Manipulation...Disguised as Love

According to the Academy of American Poets, Margaret Atwood, was born Ottawa, Ontario in 1939. Margaret had both a Bachelor’s degree from Victoria College, University of Toronto as well as a Master’s degree from Harvard. Atwood is the author of more than fifteen books of poetry which have been translated into multiple languages as well as published in over twenty-five countries. Margaret has also received many honors for her work and was even named woman of the year for Ms. Magazine in 1986. Atwood has taught at many Universities and today resides in Toronto (Academy). Among her works is a poem called, Orpheus, a poem that alludes to the myth of Orpheus. Atwood writes the poem from the female perspective to convey the feelings of manipulation and the selfish needs of Orpheus. In both the myth and the poem the male character is manipulative and disguises his selfish needs as love for the female character.

According to classical versions of the myth, Orpheus loses his wife and ruins his attempt to bring her back. “The bride, just wed, met death/she stepped upon a snake; the viper sank its teeth into her ankle” (CITATION). When Eurydice is bitten by a snake and dies, Orpheus makes the journey to Hades to retrieve her. “The poet dared to cross the gate of Taenarus, to seek his wife among the Shades consigned to Styx” (CITATION). His actions may seem like love but are actually his desire to control her: Without her, he lacks power and control. Orpheus knows that with his voice he can manipulate anyone and anything, “Then Orpheus plucked his lyre as he sang”: He uses this skill in Hades to convince the gods to release her (CITATION). Orpheus fails to bring his wife back from the dead. Though his manipulation skills worked, “Moved by...

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...her own opinions and desires which is why he feels he can manipulate and control her.

The poem by Margaret Atwood uses the poem about an unhappy couple to allude to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. In the myth Orpheus is controlling and manipulating over everyone, including Eurydice. In the poem, the male character controls and manipulates his lover. He thinks they have a loving relationship whereas she feels trapped and unhappy. The common thread in these two works is that Orpheus and the man in the poem play the role of the controlling husband taking advantage of the weak submissive wife.

Works Cited

Mandelbaum, Allen, comp. The Metamorphosis of Ovid. N.p.: n.p., 1993. Print

Atwood, Margaret. “Orpheus (1)”.

Academy of American Poets.”Orpheus (1)”. Poets. The Academy of American Poets, 1997. Web. 30 Mar. 2012. http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/746