djiange: Inspired by the discussion over the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in Portrait of a Lady on F
djiange: Inspired by the discussion over the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019). When Orpheus, having been told that he can rescue his beloved from the underworld on the condition that he not look at her until they’ve escaped, turns to glance at Eurydice, thereby trapping her in hades forever. In the discussion one of the characters suggests that perhaps it was Eurydice who called for Orpheus to turn around. The original context in the film is more about artist-muse/lover relationship, while here I focus on this notion that Eurydice is no longer the passive victim, but an active agent of her own fate. If Merlin had given Arthur a chance, a choice, Arthur wouldn’t have wanted Merlin to go this far, to go way too far for the fear of losing control, of losing Arthur; he would never have wanted Merlin to be his Lady Macbeth, nor his little mermaid. This has to come to an end, and thus when Arthur said “I want you to always be you,” he was actually saying “Never be cruel, never be cowardly, and let it be, Merlin.” Arthur would have wanted to fight against the terror, against this supercilious prophecy, with Merlin, for Merlin, shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand. In that case, even if had they fought in vain, if they had failed to twist the doom eventually, they could have always said: “Despite so many ordeals, the nobility of my soul makes me conclude that all is well.” -- source link