Orfeo by Poliziano
"Orfeo" by Angelo Poliziano is a dramatic work that retells the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, set against the backdrop of classical themes and Renaissance humanism. The narrative begins with Aristaeus, a young man captivated by a beautiful nymph, who ultimately leads to tragic consequences. After Eurydice, Orpheus's beloved, dies from a serpent bite, Orpheus is heartbroken and embarks on a perilous journey to the underworld, seeking to reclaim her with the enchanting power of his lyre. His music moves the rulers of the underworld, but he ultimately fails to adhere to the conditions of his request, resulting in irreversible loss.
The work reflects the intertwining of love, loss, and the pursuit of the unattainable, exploring the deep emotional landscapes of its characters. Additionally, "Orfeo" stands as a significant contribution to the development of Renaissance drama, drawing from classical literature while also influencing later operatic interpretations of the Orpheus myth. Poliziano's blend of poetry and music highlights the cultural richness of the period, making this work an important artifact of Italian literary and musical heritage.
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Orfeo by Poliziano
First produced: 1480; first published, 1863 (English translation, 1879)
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Pastoral
Time of plot: Antiquity
Locale: Sicily
Principal characters
Orpheus , a singerEurydice , his belovedAristaeus , ,Mopsus , andThyrsis , shepherdsPluto ,Proserpina ,Tisiphone , one of the Furies
The Story:
While looking for a lost calf, old Mopsus comes upon Aristaeus and his servant Thyrsis. They did not see the animal, but Aristaeus sends the young man in search of it. Meanwhile, he tells Mopsus that he saw a nymph more beautiful than Diana in the woods. Although she was accompanied by a youthful sweetheart, Aristaeus declares that either he must win her love or he will die. Mopsus tried to warn him of the desolation and unhappiness caused by love, but without success; the return of Thyrsis with word that the girl is still in the woods sends Aristaeus hurrying to find her. The shepherds are convinced that he is mad and that some evil will result from his actions.
After finding the nymph, Aristaeus tries to woo her, but she flees. A moment later another nymph appears with news that the lovely Eurydice just died of a serpent bite by the riverside. She calls on her sister dryads to join in a dirge “to set the air ringing with the sound of wailing.” As they sing, they see Orpheus, her sweetheart, approaching with his lyre. The dryad takes it upon herself to break to him the sad news of Eurydice’s death.
When Orpheus’s song about the exploits of Hercules is interrupted by the nymph bearing “crushing tidings,” the desolate poet calls on sky and sea to hear him lament his bitter fate. At last he vows to go to the gates of Tartarus in an attempt to win back his dead love—perhaps the magic of his lyre will move even Death to pity. The satyr Mnesillus, who is been listening, has his doubts.
In Tartarus, Orpheus’s lyre of gold and his beautiful voice move “the gates immovable.” In fact, Pluto acknowledges that everything stands still at his melody. Proserpina is so charmed by it that she seconds Orpheus’s request that Eurydice should be returned to him. Pluto agrees on condition that the poet return to earth without looking behind. In spite of Orpheus’s promise not to look back, his doubts betray him. Orpheus looks back and sees Eurydice drawing again toward Tartarus. When he tries to follow her, Tisiphone refuses to let him pass.
While he is lamenting his woes and expressing his determination never again to desire a woman’s love, Orpheus is overheard by a chorus of Maenads. One of the Bacchantes, angered that a man should scorn love, exhorts the others to take revenge, and the fierce creatures tear him to pieces in their rage, so that every twig close by is soaked with his blood.
Bibliography
Bolgar, R. R. “Imitation in the Vernaculars.” In The Classical Heritage and Its Beneficiaries. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1977. Places Orfeo in its literary framework as the first contemporary drama with a classical theme drawing on classical authors.
Buller, Jeffrey L. “Looking Backwards: Baroque Opera and the Ending of the Orpheus Myth.”International Journal of the Classical Tradition 1, no. 3 (Winter, 1995): 57-79. Analyzes Orfeo by Poliziano and other operas about Orpheus, discussing the reasons why the composers changed the ending of the Orpheus legend. Examines the relationship between these operas and Italian pastoral poetry.
Godman, Peter. From Poliziano to Machiavelli: Florentine Humanism in the High Renaissance. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1998. Focuses on Poliziano’s philological and critical writings, placing the writer and his work within the context of late fifteenth and early sixteenth century Florentine humanism. In the 1490’s, Florentine intellectuals were divided in their opinions about the aims of scholarship. Poliziano argued that intellectual life should be removed from worldly matters and scholarship should focus on philological and textual studies of classical texts; his opponents maintained that this philological humanism was merely enabling scholars to toy with words.
Haar, James. Essays on Italian Poetry and Music in the Renaissance, 1350-1600. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986. Analyzes the relationship between poetry and music. Provides much information for those interested in the historical context of Poliziano’s work.
Pirrotta, Nino. “Music and Cultural Tendencies in Fifteenth-Century Italy.” Journal of the American Musicological Society 19 (1966): 139-146. Indicates Poliziano’s interest in music.
Pirrotta, Nino, and Elena Povoledo. Music and Theatre from Poliziano to Monteverdi. Translated by Karen Eales. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982. Places Poliziano’s poetic work within the historical framework of Italian Renaissance musical performance.
Poliziano, Angelo. A Translation of the Orpheus of Angelo Politian and the Aminta of Torquato Tasso. Translated by Louis E. Lord. London: Humphrey Milford, 1931. Reprint. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1986. Contains translations of Poliziano’s original edition and of an expanded edition published in the late eighteenth century. Includes a seventy-page introduction to pastoral drama, the form that Orfeo takes.