De-traditionalizing gender roles in Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice

Abstract EN

Utilizing T.

S.

Eliot's concept of tradition, the present paper seeks to investigate Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice (2003) as a twenty-first century adaptation of the Greek myth of Orpheus.

Ruhl's dramatic methodology is predicated on upending the myth via various dramaturgical strategies, among which are enlarging Eurydice's role and marginalizing Orpheus', creating the character of Eurydice's father (not found in the myth), utilizing different traditional accounts of the myth, and making changes to the original myth's story-line.

The paper has reached three findings.

(1) The upended form of the myth is suggestive of Ruhl's prioritization of talented dramaturgy over any natural order of major and minor characterization.

(2) The marginalization of Orpheus' role and expansion of Eurydice's have accentuated the female voice that had long been subverted over the literary history of the myth.

(3) Classical myths tend to be rich raw materials for authors to adapt and transform into any literary genre due to the authors' individual talents adding to the tradition followed in such classical myths.