Cupid and Psyche Cupid Psyche Plot outline Archetypes/themes

Cupid Son of Aphrodite—goddess of Love and Beauty Wings; Bow and Arrow—shoots arrows into lovers Immortal like major gods Falls in love with Psyche

Psyche So beautiful people were praising her and ignoring Aphrodite Was punished by Aphrodite for her beauty Betrayed Cupid’s trust Did “penance” until Cupid forgave her

Plot Outline Aphrodite jealous of Psyche Aphrodite/Venus sent Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with a hideous creature Cupid falls in love with her instead Psyche has admirers but no lovers (Cupid) She was left on a summit to meet what was believed to be her doom She was brought to a mansion with servants Psyche’s husband, Cupid, visited her only at night

Plot Outline—cont. Psyche visits sisters—misses them Cupid was leery—warned her not to look at him Psyche’s sisters convince her that her husband is a monster/serpent She fought with self—did she want assurance or not; trust issue. She looks at him with candle/knife in hand Cupid flees after being burned; love can’t live where there is no trust

Plot Outline—cont. Psyche commits to showing Cupid how much she loves him/making it up to him/penance Venus gives her impossible tasks to complete; she accomplished all of them with help Cupid’s “wound” healed; ready to forgive After Venus relents at Zeus’s behest, Cupid and Psyche marry and immortality is bestowed upon her

Archetypes/themes Faith/loyalty/trust Envy/jealousy/treachery Redemption/forgiveness Transcendence