Reading Notes: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche, Part B

Amour and Psyche by Michel Philibert Genod (Wikimedia)

- The story of Psyche and the Jar of Beauty bears a lot in common with Pandora's box. In both stories, a woman is entrusted with a vessel that she must not open. Both women, overcome by their curiosity, open the vessel to disastrous results.
- Throughout the Cupid and Psyche saga, Psyche's inability to control her curiosity, and her sheer stupidity remains unchanged. No matter what she has endured, no matter what she should have learned, no matter how much advice and help she is given, she remains an idiot. Although Venus is portrayed as a cruel and capricious antagonist, I found myself sympathizing with her. I wouldn't want that level of stupid messing up my family's gene pool either.
- The story has Psyche traveling through the underworld after receiving advice from the turret of a tower. She has to carry two honey cakes to feed to (an unnamed) Cerberus, and two coins in her mouth to pay passage to Charon. Psyche follows all of the advice to the letter, and makes it out of Tartarus without a hitch. But, not realizing that this was all probably a trick that was designed to test her (already established) weaknesses, she ignores the final bit of advice that the tower provided and opened the box/jar. It was filled with sleep.
- This story can have many variations. All that's needed is a protagonist who has been given something and told not to use or open it, and that protagonist ignoring the order.


Bibliography: "Cupid and Psyche," The Golden Ass by Apuleius, trans. by Tony Kline. Web source.

Reading Notes: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche, Part A

Cupid and Psyche by Bernard Lens (Wikimedia)

- The story of Cupid and Psyche has a lot of common themes: divine punishment, jealousy, and a prohibition (from a husband to a new wife) that is ignored.
- The prohibition part of the story is the aspect that I've always found the most interesting. In many ways it reminds me of the Bluebeard story. In this case, Psyche is not only warned that she's not allowed to look at him, she is also warned that her sisters will attempt to trick her into doing so.
- Why was Psyche so easily duped? She is described as innocent throughout the story, but her actions aren't a result of innocence. They are the result of sheer stupidity.
- Even allowing that the desire to know cannot be overcome, once she had looked, why did she not immediately blow out the lamp. She puttered around, playing with things and attempting to make out with the person that she wants to stay asleep. Once again, sheer stupidity.
- This story could be retold in many ways: Psyche (or a similar character) could resist the urge to look. However, the need to know is understandable. In the Bluebeard story, the groom is a viscous murderer. It's better to have that knowledge than to not. Perhaps the best variation is to acknowledge how vital the need to know is, but have the heroine not be an idiot when getting the information she needs.

Bibliography: "Cupid and Psyche," The Golden Ass by Apuleius, trans. by Tony Kline. Web source.