Orpheus in the new world : continuities of Cocteau's Orpheus in Williams' Orpheus Descending, Moraes' Orfeu da conceiçāo, Camus' Black Orpheus and Diegues' Orfeu

Abstract

This thesis examines the different adaptations of the classical myth of Orpheus as told by Ovid in the Americas in the 20th century through the following texts: the play Orpheus Descending (1957) by the American playwright Tennessee Williams, the film Orfeu Negro (1959) by the French director Marcel Camus and, the film Orfeu (1999) by the Brazilian director Carlos Diegues with the music of Caetano Veloso. This thesis traces the genealogy of the adaptations of the myth of Orpheus in Europe since the middle ages until the modernist era, to explain the inspiration behind these American authors’ perceptions of the myth of Orpheus and its adaptation into their own cultures. The aim of this thesis is to try to demonstrate how each one of these adaptations in the Americas created a version of the new world Orphic into a distinct cultural product of their particular societies (the U.S and Brazil) to reflect on important problems and concerns which where prevalent in their time. Some Important elements concerning the manifestations of these new world Orphic figures are: the sources of inspiration for the protagonist, the music that is found in the adaptations and the meaning behind it, and also, the racial element that is an important factor in these American societies. In so doing, I aim to prove that these adaptations of the myth succeed one another in creating each time a more accurate manifestation of the new world Orphic that represents the modern American continent and its complex cultures. Significantly, I aim to prove in this thesis that the artist Caetano Veloso and his oeuvre are the final version of the new world Orphic in the Americas as he manifests a certain spirit that represents the evolution and change in Brazil’s outlook on the world and on itself through his persona and music.