Persephone
Payton Tetzlaff
“Livin' it Up on Top,” a song featured in the Tony Award-winning Musical Hadestown, portrays Persephone's return to the world, “up on top,” after the winter season, bringing with her flowers and the promise of warmer weather. (Gray) The musical was written and composed by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell, with the stage production directed in collaboration with Rachel Chavkin and performed by actress Amber Gray in the Original Broadway production; nominated for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical” at the 2019 Tony Awards for this portrayal of the Queen of the Underworld. (https://www.tonyawards.com/shows/hadestown/)
Hadestown follows the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, and Hades and Persephone, in an exploration of contemporary concerns to remind the audience of hope and its power in the face of inevitable despair. Hermes, the messenger of the gods and the guide of souls to the underworld, narrates this journey as Orpheus makes the trip to “hadestown” to persuade the god to return Eurydice. Seeing their love, and with the persuasion of Persephone, Hades allows them to leave, so long as Eurydice follows Orpheus, not looking back until they have returned. Mimicking the tellings of Ovid and Vergil, Hadestown motifs the inevitability of Orpheus forever looking back and losing Eurydice in every rendition. (“About | Hadestown Official Broadway Site”) The musical showcases the love Hades holds for Persephone, despite their differing views on humanity, through their efforts to work for their love as Orpheus did. (La Fond, 2026)
Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and Rhea/Demeter, who was lured into the underworld where she ate a pomegranate, resulting in her forever tied to Hades, as the place and the God. Persephone returns to the living world for half the year, bringing the spring and summer months, before returning to the underworld in the winter, suggesting the Greek reasoning for seasons. (La Fond, 2026) The song, “Livin' it Up on Top,” speaks to this arrangement through its lyrics, with Hermes introducing the Goddess as one who “never stays long” and her introductory line being, “Well it's like he said, I'm an outdoor girl.” (Gray) Hermes notes how she is late, yet again, and how the delay of spring has reflected hardships on the living. Quickly changing the tone of the song, Persephone shows her joyous colors, pouring wine, moving past hard times, and “livin’ it up;” noting how her presence makes the “summer sun shine bright” and “fruit on the vine get ripe.” (Gray) This celebratory lyric diversion is accompanied by an upbeat musical mix of folk and jazz, immersing the audience in the celebration and happiness spring brings. (Britton) There are notes hidden throughout the song, such as “in spite of a man,” that point to a tension between Hades and Persephone, and their strained relationship in conflicting ideas of one another’s realms. The musical explores this relationship throughout its course, with Persephone holding faith for the duo despite her husband's persistence, reflecting her nature established in this song of hope and life; taking hold of the good time when you can get it and not taking it for granted. (SpotCo) Her persuasion over Hadestown is displayed through her power over Orpheus and Eurydice’s fate, allowing the musical to explore all aspects of her godly domain, that of the spring and underworld queen. This relationship, between her and Hades, is concluded by the musical's end with their reinvigorated love blossoming through the display of hope seen in the young mythic couple, allowing the audience to see the greater Greek mythic history in relation to the primary tale being told.
Today, Hadestown is holding a Broadway residence at the Walter Kerr Theatre with Persephone being played by actress Gaby Moreno. (SpotCo) As the tale suggests, Persephone showcases how love can exist in their divine rule. Despite the chain to one another, their cycle is one of transition and hope of return to their love. For every winter, a spring will follow.
Kathryn Brandeau
The song “Livin’ It Up on Top,” from the Broadway show Hadestown, presents a modern retelling of the ancient myth of Persephone. In traditional depictions, Persephone is portrayed as a silent and helpless maiden or the sorrowful queen of the Underworld, but in this depiction, she is a vibrant and self-aware provider. The writer of Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell, uses contemporary themes to transform Persephone from an object of divine exchange into an autonomous and powerful force who embodies liveliness and renewal.
In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Persephone is largely defined through the actions of others. In this myth, Hades “snatched her up in his golden chariot and carried her away in tears” (Homeric Hymn 19-20). Her abduction triggers the wrath of Demeter, who decides to withhold fertility from the Earth until Persephone is returned. Then, without her consent, Persephone is permanently bound to the Underworld (for part of the year), first when she is forced to consume the pomegranate, and later when Zeus and Hades strike a deal. In this depiction, Persephone has literally no agency, and her fate is determined by the actions and decisions of those around her. She is essentially an object of exchange, and Demeter, Zeus, and Hades fight over her, while she has virtually no voice in the matter. Thus, her identity is almost entirely defined in relation to others, whether she be a daughter, bride, or queen, as opposed to being defined by her personality, choices, or powers.
In contrast, Hadestown depicts Persephone with much more power and autonomy. In this song, she says, “you take what you can get, and you make the most of it” (Mitchell). This reframes her as a symbol of endurance and optimism, which contrasts Homer’s portrayal of Persephone as a sad and helpless victim. Furthermore, in this depiction, Persephone is actively responsible for the changing seasons and for restoring life each year, which is a core part of her identity in Hadestown. Throughout this song, the ensemble credits Persephone for making “the summer sun shine bright,” “the fruit of the vine get ripe,” and ”the flowers bloom again” (Mitchell). In the original hymn, Demeter’s power is what restores life to the earth when Persephone returns each year. Persephone’s physical presence, rather than her will or power, is her only real contribution. However, Hadetown transfers that power to Persephone herself, which allows her to become an embodied force of life and abundance rather than just a passive symbol of growth.
Beyond that, Homer depicts Hades’ realm as a place of bleakness and despair. Persephone is forced to preside over this joyless space and is referred to as “dread Persephone” (Odyssey 47). In this way, she is defined by the stillness and misery of the Underworld, rather than through the movement of seasonal change or the vibrancy of spring. In contrast, Hadestown depicts her as spirited and life-loving, and in this song, she says, “if you ain't six feet underground, you're living it up on top” (Mitchell). While she still acknowledges death, she places the emphasis on celebrating survival and seeing the bright side. This reframes her cyclical descent as endurance rather than imprisonment, and it allows her to be defined more by her return each year rather than the violence and suffering of her abduction. This is a common theme throughout Hadestown, and it paints Persephone as a symbol of hope and resilience as well as a reminder to celebrate life. In this way, Mitchell gives Persephone a more independent, dynamic, and uplifting identity that balances despair and vitality rather than defining her solely through the Underworld.
By reimagining Persephone as this vibrant and autonomous provider, “Livin’ It Up on Top” preserves the core elements of her myth while reshaping her into a symbol of hope. This modern interpretation doesn’t change the ancient myth, but instead adds to it by giving Persephone a voice that she traditionally did not have. By doing this, Hadestown transforms Persephone’s story from one of loss, helplessness, and violence into one of survival, balance, and shared abundance.
Works Cited
“About | Hadestown Official Broadway Site.” Hadestown, hadestown.com/about.
Britton, James. ““Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at 300” Les Arts Florissants with Théotime Langlois de Swarte, Violin.” Purdue Convocations, 24 Jan. 2025, convocations.purdue.edu/10-facts-about-hadestown-the-award-winning-broadway-musical-phenomenon/.
Gray, Amber. Livin’ It up on Top. Anaïs Mitchell, 2019.
Homer. The Odyssey. Translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Books, 1996.
Homeric Hymn to Demeter. Translated by Helene P. Foley, Princeton University Press, 1994.
La Fond, Marie, "Lesson 6: Lecture #1- I’ll See You in Hell: The Underworld and the Afterlife, " CLAS 430 A Greek and Roman Mythology, 2026.
La Fond, Marie, "Lesson 6: Lecture #2 - Magical Mystery Tour: Orpheus and Orphism," CLAS 430 A Greek and Roman Mythology, 2026.
Morford, Mark, et al. Classical Mythology. Available from: Oxford University Press, (12th Edition). Oxford University Press Academic US, 2023.
SpotCo. “Hadestown | Official Site.” Hadestown, hadestown.com/.