The Mask of Orpheus Orpheus must travel through is given a symbolic name. At the start of this act, time is moving backwards: Orpheus travels back out of and into the Underworld, and Euridice dies once more. Then time moves forwards as Orpheus leaves the Underworld again. One version of the Orpheus story is that he is then killed by a thunderbolt thrown by Zeus, while another is that he is dismembered by the women of Dionysus. Orpheus then becomes the subject of a cult and an oracle. Time flows backwards once more, and Orpheus' death is acted out again, and the opera ends
Greek mythology in popular culture been traditionally depicted in classical Greek warrior armor. Jean Cocteau regarded Orpheus as "his myth", and used it as the basis for many projects, including "Orphee" The film "Orfeu Negro" is Marcel Camus' reworking of the Cocteau film. The 2001 film "Moulin Rouge!" is also based on the Orpheus story, but set in 1899, and containing modern pop music. The 1997 Disney production of "Hercules" was inspired by Greek myths, but it "greatly modernizes the narrative, ... going to great lengths to spice up its mythic materials with wacky comedy and cheerfully anachronistic dialogue," which, Keith Booker says, is playing