Myth’s Objects

GIVEN THE CHANCE for a grand demonstration of his love, how could Orpheus screw up such a straightforward task? The answer might be simple: all he wanted was one last glimpse of Eurydice. But to resurrect the dead? The myth of Alcestis tells us not to meddle with life and death; so, too, do the stories of Lazarus and Frankenstein, even Pet Sematary and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Perhaps Orpheus’s decision to turn around isn’t so shocking.