Cupid and Psyche

Cupid and Psyche
Group 1- Angel Pinca, Dafphnie Bello, Rayver Caparal, Althea Mae Caray
Cupid and Psyche is a story originally from Metamorphoses
written in the 2nd century AD by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis
Characters
 Cupid- Son Of Venus, God of Love, The beautiful winged youth
 Psyche- Youngest Daughter of the King, A beautiful mortal, A lovely Maiden who
surpassed the beauty of Venus
 Venus- Also called Aphrodite in Greek, Mother of Cupid, Roman goddess of love and
beauty
 Zephyr- Greek God of west wind, The sweetest and mildest of winds,
 Jove- Also known as Jupiter, The ancient Roman Sky God, Ruler of the Olympian Gods
 Juno- Roman goddess of woman, marriage and maternity
 Charon- The Ferryman
 Cerberus- The three-headed dog
 Ceres- Also known as Mercury, The goddess of agriculture, grain, crops, fertility, and
motherly relationships.
 Apollo- The god of Greek prophecy and healing
 Persephone- The goddess queen of the underworld, Wife of the god Hades
 King- Father of Psyche
 Two sisters of Psyche
Setting of the Story

 Cupid’s Palace- The first parts of the story was mostly described in Cupid's Palace. Wherein
Psyche was brought into after her parents abandoned her in the mountaintop.
 The Underworld- The realm of the dead, where Venus instructs Psyche to go in order to bring
back a box of Proserpine's (Persephone's) beauty, is the other important location in the narrative.
 Mt. Olympus- When Psyche finally succeeds in her mission and regains Cupid's love and trust,
she receives the greatest reward when he takes her to Mount Olympus to become a goddess. The
gods' dwelling place, Mount Olympus, is arguably the most spectacular location in all of Greco-
Roman mythology.
Conflict
Jealousy is one of the main sources of conflict in the tale of Cupid and Psyche. Venus makes Psyche do a
number of incredibly impossible tasks, which displays jealousy. Jupiter (also known as Zeus), the king of
the gods, must ultimately step in to put an end to this jealous woman's antics.
Summary
Cupid and Psyche by Apuleius depicts a tale of trials and tiring feats of Cupid (or Eros), the God
of Love, Psyche, the Goddess of Soul, and Venus (or Aphrodite), the Goddess of Beauty. Cupid
seeks for Psyche, the most stunning woman in Greece, to condemn her to fall in love with a
monster. Due to Venus' envy as Cupid begins his work, Psyche steals his heart, and he prickles
his finger on his arrow. When Psyche visits an oracle, she is informed that she would fall in love
with a monster and is then taken to a castle where she spends her days with an invisible monster
(who is secretly Cupid). After coercion by her sisters, she spies on Cupid at nighttime and sees
his regular form and falls in love. Venus is enraged, and makes Psyche do death defying tasks,
but with the help of animals, gods, and her own love, she is able to successfully finish them all,
and is turned into a goddess herself to be with Cupid for eternity

Theme
Redemption and Love
Some people have seen the tale of Cupid and Psyche as an allegory of humankind's fall and
subsequent redemption. When Cupid forbids her from doing so, Psyche breaks a commitment by
looking at him. She then unintentionally hurts him with candle oil. Psyche embarks on a mission
to win him back after he abandons her as a result of this wrongdoing. The purpose of Psyche's
journey is redemptive. She demonstrates the strength of her love by going through many
hardships and even confronting death.
Moral Lessons found in the story
-There are two main lessons found in the story
 Being jealous because someone has apparently surpassed your beauty is not a valid
reason. Everyone has been given a gift of uniqueness and each one should treasure it be
proud.
 The lesson also involves trust and love. Cupid is confident that Psyche will never glance
at him. The conclusion of this narrative is that "Love cannot live where there is no trust."
Psyche eventually betrays this trust.

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Cupid and Psyche

Cupid and Psyche is a story originally from Metamorphoses

written in the 2nd century AD by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis

Setting of the Story

and is turned into a goddess herself to be with Cupid for eternity

Redemption and Love

hardships and even confronting death.

Moral Lessons found in the story

-There are two main lessons found in the story

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