Buod Ng Cupid At Psyche – Ang Pinakamaganda At Ang Anak Ni Venus

February 7, 2020 by Maestro Valle Rey in CategoriesEducational

Ang kwentong ito ay nasasabing galing sa kwentong Metamorphoses na isinulat noong ikalawang siglo ni
Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis.

Ito ay nagsimula sa kay Psyche na pinakabunso at pinakamagandang babae sa kanilang tatlong magkakapatid.
Itinutulad ang ganda niya sa mga diyosa sa punto na ang mga nabighani sa ganda niya’y sinasamba siya at
hindi kay Venus na diyosa ng pag-ibig sa dahilan nila na reinkarnasyon ni Venus si Psyche.

Dahil dito, isinugo ni Venus ang anak niyang si Cupid para panain siya para magmahal sa isang napakapangit na
nilalang. Subalit, dahil nabighani rin si Cupid sa ganda ni Psyche, itinurok niya ang kanyang daliri sa kanyang
pana para iibigin ang dalaga.

Ang ama ni Psyche ay nagkonsulta sa orakulo ni Apollo pero sabi ng orakulo ay iiwanan si Psyche sa bangin
para kunin siya ng isang nilalang na parang dragon.

Nang maiwan na si Psyche, idinala siya ni Zephyr, ang dios ng hangin, para dalhin siya sa kanyang itinadhana.
Pinayagan niya ang kanyang sarili na anyayahin siya sa kwarto na di niya alam kun sino ang kanyang asawa.

Dahil nagtaka siya kun ano ang anyo ng kanyang asawa, nagdala siya ng isang sundang at lampara para patayin
niya ito kung isa siyang halimaw. Ngunit nagulat siya nang nalaman niyang si Cupid ang asawa niya sa punto na
nahulog ang lampara at nasunod si Cupido, na umalos sa huli.

Hinanap ni Psyche si Cupid sa punto na humarap siya kay Venus. Inilagay siya ng diyosa sa tatlong gawaing
napakaimpossible. Nagtagumpay siya sa tatlong gawain at patungo na siya sa huling gawain.

Ang huling Gawain ay magtungo sa mundong ilalim at kunin ang isang katas ng kagandahan ni Prosepina. Nang
akuha niya ito’y bumalik siya sa luklukan ni Venus. Nang buksan niya ito’y hindi ito ang katas ng kagandahan ni
Proserpina kundi isang katas ng Stygian sleep.

Tumungo si Cupid sa kanyang natutulog na asawa at binigyan ito ang ambrosia para maging imortal si Psyche.
Pagkatapos nanganak si Psyche at tinawagan niya itong “Pleasure”.
 Desire in the Cupid and Psyche Tale
May 5, 2017 By Nick DeFillipo

Desire is one of the main themes in the tale of Cupid and Psyche within Apuleius’ The Golden Ass. This may seem
obvious since the word for desire in Latin is literally the name of the God of Love himself,  cupido, cupidinis.[i] Desire
provides the motivation for nearly all major actions within the tale. It is presented through two different lenses, desire
as curiosity and desire as envy.
The large impact that desire plays on the story is seen from the beginning, when the reader is told of the flocks of men,
from Greece and abroad, who journey across the ancient world simply out of a desire to lay their eyes on the beauty of
Psyche. These admirers do not just wish to see her beauty – they are overcome with a desire for it. Greece is notoriously
mountainous and the Mediterranean Sea is known to be tricky, so making a journey such as this is not only a lengthy
endeavor, but a treacherous one. By this time in the novel, we have already been introduced to the danger of thieves
and the threat they pose to travelers. Thus, for so many to endure such a grueling danger and to be “assembling in
fervid throngs” just to see Psyche shows the power of desire within the story.[ii]

Another particularly telling incident within the tale is in Book V.23, when Psyche, disregarding her promise to Cupid,
looks at his face while he is sleeping. At this juncture, she is gazing upon the face of the literal personification of desire,
and its effect on her is powerful: “Then, as her desire for the god of desire burned hotter and hotter, she mooned
desperately over him and hurried to heap on open-mouthed, wanton kisses, out of fear that his slumber might soon
end.”[iii] What is even more telling is not the effect it has on Psyche, but, rather, the effect it has on the oil lamp, which
drips a hot drop of oil onto his sleeping body, “whether in pernicious perfidy or poisonous envy, or because it was itself
eager to touch and kiss (as it were) such a beautiful body” (Meta.V.23).

Even an oil lamp is subject to the powers of desire. Interestingly enough, Psyche scolds the lamp for dripping onto Cupid,
noting how Cupid is the father of the lamp; “ some lover who wanted to indulge his desires into nighttime must have
invented your original ancestor.”[v] Psyche suggests that it was not out of a need for productivity or efficiency that the
oil lamp was created, but out of pure desire. This is just another example of the power that desire holds.

The scene with the lamp also demonstrates one of the alternate forms of desire found in the tale: that of envy.  Desire
and envy are closely related; a look at the Latin words and their definitions helps to clarify this connection .   Cupido,
cupidinis (f), is not only defined as desire, but also as excessive desire, passion, and greed.[vi] The Latin word for
envy, invida, invidiae  (f), can mean grudge, jealousy, ill-will, or prejudice.[vii] It is clear the two words are related in
meaning. Envy cannot exist without desire, as it is excessive desire and greed for another person or their possessions
that causes envy. As a result, it is possible to thematically represent desire by means of envy and Apuleius effectively
accomplishes this throughout the Cupid and Psyche story.

The first example of desire in the form of envy comes from Venus. Her name itself means loveliness, attractiveness,
beauty, grace, elegance, and charm, but can also mean a beloved object or person.[viii] Considering this, one can see
how Venus would feel envy when Psyche replaces her as the object of men’s desires. As a result of their infatuation and
desire to gaze upon Psyche’s beauty, Venus’ “sacrifices were forsaken, her temples decrepit, her sacred couches
trampled, her observances slighted; her statues went without their customary garlands, and chilly ash besmeared altars
bereft of offerings. Devout submission was instead offered to a teenage girl.”[ix] Her envy and anger are so strong
because she desires the praise given to Psyche when rightfully it belongs to herself. As such, she tasks her son Cupid with
bringing about Psyche’s ruin by making her fall in love with a terrible monster. It was desire of Psyche’s beauty that
caused Venus to be envious, and it would be Desire himself, Cupid, who would bring about Psyche’s own ruin by causing
her to desire an undesirable beast. In these terms, envy and desire play important roles on several levels of the
narrative.

The most obvious example of the importance of envious desire lay with Psyche’s sisters , who, so enraged with
jealousy, betray their own sister. The two sisters journey to the rock that Psyche was taken from and grieve for her,
calling out for her as they beat their chests. Able to hear their grieving and not do anything, Psyche ignores Cupid’s
warning and summons Zephyr to bring them to her. She shows them her palace, has the invisible servants give them an
elegant feast, and, after showering them with gifts, sends them home. Yet, despite Psyche’s hospitality, the sisters are
still filled with terrible envy.

“These excellent sisters found themselves homeward bound, their jealousy already swelling, their enflamed, poisonous
envy finding voluble and vociferous expression in their interchanges.”[x] Their envy is so powerful, so controlling, that
they begin to plot a way to destroy Psyche and take her wealth and happiness from her. Thus  cupido (envious desire) of
the sisters could be defined as greed. But is their envy and desire for the riches and happiness of Psyche what causes
their demises? Once Psyche has los  Cupid after taking her sisters’ advice to look upon his face, she goes to each sister.
She tells them that when Cupid caught her, he exiled her and wished for her sister instead. Consumed by desire, each
sister immediately runs to the rock upon being told the story. Calling out to Cupid, they jump off the cliff to their deaths.
The sisters’ minds were seduced by their excessive desire and greed for Cupid and envy of Psyche. Their story serves as a
warning for the dangers of excessive desire, especially when it takes the form of envy.
Apuleius also warns the readers of another dangerous manifestation of desire: curiosity, which is, in its simplest terms,
the desire for knowledge. Curiosity can be a good thing, just as desire  can be, but, without moderation, it can be deadly.
This distinction is ascertained by examining the definition of the Latin word, curiosus (a, um), which can mean inquiring,
eagerly, or curious and meddlesome, officious, or prying.[xi] It is clear that the word has a positive and a negative sense.

The tale of Cupid and Psyche demonstrates the danger of meddlesome curiosity, through the actions of Psyche. Her
tragic flaw is curiosity, which she has in excess. Perhaps the most glaring example is when she peeks at Cupid’s face
while he sleeps. She was repeatedly warned about the consequences of such an act, but still she could not control her
curiosity.

Even before he gazes at her lover’s face, she succumbs to curiosity: “Psyche, in her heart’s insatiability (and her
considerable curiosity), examined these objects, amazedly handling her husband’s armaments. She dispensed an arrow
from the quiver and, making hazard of the point with her fingertip, pricked clear in.” [xii] In doing so, she falls even more
madly in love with Cupid.  Once she looks upon his face, he is awoken by a drop of oil, and he flies away, leaving Psyche
heartbroken. It’s ironic how her excessive desire for knowledge causes Cupid to abandon her leaving her heartbroken
and longing for her lover.

This harsh punishment was still not sufficient to teach Psyche about the dangers of excessive curiosity, as  she repeats
her mistake.  As her third labor, Psyche must travel to the underworld and fill a box with the beauty of Proserpine for
Venus.  Psyche manages to have the box filled with beauty and is almost out of the underworld, “but although she was
in a hurry to complete her service, a rash curiosity seized her reasoning. ‘Look here,’ she said, ‘aren’t I silly, as a courier
of this divine gorgeousness, if I don’t take just a tiny dab for myself? It might please my gorgeous lover, after
all.”[xiii] Upon doing so, she is overtaken by a deep sleep that comes from within the box. It is only when Cupid comes
into the underworld and removes the sleep that she is able to escape and leave the underworld. Thus, it is only with
divine help that she is avoids paying for her curiosity with her life.
Throughout the tale of Cupid and Psyche, Apuleius heavily develops the theme of desire. He demonstrates how it can be
a powerful motivator, and warns the audience of its danger. Desire may manifest itself in different forms, and Apuleius
highlights two of them: envy and curiosity.  From an Olympian goddess like Venus, down to a lowly oil lamp, everything
is subject to desire, and the harsh consequences of it becoming excessive.
 
[i] Charlton T. Lewis, An Elementary Latin Dictionary (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1890), 206.
[ii] Sarah Ruden, trans., The Golden Ass of Apuleius,  New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012. Accessed May 1, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central. 85.
[iii] Ibid, 107.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Ibid.
[vi] Lewis, An Elementary Latin Dictionary 206.
[vii] Ibid, 443.
[viii] Ibid, 909.
[ix] Sarah Ruden, trans., The Golden Ass of Apuleius,  86.
[x] Ibid, 97.
[xi] Lewis, An Elementary Dictionary, 205.
[xii] Sarah Ruden, trans., The Golden Ass of Apuleius,  106-107.
[xiii] Charlton T. Lewis, An Elementary Latin Dictionary (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1890), 206.