Interpretation Essay

Cupid and Psyche

True love is blind, or sometimes it would have been better if it were. Today the tale of Cupid and Psyche comes to life in brilliant color. To analyze the story should be broken down into three different stages. One the natural, or how it relates to the bigger picture of the universe. Two, the social, how this story would affect the community around it. Lastly, the Psychological and how it grasps and relates to our emotions.

The tale of Cupid and Psyche, is about a woman whose beauty is so great that the goddess of beauty herself, Aphrodite, is jealous, so she sends her son to deal with her. Psyche is the youngest daughter of a king, and Psyche’s sisters are cruel and ugly, therefore, there is a resemblance of a Cinderella like storyline. One thing we can see with this myth and the natural world is that it represents curiosity and how patience is rewarded. Another point is if you are stuck with a problem, you should think and not jump to a quick conclusion, because it might not be as bad as you might think.

When Cupid goes down to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest, nastiest creature he can find, he falls in love himself. He is soon entranced with her beauty and makes everyone around her fall in love with someone else so only he can have her. Of course this tale is a tale of romance and love. It is something an old wife would tell her children to keep them from poking around the house looking for the Christmas presents. This myth could help tell of why one should never betray the gods and also help explain a possible Garden of Eden or a perfect sanctuary. Like how Psyche gets transported to the perfect little grove where cupid lives with her for a while.

When Psyche looks at all of her sisters and sees that they were married and she is not. She becomes deeply depressed and feels she must consult the oracle. The oracle tells her that she is destined to marry an ugly serpent. So Psyche goes where she is told and waits and waits. When she is parched and hungry, the wind takes her up in its warmth and fly’s her away to a perfect sanctuary to meet her husband. This story shows a need for knowledge and a hunger for a peek at the unknown. Psyche has an internal struggle as to whether or not she should take her sisters advice and go into the chamber of her husband or listen to him and stay faithful.

That is an analysis of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, a tale of love and redemption. To get the full story you must read it for yourself.