Don't get me wrong, I love the whole idea of this fairy world, or underworld because it adds a lot to the story, but i didnt really want to see a happy ending... at all. I feel like all this stuff happened just for it to come full circle and be a happy ending and end how it initially started off. He was king again. I guess the only thing is it took 10 years and a lot can happen in 10 years. The most interesting part of this whole story is when his wife does get taken, after that and all the way to the end i just found myself diappointed with the plot of the story. Somebody needed to die (his wife... or him maybe)
Although I dont care for the happy ever after ending or the plot I did enjoy the symbolism. For instance in class we talked about diguise and how people who do that are usually people who did wrong. I didnt realize what Sir Orfeo could have done until I thought about it. He ditched his people with no rhyme or reason! So that made a lot of sense. He didnt just come back 10 years later like he was hot s*** again. But with that I am still stuck on this whole idea of a happy ending. His people were accepting after he ditched them 10 years ago... but I mean hey.
Back to the fairyland idea. I loved it! I love seeing settings like this, especially when they are semi-unexpected. You dont expect fairies to come out of nowhere and take your wife. 😐😐 Things like that dont happen in real life and to be honest I want to escape from reality when I am reading and this does just that. Faries are supposed to be mystical creatures and this captures that.
I love your interpretation of this because in the beginning of the semester all of us were so frustrated with the endings because they were not tied up in a bow and not every detail had closure but now we are frustrated because the endings are so happy and have closure which I think is super ironic! Because temptation is a root of evil I love that they fairy land is so attrative at first glance and once he is down there it is dark and gruesome! I think that is a great depiction of how easily people can be decieved. I agree it is easy to get wrapped up in this story and escapy from reality.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely a fairy nerd! So I really loved this story and the happy ending didn't bother me too much. The fae are known for their trickery and manipulative ways, and I love that Ofreo plays into that to get his wife back! Also, loyalty is another relevant theme in this story, and Ofreo's people missed their king and fully accepted him back after 10 years! Again, I appreciate this story for what it is.
ReplyDeleteI agree with India; we have gotten so used to loose ends that it is jarring for us to read anything that has clean closure. I don't know about you, but I think I have also gotten used to things going wrong in stories--not to the point that I dislike the happy ending to "Sir Orfeo," but definitely to the point that it caught me off guard. I could barely believe that it was so happy! Then again, amazingly happy endings are a sort of escapism. In life, we have various story arcs that may end happily or not, but our adventures continue until we die. We don't disappear when words on a page stop. I share your desire to escape reality, and depending on my mood, a happy ending is a welcome aspect to that.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your fascination with the underworld/fairyland aspect of Sir Orfeo. Personally, I'm a HUGE fan of the Persephone/Hades myth and the original Orpheus/Eurydice myth. Maybe I just like Hell and the Underworld... Who knows? So I found it so interesting that the Underworld was transformed into a fairyland! The Seelie/Unseelie Courts which seem to be mashed up in this tale are famous for their trickery, glamour, and unexpectedness. It really adds a new depth to an extremely popular myth. I also kind of like how the fairy aspect really makes this story turn into a fairytale. The supernatural elements, the love, the happy ending is a textbook example of what a fairytale is. I like the original tragedy but I was interested in how the happy ending came about to make a Disney-esque type of story.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that when it does come full circle and everyone is happy, it makes us ask "so what?". I do think of "The Lion King" a little bit though. After Simba runs off for so many years and returns, everyone accepts him. Although they did need his help from Scar and his hyenas but still! I liked how he didn't have to really fight for them to trust him again. I love how he wandered the woods and lived like a mountain man and wasn't really searching for her but came upon her! Hell yeah! Good things CAN happen when you're not looking for them! I do like how they use fairies as not the nicest of characters. It reminds me of the peter pan movie when the mermaids are evil, because we are so used to them being sweet and full of song.
ReplyDelete