Reading Notes: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche, Part B

 Week 4

Reading the rest of "The Golden Ass" by Apuleius I was really focused on the shift between the two journeys the lovers were on and the relationships affected by both. It is shocking to me that Venus is so upset as she is known to be the Goddess of love. You would think she would be supportive of Cupid's relationship with Psyche. Instead she is extremely mad and upset about it because she "mocks" her. With that the repercussions show during Psyche's journey when she ultimately needs a place to stay. Surprisingly enough it also shows how strong the relationships between Venus, Juno, and Ceres (although they know Venus is somewhat overreacting) as they acknowledge how Psyche has good intentions but they cannot go against Venus and make her find different places to leave. Even after that Venus doesn't slow down emphasizing how upset she really is. This reminds me of like a mean girl kinda thing where someone takes another girls boyfriend but in goddess form! Venus even goes so far that she basically creates a bounty for anyone who has Psyche or has information about Psyche's whereabouts. I am honestly surprised at Venus and her strides to find Psyche when I feel like she's barely even talked to Cupid about it and tried to understand why he wanted to be with her. Even when Psyche is in Venus's presence Venus responds somewhat shockingly to what I would expect -sarcastic? She says she will treat her the way a "fine daughter in-law deserves" I think it's definitely interesting to see this side of Venus as she is portrayed as the opposite of what she's known for. This all seems hate or revenge driven the way she tortures Psyche and laughs about it. She has ultimately stripped Psyche of everything and says the only way she can get Cupid back basically is to do these unthinkable tasks for her. I also found it upsetting that she had the audacity to tell Psyche it wasn't even her fault, rather her son's who seems to be not punished at all? With that Psyche's strength showed when she completed these dangerous tasks. The worst was sending Psyche down to the underworld (an ultimate punishment) which seemed like the end of Psyche. How could anyone survive that? As we've known from the beginning Psyche is strong and what seems like can go through anything if she really wants it -she even goes as far as basically killing herself. As it would seem her knight in shining armor rescues her! With this theres a huge turning point with Venus and her character where she accepts Psyche and is even willing to make her immortal at Cupid and Psyche's wedding! This story was thrilling and has many tasks that I think every character had to go through. I enjoyed all the different point's of view and different perceptions of the Gods/Goddesses. I found this to be a kind of funny parallel that sparked a call of action within the Donkey to do the unthinkable and escape. She caused this kind of spark and it ended up hurting the old lady in the end. 

(Source: Psyche Underworld)