Act 2
Orpheus journeys to the Underworld through seventeen arches, each with a symbolic name. On his journey back, he believes Euridice is following him, but it is actually Persephone and the mime Euridice. Orpheus goes back for Euridice but realises she cannot follow him. Orpheus hangs himself. The act ends with Orpheus waking up, realising that his journey to the Underworld was a dream.
The Seventeen Arches
Each of the arches that Orpheus must travel through is given a symbolic name.
- 1st Arch - The Arch of Countryside
- 2nd Arch - The Arch of Crowds
- 3rd Arch - The Arch of Evening
- 4th Arch - The Arch of Contrast
- 5th Arch - The Arch of Dying
- 6th Arch - The Arch of Wings
- 7th Arch - The Arch of Colors
- 8th Arch - The Arch for Secrecy
- 9th Arch - The Arch of Glass
- 10th Arch - The Arch of Building
- 11th Arch - The Arch of Weather
- 12th Arch - The Arch of Eyes
- 13th Arch - The Arch of Knives
- 14th Arch - The Arch of Animals
- 15th Arch - The Arch of Robes (or Roads)
- 16th Arch - The Arch of Blood
- 17th Arch - The Arch of Fear
Read more about this topic: The Mask Of Orpheus
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“Youth doesn’t reason, it acts. The old man reasons and would like to make the others act in his place.”
—Francis Picabia (1878–1953)