For
the part Reading B of Apuleius’s Cupidand Psyche stories we got to learn about the different task Venus gives
Psyche to do (four all together). During each of the different task Psyche always
receives help from other animals or objects, I think a very key aspect in each
story. And in the last task she needs to accomplish in The Sleep of the Dead, Cupid comes to help her so she can complete
the final task. During the stories Cupid just seemed to be moping in a room at
his mother’s house, not helping his so called “love of his life”. You begin to
worry that he is not that much in love with Psyche. The act of escaping and
coming straight to her rescue restores your faith in their love for each other.
This is similar to a damsel in distress
in most Disney princess movie where animals, other friends, and her prince
charming all come in to help the princess. The final task is also similar to sleeping
beauty because Psyche falls into a dead like slumber. However, this story is different
since Psyche is woken but Cupid brushing off the “sleep” unlike Sleeping Beauty
where Prince Charming kisses her to awake her. One aspect of the stories that
needs to be kept is that Psyche is pregnant during most of the story, and then
at the very end in The Wedding Feast,
they name the baby girl “Pleasure”. Even though Psyche and Cupid’s love story
ends happily, all is forgotten of Venus cruelty to Psyche. Even though she is a
goddess, I think she should have to suffer some repercussions for her cruel
actions against Psyche. Finally, like the start of the story we end with going
back to the robbers in the cave scene. While this does not have much to do with
the Psyche and Cupid love story it does lead into Apuleius’s Golden Ass translated by Tony Kline. The donkey, Lucius escapes
with the kidnapped girl and they start on their trip to return her back home. The
ending still leaves us with curiosity on if the girl will make it back home and
if Lucius will be turned back into a human.
Sleeping Beauty waiting to be awoken by her Prince Charming. Source: Wikimedia Commons
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