Eurydice Flashcards
What is the central theme of Eurydice with one example of a quote
Male arrogance (Machismo)
Big O. Larger than life. With his lyre and a poem to pitch, with me as the prize.
What is the significance of Big O
This could imply a satirical tone that Eurydice presents to the reader. This could suggest how Eurydice feels as though that he has an inflated ego
Name another central theme and a quote
Objectification of women
in the one place you’d think a girl would be safe from the kind of man who follows her round writing poems, hovers about while she reads them, calls her His Muse.
What is the significance of this theme
This implies that Eurydice feels as though he is a very shallow person who writes poem for her waiting to see her reaction. The capitalization of the words “His Muse” imply that she is speaking in a satirical tone suggesting that she is not content with her own position in the relationship.
Name another central theme and a quote
Female oppression
Bollocks. (I’d done all the typing myself, I should know.) And given my time all over again, rest assured that I’d rather speak for myself.
What is the significance of this theme
Duffy creates a play with the time period in which this was written with the word bollocks and the fact that she did “all the typing myself” implies that Orpheus’ is a fraud. The fact that she would “rather speak for myself” implies that since she is a woman she has no freedom, only having the option to please Orpheus.
Name another central theme and a quote
How males are portrayed as simple creatures
“I stopped and thrilled. He was a yard in front. My voice shook when I spoke - Orpheus, your poem’s a masterpiece. I’d love to hear it again.
What is the significance of this theme
The fact that she “thrilled” implies that she is content with her life in the underworld filled with silence since all she knew was the noise from Orpheus’s poems. In order to stay in the underground Eurydice appealed to his machismo ego in order for him to turn around, implying that men are simple creatures that can be easily taken advantage of by appealing to their machismo attitudes.
Name another quote about female objectification
I was dead. Deceased. I was Resting in Peace. Passé. Late. Past my sell-by date…
What is the significance of this theme
This implies that she was content with her death as she was “Resting in Peace” illustrates how she feels about her death. The fact that she is past her “sell-by date” implies that she was only ever seen as an object on a shelf waiting to be bought highlighting how men can assert machismo upon men.
What is one way Eurydice is characterised along with a quote
She is characterized with a sense of yearning
Girls, I was dead and down in the Underworld, a shade, a shadow of my former self, nowhen.
What is the significance of this characterisation
This emphasizes her character as someone who is yearning for something more in his life. The use of the word “girls” can be implied as she is having a casual conversation with her girl friends emphasizing the conversational tone she has regarding her story.
What is another way Eurydice is characterized with a quote
She was characterised to have satirical view on her partner Orpheus who she sees as a fraud
Big O was the boy. Legendary.
What is the significance of this characterisation
This could imply Eurydice’s satirical views of her husband with the words “Big O” to emphasize how he has an inflated ego. The line word sentence “Legendary.” is also satirical since we are able to understand that he was not as how he was portrayed to be.
What is another way Eurydice is characterized with a wuote
