Reading Notes: Psyche's Beauty and the Anger of Venus, Part A


Psyche: The Goddess of the Soul

In this story, Psyche is a princess with two sisters who are described to be very beautiful. Psyche's beauty is described to be so delightful that "no human speech in its poverty could celebrate them, or even rise to adequate description." People treated her like a god because of her gorgeous looks and would be in complete awe of her when they saw her. People were willing to travel long distances just to witness her miraculous beauty. The fame of her beauty grew across the world. I could image that many people were jealous of Psyche, especially her two sisters. Psyche either loved the attention or hated it, and I would think that it would probably have a great affect on her relationship with her sisters.

Venus's shrines and temples were no longer visited because people only wanted to see Psyche. This angered Venus greatly and made her extremely jealous. Because of her jealously and anger, she sends her son Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with the most wretched of men. This story does not tell the aftermath of sending Cupid to her, but Venus is in for a huge surprise. 

Story Source: Apuleius's Golden Ass, as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013).

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