Make sure you've read the story before attempting to answer the questions. Print a copy of this assignment, or email the assignment to your instructor when you are finished.
Orpheus (or' fee us) played the lyre as thouqh he were a god himself. Nothing on the earth could resist his haunting lovely melodies. It was said that even the fivers changed course and followed him as he played.
One day Orpheus's music was even more magnificent than usual. The young man's heart was filled with joy, for it was his wedding day. His beloved bride was the beautiful Eurydice (yoo rid' u'see). But Pain and Death had also planned to attend the wedding. Soon after the ceremony Eurydice went for a walk in a near by field. Orpheus heard her cry out. He ran to her, but he was too late. Eurydice was dead, killed by a snake's poisonous bite.
Nothing anybody said could comfort Orpheus. Without Eurydice, he felt his life was over. For a long while, he wandered the earth alone. Finally he decided to travel to the underworld, the Kingdom of the Dead, to find his dead wife.
Hades, as the underworld was called, was a dark and gloomy place. It was much feared by the living. To reach Hades, the dead were taken by ferry across the river Styx. Its entrance was guarded by Cerberus, a three-headed dog with the tail of a dragon. Playing his lyre, Orpheus began this frightful journey. His music seemed to calm the spirits he encountered, and he was allowed to pass unharmed. In time he came to the thrones of Hades and Persephone, the king and queen of the underworld. Unafraid of the ghosts that surrounded him, Orpheus spoke.
"Great Hades, hear my plea. You have taken my dear wife, Eurydice, away from me much too soon. She was but a child! Allow her to return to the upper world with me. Let us spend our lives together. I cannot bear to live without her. Our brief years are nothing to you. Soon enough all people belong to you. We will be back."
Hades was not really an unkind god. He was moved by Orpheus's words. He himself felt such a love for his own queen. He softly called out Eurydice's name. A pale, floating figure appeared from among the spirits surrounding the thrones.
"Very well, Orpheus," Hades said. "You may take your wife with you. She will be alive as she was before. But heed this warning! On the journey back, you must not turn around to look at her. She will be following you, I promise. But do not turn to look. If you do, Eurydice will return to me."
Orpheus agreed and began the difficult journey out of the underworld. Up and up he climbed, over sharp cliffs and through deep valleys. Was Eurydice truly following him? He couldn't tell for sure. Just as he was about to reach the entrance to the upper world, Orpheus could wait no longer. He was nearly in the sunlight, surely it was safe! Orpheus turned. He saw Eurydice, still standing in the shadows of Hades. Their eyes met, but hers were filled with sadness. Her arms reached out to him even as she began to fade away. "Farewell," was all he heard, and she was gone.
Write what these sentences from the story mean.
1. It was said that even the rivers changed course and followed him as he played.
2. But Pain and Death had also decided to attend the wedding.
3. His music seemed to calm the spirits he encountered, and he was allowed to pass unharmed.
4. "Our brief years are nothing to you. Soon enough all people belong to you. We will be back."
5. In your own words, tell how this story ends.
6. Why do you think Hades allowed Eurydice to leave the underworld and follow Orpheus?
7. Hades warned Orpheus that if he turned to look at Eurydice, she would be lost tohim. Why do you thinkthat Hades bothered to set this condition? Why didn't he just let Eurydice go?
8. Do you think that Orpheus and Eurydice were ever together again? If so, when?