In my original Thesis Idea post I knew I wanted to do something with mythology but wasn’t yet sure what, so I didn’t really have an actual topic at that point. Now I’m thinking about doing something with modern receptions of myths, possibly looking at the modern musical Hadestown and how it handles the myths of Hades & Persephone and Orpheus & Eurydice.
Here are a few research questions I’ve identified, though since it’s a pretty recent idea I don’t know for certain exactly where I’m going to focus:
- How are the myths of Hades & Persephone and Orpheus & Eurydice changed or modified from their presentation in ancient texts so that the musical is able to present a sort of parallel between the two myths?
- What is the role of Hades & Persephone in the retelling of the myth of Orpheus & Eurydice?
- How does having the god Hermes as narrator but also active participant in the story impact this retelling?
- What are some themes/motifs that show up in Hadestown that are also important in the ancient versions of the myths?
Hi, Rose! I think focusing on modern reception of mythology is a really good idea, particularly with the amount of media/fiction that has incorporated aspects of Greek/Roman myths in recent years. I haven’t seen Hadestown myself, but I think looking at a musical adaption of mythology instead of a literary or film adaption is an interesting choice, specifically if you want to think about how staging/the musical genre impacts the telling of the myth (or you could even connect it to staging and retelling myths in ancient Greece via tragedy).
I know you said you are still considering potential areas of focus for your topic, but I think a good next step would be to think over which versions of the Hades and Persephone/Orpheus and Eurydice myths you want to use as your main primary sources (unless you plan on considering multiple myths between both Greece and Rome). Additionally, you could consider tracking a specific theme between both the modern and ancient myths like you mentioned in your questions, such as mother/daughter dynamics with Demeter and Persephone, the autonomy of women in relation to the Underworld, etc. These are just a few ideas, but your topic sounds really interesting so far, and I’m looking forward to learning more about it over the semester!
Hi, Rose,
One particular avenue that might be interesting to explore within the myth of Hades and Persephone is the way in which more modern interpretations and adaptations have highlighted the agency of Persephone in contrast to the Stockholm narrative that was prevalent in ancient times. I also happen to be a big theatre nerd, so I am totally excited to see a thesis analyze Hadestown!