Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl is about a woman who gets married, dies and then goes to the underworld and is reunited with her father, only to have her husband go to the underworld to find her, in the end Eurydice and her father dip themselves in the river, only to be discovered by Orpheus. Throughout the play, it seems like Eurydice loses some of the love that she has for her husband, Orpheus, and it is replaced by love for her father. Why does Eurydice call out Orpheus’ name? Eurydice acts as though the love that she has for her father is greater than the love that she has for Orpheus, even though the types of love that she has for both of them is childish. The love that Eurydice has for Orpheus, is not the love that one has for their husband. When Eurydice is at her wedding party, she leaves. When she’s going for a drink of water she says “I hate parties. . . . All the guests arrived and Orpheus is taking a shower. . . . he doesn’t. . . . greet them…. But a wedding is for a father and daughter (Ruhl 17). She seems disappointed by the fact that Orpheus doesn’t help her greet the guests since she does not like parties, and then she seems almost sad since she thinks that weddings are supposed to be for a father and a daughter since they stop being married to each other that day. She’s acting like she misses her father and wants to see him again. Eurydice was acting almost naive when she found out about the letter that made her leave her husband. She would not leave until she had the letter in her possession even if that mean that she had to be away from her husband and her wedding party. When she is in the man’s apartment she refuses to leave his apartment until she has the letter from her father. She wants Orpheus “I want my husband. . . . I’ll just take my letter first.” (24). Even though she wants to be with her husband and to leave the man’s apartment, she will not leave until she has the letter. Almost as if she believes that if she has the letter, her life would be complete, even if Orpheus was not in the picture. After she takes her letter from the man, she acts almost giddy and then “She runs, trips and pitches down the stairs, holding her letter. She follows the letter. . . .” (25). Even when she’s falling to her death, the letter from her father is still more important to her, because she is holding the letter when she trips and falls, and then she continues to follow the letter even after she has tripped. The love that is shown towards Eurydice’s father after she is reunited with him makes her love for Orpheus almost resentful. After she is reunited with her father, she seems almost indignant towards Orpheus and how he treated her. She is talking in the string room with her father when she says, “Orpheus never liked words. . . . Orpheus would look sullen and wouldn’t talk to me.” (51). She seems saddened and almost resentful by the fact that Orpheus doesn’t like words and that he would not talk to her about “a new philosophical system.” (51) or her notions. When she likes words and lets Orpheus have his music, but it seems like he doesn’t support her like her father does, just because Orpheus did not like words. She doesn’t want to leave her father, because her love for him is stronger than her love for Orpheus. When it comes of the time that she is supposed to be reunited with Orpheus, she seems hesitant to go with him. After she realizes that she couldn’t see her father anymore, she rethinks her choice about leaving EURYDICE. Oh- you’ll be lonely, won’t you? FATHER. No, no. . . . EURYDICE. Are you sure? FATHER. . . . . I’ll take you to him. EURYDICE. Now? FATHER. It’s for the best. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . They are solemn. . . (58)
After she learns that her father would be lonely after she leaves, she second-guesses her
