I’ve seen this scene be dissected before in how it relates to Orpheus’s relationship with his abilities and how he’s right to be a bit cocky and overly optimistic . His voice is magical and - it’s never failed him (thus far). However I want to view it from the angle of his relationship with eurydice.
When Orpheus sings the melody of his song and produces the carnation, there’s a second there where he is genuinely startled. Yes he can do things with his voice, it’s mostly been the world singing along but this might be his first physical confirmation that his song can change the world. It also frightens him as it comes to a genuine shock to eurydice- as the whole song is a bunch of playful banter and her trying to gage how serious he is. If he’s not just another guy hitting on her (ok you got a song? Sing it song boy.) she wasn’t expecting for him to be serious about his voice/song.
It’s the way Orpheus “I-I dunno.” And how his voice shakes when he later says “I know.” He’s nervous. Now that she knows he’s serious she could just as easily reject him on the grounds of magical people, demigods , blessed by the gods etc don’t get happy endings typically. Or simply because it’s to much.
It’s that she could be genuinely afraid of what he could do in that moment but instead she snatches the flower and accepts the proposal (when we’re wed). Again I just adore how cute little banter song is also a genuine moment of vulnerability between both of them?
The Renaissance World Tour: Show 25 - Nissan Stadium - Nashville, Tennessee (7/15/23). I’m loving these sign moments. It means so much to the fans. Imagine Beyoncé picking your wedding song.
I know we all love Orpheus too much to stay mad at him but it's on my mind that he wasn’t just working on the song over some glorified sense of self. he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders...Eurydice herself told him “you have to finish it” because of the power it held, and then seeing Persephone being picked up so early and everyone suffering, knowing what his song could do, he feels so much pressure to finish it so the world can come back into balance.
but more than that, you remember what he says in “Wedding Song”?
"when I sing my song...the rivers are gonna give us the wedding band...the trees are gonna lay the wedding table...the birds are gonna make the wedding bed"
he wants to finish the song so he can have a ring to propose to Eurydice. He wants to finish the song so he can give her food and a bed. he wants to be able to provide for her, and the way he feels he can do that is by finishing the song.
Some days, you scale everything way back. Life is full of upheaval, and you have learned not to try to do everything in the crazy moments.
Sometimes you scale back for a few days because it's your 21 anniversary (25years together!) And you went to see Metallica live in the theater, which means staying up way past your bedtime and screaming.
They played Orion! That's our wedding song! Yay!
Being a homemaker is this. Setting aside things to go see your favorite band together for your anniversary, knowing it will all be there waiting for you when you're ready to dive back in.
When creation was young / Lover, when I sing my song
Before rivers learned to run / All the rivers sing along
Before the apple hit the ground / The almond and the apple
Not far from the tree / And the sugar from the maple
Before Adam fell for Eve / The trees gonna lay the wedding table