Sir Orfeo

The harp is a symbol of the divine power of music. When played by a master harpist, it creates heavenly melodies. Orfeo is a supremely gifted harpist, the best in the world, the speaker of the poem says. When he plays his instrument, the music activates some hidden, almost magical principle of harmony that touches both human and nonhuman worlds. Those who are listening, whether human, animal, or even fairy, feel that they have been transported to paradise.

The harp is also central to Orfeo’s identity; he is never parted from it. After Heurodis is abducted, Orfeo abandons all his possessions except his harp, which he takes with him into the wilderness; it is the one thing he cannot manage without. In the wilderness, the harp is his only source of pleasure; when he plays, even the wild animals “in joy approached him from afar” (Line 174), and the birds gather to listen as well.

The happy and successful outcome of the tale depends upon the harp. When Orfeo follows the fairies into their kingdom, his music has its usual effect, charming all who listen to it, including the fairy king and queen. It is his skill with the harp that wins back Heurodis, since the fairy king offers Orfeo anything he should desire after hearing his song.