Chapter Five: Cupid and Psyche

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Chapter Five: Cupid and Psyche Chapter Five: Cupid and Psyche (from Mythology for Today ­­­Hamilton’s Mythology) 1. Venus becomes jealous because Psyche’s surpassing beauty has transfixed all the mortals, so that they forget Venus, and neglect her temples and altars. 2. Venus plans to have her son, Cupid, shoot Psyche with a love arrow, so that Psyche will fall in love with a hideous creature. Venus’ plan fails because Cupid himself falls in love with the beautiful Psyche. 3. Psyche’s father believes that he must leave her on the summit to be claimed by her serpent‐husband, for this is what he has been told by the Oracle of Apollo. However, the truth is that Cupid has arranged this himself, so that he can carry Psyche away as his own bride. 4. Her sisters become jealous of Psyche’s superior riches and treasures. 5. Psyche is torn between her love for and her faith in her husband, and the doubt and fear her sisters cause her to feel. She is unable to live with the uncertainty of not knowing the truth. 6. When Psyche sees that her husband is a beautiful youth, she feels too ashamed of her suspicion that she is about to plunge the knife intended for him into her own breast. However, her hand trembles and the knife falls. This faltering saves her own life, but also causes her to drip some lamp oil on Cupid, who sees that she has betrayed him and runs away. 7. Psyche is made to separate by kind a huge mixed mass of tiny grains; ants separate them for her. She is made to collect golden fleece from wild and fierce sheep; a reed advises her to collect the wool that has caught on the briars by the riverside. She is made to collect a jar of water from a waterfall of the dangerous river Styx.; an eagle collects the water for her. She is made to visit the Underworld, and collect from Proserpine a box containing some of her beauty; Cupid saves her from the dangers posed by her own curiosity. 8. She is unable to resist the temptation to look upon her lover, and the temptation to see what is inside the box which contains some of Proserpine’s beauty. 9. Psyche is welcomed to Olympus by Zeus and tastes the ambrosia, food of the gods, which makes her immortal. 10. Venus realizes that it is good to have a daughter‐in‐law who is herself a goddess; also, as a goddess residing on Olympus, Psyche will no longer command the attention of the mortals on earth. .
Recommended publications
  • Apuleius's Story of Cupid and Psyche and the Roman Law of Marriage" Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-), Vol
    Georgetown University Institutional Repository http://www.library.georgetown.edu/digitalgeorgetown The author made this article openly available online. Please tell us how this access affects you. Your story matters. OSGOOD, J. "Nuptiae Iure Civili Congruae: Apuleius's Story of Cupid and Psyche and the Roman Law of Marriage" Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-), Vol. 136, No. 2 (Autumn, 2006), pp. 415-441 Collection Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/10822/555440 © 2006 The John Hopkins University Press This material is made available online with the permission of the author, and in accordance with publisher policies. No further reproduction or distribution of this copy is permitted by electronic transmission or any other means. Transactionsof the American Philological Association 136 (2006) 415-441 Nuptiae lure Civili Congruae: Apuleius'sStory of Cupid and Psyche and the Roman Lawof Marriage JOSIAH OSGOOD GeorgetownUniversity SUMMARY: Socialhistorians, despite showing greatinterest in Apuleius'sMeta- morphoses,have tended to ignorethe novel'sembedded tale of Cupidand Psycheon the groundsthat it is purelyimaginary. This paperdemonstrates that Apuleiusin fact refersthroughout his story to realRoman practices, especially legal practices-most conspicuousare the frequentreferences to the Romanlaw of marriage.A carefulexamination of severalpassages thus shows how knowl- edge of Romanlaw, it turns out, enhancesthe reader'spleasure in Apuleius's story.The paperconcludes by exploringthe connectionsbetween Apuleius's fairytaleand the accountof his own marriageto AemiliaPudentilla in his ear- lier work,the Apologia.Apuleius seems to be recalling,playfully, his own earlier legal success.At the same time, both works suggestthat legal problemsarose in Romanfamilies not becauseof the actions of any officialenforcers, but rather appealto the law by particularfamily members.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of the Cupid and Psyche Myth, with Particular Reference to C.S
    Inklings Forever Volume 7 A Collection of Essays Presented at the Seventh Frances White Ewbank Colloquium on C.S. Article 21 Lewis & Friends 6-3-2010 Tale as Old as Time: A Study of the Cupid and Psyche Myth, with Particular Reference to C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces John Stanifer Follow this and additional works at: https://pillars.taylor.edu/inklings_forever Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, History Commons, Philosophy Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Stanifer, John (2010) "Tale as Old as Time: A Study of the Cupid and Psyche Myth, with Particular Reference to C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces," Inklings Forever: Vol. 7 , Article 21. Available at: https://pillars.taylor.edu/inklings_forever/vol7/iss1/21 This Essay is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for the Study of C.S. Lewis & Friends at Pillars at Taylor University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Inklings Forever by an authorized editor of Pillars at Taylor University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Tale as Old as Time: A Study of the Cupid and Psyche Myth, with Particular Reference to C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces Cover Page Footnote This essay is available in Inklings Forever: https://pillars.taylor.edu/inklings_forever/vol7/iss1/21 INKLINGS FOREVER, Volume VII A Collection of Essays Presented at the Seventh FRANCES WHITE COLLOQUIUM on C.S. LEWIS & FRIENDS Taylor University 2010 Upland, Indiana Tale as Old as Time A Study of the Cupid & Psyche Myth, with Particular Reference to C.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Graham Jones
    Ni{ i Vizantija XIV 629 Graham Jones SEEDS OF SANCTITY: CONSTANTINE’S CITY AND CIVIC HONOURING OF HIS MOTHER HELENA Of cities and citizens in the Byzantine world, Constantinople and its people stand preeminent. A recent remark that the latter ‘strove in everything to be worthy of the Mother of God, to Whom the city was dedicated by St Constantine the Great in 330’ follows a deeply embedded pious narrative in which state and church intertwine in the city’s foundation as well as its subse- quent fortunes. Sadly, it perpetuates a flawed reading of the emperor’s place in the political and religious landscape. For a more nuanced and considered view we have only to turn to Vasiliki Limberis’ masterly account of politico-religious civic transformation from the reign of Constantine to that of Justinian. In the concluding passage of Divine Heiress: The Virgin Mary and the Creation of Christianity, Limberis reaffirms that ‘Constantinople had no strong sectarian Christian tradition. Christianity was new to the city, and it was introduced at the behest of the emperor.’ Not only did the civic ceremonies of the imperial cult remain ‘an integral part of life in the city, breaking up the monotony of everyday existence’. Hecate, Athena, Demeter and Persephone, and Isis had also enjoyed strong presences in the city, some of their duties and functions merging into those of two protector deities, Tyche Constantinopolis, tutelary guardian of the city and its fortune, and Rhea, Mother of the Gods. These two continued to be ‘deeply ingrained in the religious cultural fabric of Byzantium..
    [Show full text]
  • MYTHOLOGY MAY 2018 Detail of Copy After Arpino's Perseus and Andromeda
    HOMESCHOOL THIRD THURSDAYS MYTHOLOGY MAY 2018 Detail of Copy after Arpino's Perseus and Andromeda Workshop of Giuseppe Cesari (Italian), 1602-03. Oil on canvas. Bequest of John Ringling, 1936. Creature Creation Today, we challenge you to create your own mythological creature out of Crayola’s Model Magic! Open your packet of Model Magic and begin creating. If you need inspiration, take a look at the back of this sheet. MYTHOLOGICAL Try to incorporate basic features of animals – eyes, mouths, legs, etc.- while also combining part of CREATURES different creatures. Some works of art that we are featuring for Once you’ve finished sculpting, today’s Homeschool Third Thursday include come up with a unique name for creatures like the sea monster. Many of these your creature. Does your creature mythological creatures consist of various human have any special powers or and animal parts combined into a single creature- abilities? for example, a centaur has the body of a horse and the torso of a man. Other times the creatures come entirely from the imagination, like the sea monster shown above. Some of these creatures also have supernatural powers, some good and some evil. Mythological Creatures: Continued Greco-Roman mythology features many types of mythological creatures. Here are some ideas to get your project started! Sphinxes are wise, riddle- loving creatures with bodies of lions and heads of women. Greek hero Perseus rides a flying horse named Pegasus. Sphinx Centaurs are Greco- Pegasus Roman mythological creatures with torsos of men and legs of horses. Satyrs are creatures with the torsos of men and the legs of goats.
    [Show full text]
  • Metamorphosis of Love: Eros As Agent in Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary France" (2017)
    University of Central Florida STARS Honors Undergraduate Theses UCF Theses and Dissertations 2017 Metamorphosis of Love: Eros as Agent in Revolutionary and Post- Revolutionary France Jennifer N. Laffick University of Central Florida Part of the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the UCF Theses and Dissertations at STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Undergraduate Theses by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recommended Citation Laffick, Jennifer N., "Metamorphosis of Love: Eros as Agent in Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary France" (2017). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 195. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses/195 METAMORPHOSIS OF LOVE: EROS AS AGENT IN REVOLUTIONARY AND POST-REVOLUTIONARY FRANCE by JENNIFER N. LAFFICK A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Honors in the Major Program in Art History in the College of Arts and Humanities and in The Burnett Honors College at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term, 2017 Thesis Chair: Dr. Margaret Zaho ABSTRACT This thesis chronicles the god of love, Eros, and the shifts of function and imagery associated with him. Between the French Revolution and the fall of Napoleon Eros’s portrayals shift from the Rococo’s mischievous infant revealer of love to a beautiful adolescent in love, more specifically, in love with Psyche. In the 1790s, with Neoclassicism in full force, the literature of antiquity was widely read by the upper class.
    [Show full text]
  • ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE GRADE 9 Reading a Myth: Persephone
    ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE GRADE 9 Reading a myth: Persephone MEMORANDUM 1. This myth explains the changing of the seasons. Which season is your favourite and why? Learners own response. Winter/Autumn/Spring/Summer✓ + reason.✓ 2. Myths are stories that explain natural occurrences and express beliefs about what is right and wrong. What natural occurrence does the bracketed paragraph explain? The paragraph relates to earthquakes and volcanos✓ that shake the earth’s core. It suggests that “fearful’ fire-breathing giants” presumably volcanos✓, heave and struggle to get free, which causes the earthquakes. ✓ 3. How do the Greeks explain how people fall in love? Eros (Cupid) the god of love✓, shoots people in the heart with a love-arrow✓ that makes them fall in love. 4. Who is Pluto? He is the “dark monarch” king of the underworld✓ otherwise known as hell. 5. A cause is an effect or action that produces a result. A result is called an effect. What effect does Eros’s arrow have on Pluto? Eros’s arrow fills Pluto’s heart with warm emotions. ✓He sees Persephone and immediately falls in love with her. ✓ 6. What is the result of Demeter’s anger at the land? The ground was no longer fertile. ✓ Nothing could grow anymore. Men and oxen worked to grow crops, but they could not. ✓ There was too much rain ✓ and too much sun✓, so the crops did not grow. The cattle died✓ due to starvation. All of mankind would die✓ of starvation. 7. How do the details that describe what happened to the earth explain natural occurrences? The paragraph suggests that drought✓ is caused by Demeter who is angry✓ with the land.
    [Show full text]
  • Names of Botanical Genera Inspired by Mythology
    Names of botanical genera inspired by mythology Iliana Ilieva * University of Forestry, Sofia, Bulgaria. GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2021, 14(03), 008–018 Publication history: Received on 16 January 2021; revised on 15 February 2021; accepted on 17 February 2021 Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/gscbps.2021.14.3.0050 Abstract The present article is a part of the project "Linguistic structure of binomial botanical denominations". It explores the denominations of botanical genera that originate from the names of different mythological characters – deities, heroes as well as some gods’ attributes. The examined names are picked based on “Conspectus of the Bulgarian vascular flora”, Sofia, 2012. The names of the plants are arranged in alphabetical order. Beside each Latin name is indicated its English common name and the family that the particular genus belongs to. The article examines the etymology of each name, adding a short account of the myth based on which the name itself is created. An index of ancient authors at the end of the article includes the writers whose works have been used to clarify the etymology of botanical genera names. Keywords: Botanical genera names; Etymology; Mythology 1. Introduction The present research is a part of the larger project "Linguistic structure of binomial botanical denominations", based on “Conspectus of the Bulgarian vascular flora”, Sofia, 2012 [1]. The article deals with the botanical genera appellations that originate from the names of different mythological figures – deities, heroes as well as some gods’ attributes. According to ICBN (International Code of Botanical Nomenclature), "The name of a genus is a noun in the nominative singular, or a word treated as such, and is written with an initial capital letter (see Art.
    [Show full text]
  • Hesiod Theogony.Pdf
    Hesiod (8th or 7th c. BC, composed in Greek) The Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, are probably slightly earlier than Hesiod’s two surviving poems, the Works and Days and the Theogony. Yet in many ways Hesiod is the more important author for the study of Greek mythology. While Homer treats cer- tain aspects of the saga of the Trojan War, he makes no attempt at treating myth more generally. He often includes short digressions and tantalizes us with hints of a broader tra- dition, but much of this remains obscure. Hesiod, by contrast, sought in his Theogony to give a connected account of the creation of the universe. For the study of myth he is im- portant precisely because his is the oldest surviving attempt to treat systematically the mythical tradition from the first gods down to the great heroes. Also unlike the legendary Homer, Hesiod is for us an historical figure and a real per- sonality. His Works and Days contains a great deal of autobiographical information, in- cluding his birthplace (Ascra in Boiotia), where his father had come from (Cyme in Asia Minor), and the name of his brother (Perses), with whom he had a dispute that was the inspiration for composing the Works and Days. His exact date cannot be determined with precision, but there is general agreement that he lived in the 8th century or perhaps the early 7th century BC. His life, therefore, was approximately contemporaneous with the beginning of alphabetic writing in the Greek world. Although we do not know whether Hesiod himself employed this new invention in composing his poems, we can be certain that it was soon used to record and pass them on.
    [Show full text]
  • An Exploration of Changes in Role and Character by Lisa Halim A
    Psyche’s Metamorphosis: An Exploration of Changes in Role and Character By Lisa Halim A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts Department of Classics University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright © 2017 Lisa Halim Halim I Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………………….III Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………….IV Dedication…………………………………………………………………………..V Introduction………………………………………………………………………..1 Chapter I: Techniques and Approaches…………………………………………9 Introduction………………………………………………………………....9 Propp………………………………………………………………………..9 Campbell…………………………………………………………………...13 ATU……………………………………………………………………..…16 Psychological Elements……………………………………………………23 Artistic Tradition.………………………………………………………….24 Philosophical Elements……………………………………………………26 Societal Norms…………………………………………………………….27 Intratextual Details……………………………………………………...…28 Discussion…………………………………………………………………32 Chapter II: Psyche’s Moments of Role Reversal within the Tale……………..34 Introduction………………………………………………………………...34 Section One: Metamorphoses 4.28-4.35…………………………………...34 Section Two: Metamorphoses 5.1-5.24……………………………………40 Section Three: Metamorphoses 5.25-6.24…………………………………44 Discussion………………………………………………………………….52 Chapter Three: Application of Techniques and Approaches to the Tale……..53 Halim II Introduction…………………………………………………………………53 Propp………………………………………………………………………..56 Campbell……………………………………………………………………60 ATU…………………………………………………………………………64 Psychological Elements……………………………………………………..67
    [Show full text]
  • Sevy 1 Monique Sevy Professor Julianne Sandlin AH 205 11035 8 March 2012 the Augustus of Primaporta: a Message of Imperial Divin
    Sevy 1 Monique Sevy Professor Julianne Sandlin AH 205 11035 8 March 2012 The Augustus of Primaporta: A Message of Imperial Divinity The Augustus of Primaporta is a freestanding marble sculpture in the round. The sculpture is a larger than life 6’ 8” tall and is an example of early Roman imperial portrait sculpture. This sculpture is currently displayed in the Braccio Nuovo of the Vatican Museums in Rome, Italy. This marble portrait of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, is a very naturalistic statue. Although the sculpture was carved in the early first century, at the time of the Roman empire, Augustus stands in a Classical Greek contrapposto pose. While the sculptor of this piece is unknown, we do know that he or she followed the canon of the High Classical Greek sculptor named Polykleitos in pose, idealization, and proportion (Stokstad, Cothren 174). The Augustus of Primaporta statue sends not only a message of the Emperor Augustus as an accomplished military leader, but also clearly suggests that the emperor is a divine being. The Augustus of Primaporta is a three-dimensional sculpture. The statue actually occupies space; therefore there is no need to use illusion to create suggested space. However, the statue does use space, both negative and positive, to influence the viewer. The negative space between Augustus’s calves forms an implied triangle, or arrow, directing the viewer’s gaze upward toward the center focal point of the piece, while the positive space of the emperor’s raised and pointed right arm forcefully pierces the space surrounding the piece.
    [Show full text]
  • The Philosophical Satire of Apuleius' Cupid and Psyche: Alignment and Contradiction in Allusions to Plato and Lucretius
    The Philosophical Satire of Apuleius' Cupid and Psyche: Alignment and Contradiction in Allusions to Plato and Lucretius Paul Brucia Breitenfeld [email protected] Classical Languages Major at Haverford College, Class of 2019 Classical Languages 29 June 2018 Breitenfeld 2 Abstract Cupid and Psyche, the expositional myth that interrupts the narrative of Apuleius' novel Metamorphoses, has been regarded as Platonic allegory for how the soul falls in love. However, inconsistencies and faults in the Platonic logic of Apuleius' allusions have caused some scholars to question the strict Platonic reading. Additionally, Apuleius' allusions to philosophic beliefs are not limited to the Platonic. His extensive quotations of Lucretius and his De Rerum Natura have long been recognized, though they are rarely studied at great length. Looking closely at the allusions to De Rerum Natura in Cupid and Psyche, I have found a rich coexistence of philosophical alignment and contradiction to Lucretius' Epicureanism. Therefore, considering the existence of allusions that correspond to and contradict both Platonism and Epicureanism and the relationship between those allusions and the rest of the text, I shall demonstrate that the tale of Cupid and Psyche is not simply an exposition of Platonic philosophy but rather a philosophic farce. Apuleius draws his readers in with a multitude of references to the canon of Mediterranean literature and then subverts and satirizes those works. His fantastical story––which on the surface seems to be a lofty myth about love and heartbreak, heaven and hell, labors and celebration––becomes a well- crafted joke and a lesson in intellectual humility. Breitenfeld 3 Throughout Apuleius' Metamorphoses, and in particular during the novel's famous Cupid and Psyche episode, scholars have identified numerous references to philosophical ideas.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cupid and Psyche Myth in Edith Wharton's the Gods Arrive
    Creativity Bound: The Cupid and Psyche Myth in Edith Wharton’s The Gods Arrive Edith Wharton (1862-1937) uses elements of Apuleius’ Cupid and Psyche myth in earlier works, such as the short story, “The Lamp of Psyche” and in her novel The Reef to narrate the illusions of love. In Wharton’s last published novel, The Gods Arrive (1932), the sequel to Hudson River Bracketed (1929), she develops the theme of Cupid and Psyche once again in the protagonist writer, Vance Weston, and his muse, Halo Spear. As previously, Wharton uses the allusion to narrate the suspicion and disenchantment that begin to seep into their relationship, but extends the metaphors of lamps, wings, and chains to develop Vance’s creative journey, which is bound up in Vance’s love affair with Halo. Wharton, who read Plato’s Republic, Symposium, and the Phaedrus, incorporates Platonic elements along with the Cupid and Psyche myth to narrate of the journeys of both the artist and the muse. [Get Carol Singley’s observation in here.] Halo, in speaking of artists pursuing their calling, terms the end result their “salvation” (Wharton 201). For Vance the creative process is, in part, a development of his soul, and his story is told in terms of revelation and spiritual conversion. Halo and Vance each assume the roles of both Cupid and Psyche. At times Vance is the figure of Psyche, as he craves spiritual and creative transcendence. Halo is the divine Cupid figure who provides the means to his achieving this. At other times Halo is Psyche, who is not certain she can bear the happiness Vance offers her (Wharton 11).
    [Show full text]