Cupid and Psyche

1. Why was Venus (a goddess), so jealous of Psyche (a mortal) ?

Venus became jealous because Psyche’s beauty surpassing beauty has transfixed all the mortals,
so they forget Venus, and neglect her temples and altars.

1. What did Venus tell her son Cupid to do to Psyche?

Venus plans to have her son Cupid, shoot Psyche with a love arrow, so that Psyche fall in love
with a hideous creature.

2. How did Psyche feel about going to meet her destined husband?

She feels relief that her loneliness will be over.

3. How did the rest of her family feel?

Her family is distraught and mourns for her.

4. Why?

Because they were told that her husband would be a terrible serpent.

5. Where was Psyche taken when she went to the hilltop?

She was taken to a beautiful palace.

6. What was surprising about the atmosphere that she was in and the way that she was treated?

What is surprising about the atmosphere is that it was very welcoming, yet she was alone the
entire time.

7. How did Psyche's sisters react when they went to visit her and saw all of her wealth?

Psyche’s sisters became extremely jealous of her superior riches and treasures.

8. What was the plan that Psyche carried out one evening?

Her plan was to look upon her husband.

9. Why was she shocked at her findings?

She was shocked because he was the beautiful god of Love ( Cupid) and not an ugly serpent as
her sisters told her.

10.Who did her husband turn out to be and what did he do/say when he saw her?

It turned out that her husband is no other than Cupid.

11.Psyche searched everywhere for her husband. Where did she finally find him and what was
he doing there?

She finds him at his mother’s house (Venus) tending to his wound.

12.What were the four things that Venus made Psyche do out of bitterness and envy?

The four tasks were:

 Sort a huge amount of barley, millet, poppy seeds, lentils, and beans
 Gather a hank of the wool of the shining golden sheep
 Fill a crystal vessel with the water of the springs that feeds the Styx and Cocytus
 Aphrodite asked Psyche to bring her back a box of Persephone’s beauty cream.

13.How did Psyche manage to get them done?

Others help her each time she gets them done.

14.♥ List any archetypal story patterns, situations and characters at this point:

Story Pattern:

 The Quest- In a quest archetype, the main character must reach a certain location, attain a
certain object, or fulfill a certain objective while conquering many obstacles along the way.

Character Archetypal:

 The Hero- main character who may fulfill a task or bring justice
 The Bully- Intimidates others
 The Damsel in Distress- The hero rescues her
 Trickster- This does not follow rules and simply distracting the hero.
 The Star- Crossed Lover- The pair usually meet tragedy

Situational Archetypal:

 Battle of Good and Evil- Good ultimately triumphs

 The Initiation- A character matures and takes responsibility
 The Magic Weapon- The hero has the ability to use this to be successful in the quest or to
prove he?she is the chosen one.
 The Quest- The search for someone or something
 The Task- Something that must be done

15.Why did Psyche open the box of beauty and what happened when she did?

Psyche felt curious, and that she must see what the beauty charm in the box was. She also wanted
to look beautiful for Cupid if she were able to see him again. When she open the box, she fell
into deep sleep.

16.How and why did Psyche become immortal?

Cupid woke Psyche from her deep sleep, then flew to Olympus to ask Jupiter to marry them.
Jupiter accepted, married the two, and bestowed immortality upon Psyche.

17.Was Venus satisfied with this situation? Why or why not?

Yes, because she had a goddess for her daughter- in-law. Now that she is immortal, men will
bring their attention back to Venus, and Psyche is now worthy to marry Venus’s son because she
is immortal.

18.What does the name Psyche mean?

The name Psyche is primarily a female name of Greek origin that means “ The Soul.”

19.♥♥List any archetypal story patterns, situations and characters at this

Story Pattern:

Voyage and Return- A voyage and return story sends the protagonist to a strange land, from
which they will return armed with wisdom and life experience.

Character Archetypal:

 The Hero- Main character who may fulfill a task or bring justice
 The Bully- Intimidates others
 The Damsel in Distress- The hero rescues her
 Friendly Beast- Assists the hero
 Survivor- Never gives up and always pulls through

Situational Archetypal:

 Battle of Good and Evil- Good ultimately triumphs

 The Hero’s Journey- The hero confronts trials along the way
 The Quest- The search for someone or something
 The Task- Something that must be done