was it fear, curiosity, doubt, distrust or was he in love with Death as per Cocteau’s vision? I think none of these. He was disenchanted after the quest for the fleece, he saw that mortals turn, fall or prosper at the whim of the deathless ones and he couldn’t stomach any more of it, he wanted to set the terms and steer the course of his own life. He was defiant. It was outrage enough that the Fates had woven Eurydice’s life span to end on her wedding day and here was Hades drawing out the couple’s suffering for his entertainment. If this is the best of the gods, reasoned Orpheus, then I will be better and in my actions I’ll make agency of my own life and choices even if it means we’re destroyed. Eurydice was taken down at once, they came for Orpheus later but it was all decided the moment he turned. And in this tale there’s all the mystery of our everyday struggles and choices, the swaying scaffolding of the lives we build. We must face or fail our choices like Orpheus, and make the best of what comes after.