Psyche: Human. Her Beauty Mated That of Venus

Brittany Seto

Characters:

 Cupid: God of Love; Venus’ son

 Psyche: Human. Her beauty mated that of Venus’

Summary/Synopsis:

In the story, Psyche is introduced as a beautiful mortal who rivaled the beauty of Venus. Sent by his mother, Venus, Cupid went down to shoot Psyche with one of his arrows so she would fall in love with a hideous creature. Instead, he fell madly in love with her and made her his wife. Psyche, though, did not know the identity of her husband as he requested for her not to see him in the light. When she betrayed his trust by trying to look at him while he was asleep, he fled and Psyche submitted herself to Venus, sure that she would never see him again. Venus sent her to perform several tasks: ______. In the end, Cupid and Psyche get back together and Jupiter allows them to wed in front of all the Gods.

Archetype:

 Damsel in distress

 Heroine

Theme:

 Light vs. Dark

o Light: hope, renewal

o Dark: Ignorance

Thesis:

 Psyche’s persona as a strong woman and as a heroine still resonates with today’s society in the fact that more and more women are taking a stand and fighting for what they believe in.