid this fate, but he failed because Oedipus was not killed. Oedipus was raised as a prince in Corinth. One day he was told the prophecy and feared that he would kill his father Polybus. While running away from Corinth to escape the prophecy, Oedipus killed Laius. When Oedipus arrived in Thebes, he freed the people from the sphinx. He was named king and married Jocasta. Towards the end of the play, Oedipus finds out that he had fulfilled the prophecy and is exiled from Thebes.
Throughout literature authors have written to express a message to their intended audience. This is no exception for the plays, Oedipus Rex and Darker Face of the Earth, written by Sophocles and Rita Dove, respectively. The similarities in plot, characters, and motifs are not the sole concurrencies between both plays; the overall message to the audiences in both plays is one in the same, one cannot escape their fate. Sophocles and Dove both illuminate this message through their use of the chorus. While Sophocles uses a single chorus of Theban elders, Dove illustrates the grimness of fate through several minor characters: the chorus, the prayers and the players, the rebels, and three female slaves. Dove’s usage of Phebe, Diana, and Psyche further accentuate the battle between free will and fate, as well as the role of women, a concept absent in Sophocles’ play.
For example, Corrigan said, “Sometimes he claimed the scar along his thigh indicated he was actually the biblical figure of Jacob. Jacob, the brother of Esau? Jacob, who wrestled God’s angel and lived” (80). Corrigan, in this excerpt from the novel, alluded to the bible story in Genesis. One who knows the story of Jacob and Esau would be able to make connections between those from that story and the characters in the book. This biblical allusion caused some readers to be able to make deeper connections in the novel but yet does not hinder the understanding of someone who does not recognize the reference. Corrigan also wrote, “You so easily remember the times I was Eurydice, when the ward’s locked door slid closed between us. Do not forget I also have been Orpheus, on my knees in the boat, asking all the devils for your face in the trees” (100). This allusion to Greek mythology aided the reader in understanding one of Corrigan’s central themes in her novel. In the story Orpheus was a poet who was able to entrance enemies with his singing and lyre playing. After his wife, Eurydice, was killed, he traveled to the underworld to rescue her. Corrigan writes that she and Danny took turns being both Eurydice and Orpheus in that one was doing the rescuing and one was being rescued. They were there for each other through their troubles and
In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, there is a deception where readers think one thing, but are presented with a different point of view. They are profoundly similar for various reasons regarding structure and theme. They are complementary in establishing the primary conflict of drama during the storyline; however, Oedipus Rex encompasses foreshadowing that divulges drama from past experiences. Additionally, the authors incorporate violence as a key component in the conflict presented. However, the drama differs in plot, as well as symbolism, in which the reader understands it before or amid the story through gradual discovery. The themes and presentation of these dramatic plots are initially compelling, distinctive,
Many significant historical events in history provide many unanswered questions about what exactly occurred. Much of this is attributed to the lack of proper documentation or explanation about just what exactly was occurring at the time. The Salem Witch Trials offer an interesting middle-ground to this confusion, in that there was a well-documented history of what was occurring as well as a rather broad explanation of the situation. By the end of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, over one hundred and fifty Salem residents were accused of witchcraft with twenty-nine of them being found guilty and nineteen of them hung. The question then is, what caused all of the hysteria? Of all the atrocities
Both main characters are tragic heroes, with radically different perspectives placed on the definition of tragedy with two very different stories and backgrounds. Oedipus is of noble status, he has a demanding hubris, and is in conflict with an unknown opponent, revealed to be himself. These qualities classify Oedipus as an apotheosis of a tragic hero. Oedipus feels invincible and unparalleled, something in which that his cantankerous enthusiasm aids. This hamartia leads to his exile and pain. Meanwhile, Willy Lowman expresses unquestionable pride. His passion allows him to exert so much energy into becoming a successful businessman even though his pride and drive are very impractical. His failures of the past in his career as a businessman and father show no real foundation for motivat...
At the beginning of the movie, they are gathered at the Cafe de Poets. Cegeste is killed, and the Princess demands that Orpheus help get him into the car and to her place. While in the car, he insists on knowing what is going on and where they are going. The Princess is very controlling and forces him to be quiet and listen to the messages being broadcast over the radio. She knows that this is something that Orpheus will be very interested in and can help lure him to her. They arrive at her castle and she is very mysterious. She does not let Orpheus know what is going on, she only lets him see just enough to get him more curious and interested in her. The next morning Orpheus awakes on the side of the road and returns home with the Princess's chauffeur Heurtebise. Here he spends most of his time in the garage listening to more mysterious messages on the car radio. In fact, he is so obsessed with the messages that he completely ignores his wife, and is now more preoccupied with finding out about the Princess. Orpheus is then summoned by the detective, who wants to interrogat...
The aspect of African-American Studies is key to the lives of African-Americans and those involved with the welfare of the race. African-American Studies is the systematic and critical study of the multidimensional aspects of Black thought and practice in their current and historical unfolding (Karenga, 21). African-American Studies exposes students to the experiences of African-American people and others of African descent. It allows the promotion and sharing of the African-American culture. However, the concept of African-American Studies, like many other studies that focus on a specific group, gender, and/or creed, poses problems. Therefore, African-American Studies must overcome the obstacles in order to improve the state of being for African-Americans.
The protagonist, Odysseus, visits the underworld for a very short amount of time. The two literary works contain many common elements, such as characters being punished, the protagonists interacting with those in the underworld, repeating characters, and the misery of the underworlds. There are also differences between the two works including the types of interactions between the protagonists and those they encounter, the reasons for each protagonists visit to the underworlds, and how the underworld operates. These differences and similarities can be attributed to the Dante’s and Homer’s religion, the time period and culture in which they wrote their respective works, and the purpose for the visits to the underworlds in each work. Although there are many similarities between the underworlds in Dante’s Inferno and The Odyssey, the two works ultimately offer two different visions of the underworld due to the authors’ different religious beliefs and culture, as well as the role of the underworld in each literary work.
The tragedies of Antigone and Othello were written with great depth and are structured in such a way that both characters are victims, in spite of their crimes. Antigone and Othello are tragedy plays created by using many techniques to create the feelings of fear and pity. There are differences and similarities in characters, action, and themes between Antigone and Othello.
Tragedy is the center of the play Oedipus Rex, tragedy is something dealing with tragic events, the downfall of the character, and having unhappy endings which is how this play ends.In the beginning, we see Oedipus is king and has an enormous amount of power, he wears all these gold drapes and a gold crown which symbolizes his power. Next you have Creon, Oedipus brother-in-law, who at first has no desire for Oedipus's spot for Kingman ship. Oedipus's fate is a combination of several factors. To try and ch...
The play's plot, in a nutshell, develops like this. After solving the riddle of the Sphynx, who had kept Thebes under a curse of some kind, Oedipus is invited to become king of the city. He marries Jocasta, the widow of the previous king, and they have two children. When the play begins, Thebes is again under some sort of curse, and Oedipus tries to find out its cause so that he can rescue the city. He is told that the cause of the curse is that the murderer of the previous king is still in the city and has gone unpunished. In the process of searching for the murderer, Oedipus discovers that it is he, himself, who is responsible and that he is actually the son of Jocasta and her previous husband. Horrified by his sins of incest and murder, Oedipus claws out his eyes. Jocasta commits suicide because she is so disgraced.
Both of these two ladies, each high in status, display somewhat of a god-complex, taking it upon themselves to partially assist, but mostly re-mold, women whom they view as inferior to themselves. Though Mrs. Elton does this in a much less tactful and more forceful way, she and Emma both view their respective pupils as a pawn to be toyed with and, ultimately, a display of their superiority. Emma’s fancies of becoming a puppet-master begin when she is in the company of Harriet Smith, a girl attending Mrs. Goddard’s boarding school. Austen tells Emma’s thoughts, writing, “She would notice her… improve her… detach her from her bad acquaintance, and introduce her into good society; she would form her opinions and her manners. It would be an interesting, and certainly a very kind undertaking; highly becoming her own situation in life, her leisure and powers” (37-38). This passage makes clear Emma’s intentions of whittling Harriet into what Emma deemed best, not just to better Harriet’s situati...
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Orpheus (Greek Mythology)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Jane, Austen,. Emma complete, authoritative text with biographical, historical, and cultural contexts, critical history, and essays from contemporary critical perspectives. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2002.