The Tale
of Cupid and Psyche
Psyche's quest to win back
Cupid's love when it is lost to her first appears in The Golden Ass of Lucius
Apuleius in the 2nd century AD. Psyche is a princess so beautiful that the
goddess Venus becomes jealous. In revenge, she instructs her son Cupid to make
her fall in love with a hideous monster; but instead he falls in love with her
himself.
He becomes her unseen husband,
visiting her only at night. Psyche disobeys his orders not to attempt to look
at him, and in doing so she loses him. In her search for him she undertakes a
series of cruel and difficult tasks set by Venus in the hope of winning him
back. Cupid can eventually no longer bear to witness her suffering or to be
apart from her and pleads their cause to the gods. Psyche becomes an immortal
and the lovers are married in heaven.
The origins of the story are
obscure. It could have been adapted from a folk-tale or have its roots in
ancient myth. It is a story of great charm, a fact which has been reflected in
the numerous re-tellings since Apuleius's time.
Many writers have interpreted it
as an allegory, with Cupid representing Love and Psyche the Soul. It was
particularly popular with Renaissance audiences, when poetical, dramatic and
musical versions proliferated alongside the many visual representations of the
tale. In the 19th century, it notably inspired an ode by John Keats, a prose
version by Walter Pater and a long poetical work by William Morris, illustrated
by Sir Edward Burne-Jones. Today, Cupid and Psyche still symbolize everlasting
love - as can be seen by the numerous images of them that appear on Valentine's
cards.