12 Aug In the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Eurydice is lost to Orpheus; in Sir Orfeo, she is restored and they live out their lives in wedded happiness
I have a 4 page paper due at 9 pm tonight. The essay prompt is ONE of the following play OR poem and only ONE of the options.
MLA format with works cited page (scroll down for details on how to cite)
Sir Orfeo Poem/Lai by anonymous person
1. In the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Eurydice is lost to Orpheus; in Sir Orfeo, she is restored and they
live out their lives in wedded happiness. How does the happy ending change the meaning of the story: what
are the lessons of comedy vs. tragedy? Do their eventual deaths at the end mar the happiness of the ending?
2. In the myth, Eurydice descends to the land of the dead; in Sir Orfeo she is abducted by the Fairy King. How
is Faerie different from the Greek underworld, and how is the Fairy King different from Hades? Again,
how does this change affect our response to the story?
3. How does the addition of the faithful steward change the story? Does it add or detract from the unity of the
poem?
Doctor Faustus Play by Christopher Marlowe
1. Sometimes Faustus scoffs at Christian belief and sometimes he is tortured by fears of damnation. Why is he
so ambivalent?
2. God doesn’t make an appearance in the play. Mephastophilis and Lucifer represent the side of evil, but no
one of equal substance represents good. Does Faustus have a fair choice?
3. Modern audiences still relate to Faustus, even though his obsession with salvation and damnation seems far
from the modern viewpoint. What is still appealing or meaningful about this play?
For Works Cited and in-text citations REMEMBER:
Sir Orfeo and Doctor Faustus are poetry (completely for Sir Orfeo, mostly for Doctor Faustus),
so double-check formatting for poetry quotations.
– Doctor Faustus does not have acts, so you will cite quotations by scene Line numbers.
