ABSTRACT
Re-Imagining as a Method for the Elucidation of Myth:
The Case of Orpheus and Eurydice
Accompanied by a Screenplay Adaptation
by
Mark Greene
This study juxtaposes an imaginal inquiry into the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with a historical exegesis of the ancient religious movement generally termed Orphism, which came to be associated with it. Inviting unconscious elements into the study of myth and subsequently elaborating a theoretical analysis as well as a creative project—as this study does in the form of a screenplay adaptation—corresponds to Carl Jung’s theory of the transcendent function, which states that a new level of being is possible by balancing these two approaches to such material. This study unfolds the myth’s latent theology by dreaming it forward in this way.
The principal thesis—that Orpheus looks back to Eurydice with purpose and an awareness that his gaze will cause her to return to Hades—is itself an example of unconscious material emerging into consciousness. The greater part of this study is devoted to deriving meaning from the twist that this re-imagining implies for the elucidation of myth in general and for the study of this myth in particular.
A principle question addressed is "What aspects of the latent theology found to exist in this myth can be said to constitute a founder story of Orphism? " In addition, this study proposes the figure of Orpheus as emblematic of the active masculine principle—exalted in his balancing of solar and lunar masculinity—that provides a blueprint for a dualistic cognitive model of archetypal experience.
This model posits that the dualities found in the myth, and sometimes in life, derive their patterning from the individual’s inability to experience the archetype directly. Orpheus’ look back exemplifies a breaching of the veil that separates us from the archetype, allowing a momentary interpenetration of the individual’s sphere of consciousness with the essence of the archetype. It is thought that integration of unconscious and conscious material follows. Finally, how these insights can be applied to the lives of men and women is addressed in this study’s conclusion.