0784OrpheusEurydice_Henryson

Robert Henryson, The Tale of Orpheus and Erudices his Quene, poem, in The Porteous of Noblenes (…) Edinburgh: Chepman & Myllar, 1508.

Gros Louis, K.R.R. “Robert Henryson’s Orpheus and Eurydice and the Orpheus Tradition,” Speculum 41 (1966) 643 – 55. JSTOR: click for .pdf

“… [the poem] tells us a great deal about the agglomerative poetic methods of a mediaeval poet, underlines the two distinct medieval approachs to classical fables, and emphasizes the depth of allusion which a mention of Orpheus generated for an intelligent, moderately-educated mediaeval reader.” p. 643

“ The strength of Henryson’s poem, and the reason it commands an important place in the Orpheus tradition, is precisely its portrayal of the characters. … Henryson’s interest in the myth lies in the reaction of the characters to their tragedies, in Orpheus’ wondrous art, his grief, and his long sad search that took him to the dangerous depths of hell. There are certainly wonders and marvels along the way that are typical mediaeval decoration, but we nevertheless are interested in what happens to Orpheus because we see his uncertainty and know his loss. Sir Orfeo involved us with characters, too, and yet, in a sense, Henryson has done a more remarkable thing. He has involved us in a anew way in what is basically the same story found in Ovid and Virgil. The poem, because it combines the two traditions of Orpheus in mediaeval literature with prevailing attitudes and trends, and with Henryson’s own interests, is old, yet unique; new, yet traditional.” p. 654-55.