The tragic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice - Brendan Pelsue
- 7,499,954 Views
- 18,289 Questions Answered
- TEDEd Animation
Let’s Begin…
The marriage of Orpheus, the greatest of all poets and musicians, to Eurydice, a wood nymph, was heralded as the perfect union. Anyone could tell the couple was deeply in love. So when their wedding ceremony ended in Eurydice's untimely death, Orpheus had no choice but to venture into the underworld to try to reclaim his lost love. Brendan Pelsue shares the tragic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
Create and share a new lesson based on this one.
Meet The Creators
- Educator Brendan Pelsue
- Director Anton Bogaty
- Animator Anton Bogaty
- Composer Stephen LaRosa
- Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa
- Associate Producer Elizabeth Cox, Jessica Ruby
- Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
- Narrator Addison Anderson
Additional Resources for you to Explore
Artists have reimagined the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice many times over the millennia. Here are a few notable examples:
Orfeo, a 1607 opera by the Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi, is one of the first operas ever written and the oldest that is still regularly performed. Listen to it here.
The composers Gluck, Haydn, Liszt, and Stravinsky also wrote music inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice. Listening to their different compositions allows you to compare how different artists from different periods in history have imagined the mythical music of Orpheus, which was so beautiful it (almost) overcame death.
Euridyce, a 2003 play by the playwright Sarah Ruhl, imagines the story from Eurydice’s perspective.
Orphée is a 1950 film by the French filmmaker and writer Jean Cocteau; the second part in his trilogy inspired by the Orpheus and Eurydice myth.
Orfeo, a 1607 opera by the Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi, is one of the first operas ever written and the oldest that is still regularly performed. Listen to it here.
The composers Gluck, Haydn, Liszt, and Stravinsky also wrote music inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice. Listening to their different compositions allows you to compare how different artists from different periods in history have imagined the mythical music of Orpheus, which was so beautiful it (almost) overcame death.
Euridyce, a 2003 play by the playwright Sarah Ruhl, imagines the story from Eurydice’s perspective.
Orphée is a 1950 film by the French filmmaker and writer Jean Cocteau; the second part in his trilogy inspired by the Orpheus and Eurydice myth.
TED-Ed
Lesson Creator
New York, NY
Create and share a new lesson based on this one.
Meet The Creators
- Educator Brendan Pelsue
- Director Anton Bogaty
- Animator Anton Bogaty
- Composer Stephen LaRosa
- Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa
- Associate Producer Elizabeth Cox, Jessica Ruby
- Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
- Narrator Addison Anderson
More from Myths From Around the World
521,446 views
1,228,396 views
586,286 views
509,919 views