Cupid and psyche is a famous ancient grecoroman myth. Cupid and psyche is a story originally from metamorphoses written in the 2nd century ad by. Jun 11, 2014 human societies have long used the theme of the quest for selfknowledge as a vehicle to assess their own cultures and to explore ethical situations arising in civic life. Cupid and psyche is a story from the latin novel metamorphoses, also known as the golden ass, written in the 2nd century ad by apuleius. It forms an integral part of and profoundly illuminates the message of his novel metamorphoses or the golden ass, which relates the adventures of a young man and his spiritual fall and redemption. Its plot resembles fairy tales such as beauty and the beast and cinderella, but its literary texture is typical of the rest of the golden ass. Human societies have long used the theme of the quest for selfknowledge as a vehicle to assess their own cultures and to explore ethical situations arising in civic life. Tale of cupid and psyche hackett edition by lucius. The earliest version of the story of cupid and psyche thats still around today was originally written down by a roman guy named apuleius sometime during the 2nd century ad. This study looks at the reception of the long twobook love story of cupid amor or love in latin and psyche soul in greek, which forms the centrepiece of the latin novel metamorphoses or the golden ass by the secondcentury ce writer apuleius, in european literature, art and opera from 1600 to the present day. A mythological tale from the golden ass of apuleius. Pdf the story of cupid and psyche as related by apuleius.
Transformed into a donkey by magic gone wrong, lucius undergoes various trials and adventures, and finally regains human form by eating roses sacred to isis. Th e sentence structure and grammatical constructions are relatively simple, but the unusual. Wound this precious psyche, and let her fall in love with. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Characterization in apuleius cupid and psyche episode macsphere. The tale of cupid and psyche is inserted in apuleius metamorphoses, or the golden ass, a novel written around 150 ad. Pdf a gendered reading for the character of psyche in apuleius. There was once a certain king, inhabiting in the west parts, who had to wife a noble dame by whom he had three daughters, exceeding fair of whom the two elder were of such comely shape and. Cupid and psyche by lucius apuleius a certain king and queen had three daughters. The myth of cupid and psyche was told by apuleius a roman writer who lived in 125170 ac, in his book metamorphoses or the golden ass, thats why the name of the characters are latin when in fact they should have been eros and psyche. Cupid and psyche, a tale from bulfinchs the age of fable.
They admired her divine beauty of course, but as we admire a perfectly finished statue. A brief reading quiz to prep you for the real quiz. The most pleasant and delectable tale of the marriage of cupid and psyche, an 1887 reprint of william adlingtons translation with a foreword by andrew lang. Ovids metamorphoses is our fundamental text on this subject.
Cupid and psyche apuleius was born in madaurus now mdaourouch in algeria in c. Psyche is a princess so beautiful that the goddess venus becomes jealous. He studied platonist philosophy in athens and rhetoric in rome, travelling extensively in asia minor and egypt before settling in alexandria. Apuleiuss readers would have immediately recognized the character psyche as typical of the heroines of greek novels or romances. The aim of this book is to make the story of cupid and psyche from apuleius the golden ass accessible to intermediate students of ancient latin. Read cupid and psyche penguin epics by apuleius for online ebook. Is cupid and psyche a romance, a folktale, a platonic allegory of the nature of the soul, a jungian tale of individuation, or an archetypal dream. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The charms of the two elder were more than common, but the beauty of the. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. The locus classicus for the tale of cupid and psyche is. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of cupid and psyche by apuleius. Cupid and psyche wikisource, the free online library.
Cupid and psyche, a spenserian translation by mary tighe. Characterization in apuleius cupid and psyche episode. By presenting the tale of cupid and psyche with its narrative frame and by supplementing it with key passages from other writers. 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. The whole tale of cupid and psyche can be seen as an allegory, or symbolic story, for the struggle of the human soul to reach eternal bliss. While men are killed, maimed, disfigured, and subjected to much mental anguish through enchantment, women are. Phd thesis elford mcmaster university classics ii mcmaster university doctor of philosophy 2011 hamilton, ontario classics title. We associate metamorphism with ovid 20 march 43 bce 1718 ce and apuleius c. The curse of venus sends both her son, cupid, and the beautiful psyche into a long journey of testing faith and trust and how it affects their love. He is changed into a donkey and is constantly frustrated in his attempt to procure the remedy to his assness. In an unidentified kingdom, the worship of venus aphrodite was fading away, because the populace thought that the kings youngest daughter, psyche.
Cupid and psyche lucius apuleius myths and legends. Feb 22, 2006 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. The tale concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the love between psyche. By presenting the tale of cupid and psyche with its narrative frame and by supplementing it with key passages from other writers, he here provides.
An adaptation or epitome of this lost text survives in greek among the works of lucian with the name lucius, or th e ass. The tale of cupid and psyche or eros and psyche is placed at the midpoint of apuleiuss novel, and occupies about a fifth of its total length. To which are added, a metrical version of cupid and psyche, and mrs. Cupid and psyche by edith hamilton this story is told only by apuleius, a latin writer of the second century a. Often treated as a standalone text, cupid and psyche has given rise to treatments in the last 400 years as diverse as plays, masques, operas, poems, paintings and novels, with a range of diverse approaches to the text. Psyches quest to win back cupids love when it is lost to her first appears in the golden ass of lucius apuleius in the 2nd century ad. The story follows the misadventures of lucius, an innovative young nobleman who travels to the greek town of hypata, well known for its witches. It concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the love between psyche soul or breath of life and cupid desire, and their ultimate union in a sacred marriage.
For the time being, i will leave ovids metamorphoses aside and take a peak at apuleiuss version of the myth of cupid and psyche. The whole novel is well worth readinga combination of wild humor, painful pictures of ancient life, a quest for wisdom apuleius wrote about socrates and was a late disciple of plato, all in a dazzling style. Apuleius th e golden ass, also known as metamorphoses, the larger narrative in which the story of cuptid and psyche is embedded, is an adaptation of a lost greek text with the title metamorphoses. The novel itself is a firstperson narrative by the protagonist lucius. Jun 24, 2017 cupid and psyche, a spenserian translation by mary tighe. Lucius apuleius was born about 124 in northern africa and was educated in carthage and athens.
The following pages are required for weeks one three of in search of cupid and psyche. Psyches roman name through direct translation is anima. Joel relihans playful and exuberant translation of apuleius golden ass has already won admiration for its ability to give an englishreading audience some sense of what its like to experience this often astonishing writer in the original latin. In apuleius the golden ass, the differentiations between men and women, and their respective relationships with the magical craft is astounding. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Mary tighe, psyche or, the legend of love 1820 html. And here is one version cupid and psyche tale story. Psyche felt blessed by divine providence, and obeying the guidance of the disembodied voice, eased her weariness with sleep and then a bath. From books iv to vi of the golden ass, by lucius apuleius 2nd cent. While men seem to always be the innocent bystanders, or victims of, illintended enchantment, women are the malevolent casters of magic. The running vocabulary and grammatical commentary are meant to provide everything necessary to read each page so that readers can progress through the text, improving their knowledge of latin while enjoying one of the most delightful stories from antiquity. The story of cupid and psyche as related by apuleius. A story to remember the story of psyche and cupid is one of the most endearing legends of greek mythology.
The golden ass is a classic book filled with adventure, suspense, and humor. The tale is included in apuleius s novel entitled the golden ass. For apuleius, immortality is granted to the soul of psyche as a reward for commitment to sexual love. Gazed at by all, praised by all, no one, neither prince nor commoner, wishing to marry her, sought her hand. That story is a digression in apuleiuss the golden ass, a novel in which a man becomes a donkey, at least temporarily. The tale of cupid and psyche hackett publishing company. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read cupid and psyche. The running vocabulary and grammatical commentary are meant to provide everything necessary to read.
He studied platonist philosophy in athens and rhetoric in rome, travelling extensively in. Apuleiuss story of cupid and psyche and the roman law of marriage josiah osgood transactions of the american philological association, volume 6, number 2, autumn 2006, pp. Magic and witchcraft in apuleiuss the golden ass by. As a current student on this bumpy collegiate pathway, i stumbled upon course hero, where i can find study resources for nearly all my courses, get online help from tutors 247, and even share my old projects, papers, and lecture notes with other students. A mythological tale from the golden ass of apuleius ebook written by apuleius. In revenge, she instructs her son cupid to make her fall in love with a hideous monster. Ok, so the word psyche literally means soul in greek. Its plot resembles familiar fairy tales such as beauty and the beast and cinderella, but its literary texture is typical of the rest of the golden ass. Eros and psyche from apuleius to paranormal romance.
The most pleasant and delectable tale of the marriage of cupid and psyche. Introduction chapteri onthelifeandwritingsofapuleius eespertricosaest,coiile,hellushomo. Apuleius story of the love between the mortal princess psyche or soul and the god of love has fascinated recipients as. Though probably part of an older greek oral tradition, the popular european story of a beauty marrying a beast, discovering his inner beauty, losing him for lack of trust or by thoughtlessness, and regaining him through a long and arduous quest, had its first literary appearance in the latin novel. Psyche is the greek word for the soul and the word from which our word psychology derives. Sep 11, 2009 is cupid and psyche a romance, a folktale, a platonic allegory of the nature of the soul, a jungian tale of individuation, or an archetypal dream. Apuleius story of cupid and psyche, the relationship of the human soul with divine love, is one of the great allegories of world literature. Apuleius cupid and psyche is a great text for intermediate readers. This volume provides joel relihans lively translation of this best known section of apuleius golden ass, some useful and illustrative parallels, and an engaging discussion of what to make of this classic story. An ancient fairytale princess posted on april 2, 2017 april 3, 2017 by pyschedout our contemporary media is saturated with images and motifs of the fairytale princess. Cupid and psyche is a story originally from metamorphoses also called the golden ass, written in the 2nd century ad by lucius apuleius madaurensis or platonicus. To enrich and deepen his basic plot, the origins of which. This dissertation is a careful study of characterization in the cupid and psyche episode. Although the characters of cupid and psyche can be found in greek art as early as the 4 th century bc, the earliest written record of this story was written by apuleius in the 2 nd century ad.
The romance of cupid and psyche, while embedded in a fine novel by apuleius, has been thought too great for its context not only by translators and imitators. By presenting the tale of cupid and psyche with its narrative frame and by supplementing it with key passages from other writers, he here provides the reader with the materials needed for an informed and complex engagement with this text. Nearby she found a semicircular table, and judging from the dinner setting that it was meant for her, she promptly sat down to wait. The golden ass isbn 9781595470850 pdf epub lucius apuleius. The story of cupid and psyche is part of the golden ass or metamorphoses, a latin novel by apuleius second century a. It is a prettily told tale, after the manner of ovid. Cupid made ready his weapons, and flew down to earth invisibly.
It is both a charming fairytale and an allegory of the search of the soul for happiness and fulfillment. Cupid and psyche is a story from the latin novel metamorphoses, also known as the golden ass, written in the 2nd century ad. Cupid and psyche by apuleius, free pdf, ebook global grey. Cupid and psyche penguin epics paperback december 26, 2006. Translated out of latine into englishe by william adlington. The inserted story of cupid and psyche is found on pages 6699.
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