(Psyche opening the jar.)
When Venus saw her, Psyche was so exhausted by the tasks and distracted by the hope that they were over that she did not notice the evil smile on Venus' face. Thrusting the jar in Venus' direction in an unkind fashion, Psyche said, "Here! Tell me it is over now!"
"Yes," Venus said, a wicked grin still playing on her lips. "Yes, I think you have had enough. You don't look well enough for any more games."
Psyche, finally noticing Venus' unusual glee, was about to question it until she saw her reflection in a mirror to the right of Venus' throne. "Oh!" Psyche yelled, horrified at what she saw. Her reflection was not what she was used to. Instead of the beautiful and elegant appearance she had grown up having men and women fawn over, what she saw horrified her: She was a beast. No, a monster. No, a creature made of only the ugly parts of every existing animal. She cried out and wept for what she now was and what she used to be.
"Look what you did to yourself!" Venus said exuberantly. "You just had to have even more beauty--I knew the jar would tempt you. Let's see how Cupid and the world likes you now!"
When Cupid arrived, finally escaped from his room and ready to see his lover, he looked around for her. "Where is she?" he cried.
Venus pointed to the monster on the floor, and Cupid understood. "Oh, Psyche. What have you done?" He took her into his arms, unafraid of her new form but also mourning for her old beauty. He knew that Venus would not change her back and did not dare to ask.
So from then on, Psyche lived with her new form and hid in the palace she was once forced to live in. She accepted her fate and eventually convinced her family who she was. She allowed herself to realize that Cupid only loved her for her appearance and that she needed to be with someone who wanted more than a beautiful face. Venus never bothered her again and Psyche found love in her new, simple life where her character was more important than her beauty.
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Author's Note: Using the story of "Cupid and Psyche", I took the jar of beauty and twisted the story around. In the original story, Venus is overcome with envy for Psyche's beauty. She assigns Psyche four seemingly impossible tasks and the final one is retrieving a drop of beauty from the underworld. Psyche is tempted and opens the jar so that she can look more beautiful for Cupid (whom she is in love with) and it makes her fall into a deathly asleep. Cupid comes to her rescue and wakes her up. This part of the story caught my attention because I know the gods/goddesses can show an extreme desire for revenge. I really thought Venus' jealousy would drive her to change the one piece of the situation that Venus hated most: the fact that Psyche was more beautiful than her. So I took what I thought would happen and made this story of it. My own ending is not the happiest one, but it felt like the most realistic one given the circumstances.
Bibliography: "Cupid and Psyche" from Apuleius's Golden Ass, translated into English by Tony Kline (2013). Web source.
Image information: Psyche, by Waterhouse
Hi Brooke! I really enjoyed reading your story-- it was really creative and thought out! I haven't read the story you were writing about, but I know you probably did a great job with your own rendition of it. I thought it was interesting that you decided to change Psyche into a monster instead of having her fall asleep. I think it really helps emphasize the moral of the story. She had become so obsessed with being with Cupid and becoming more beautiful, she had become monstrous inside. And in the end, Cupid only loved her for her appearance anyway, which isn't real love at all. Awesome job!
ReplyDeleteHi Brooke! This is an absolutely wonderful twist on the original story. You've taken the same ideas about beauty, greed, and remorse and shaped them through a different lens. Your use of language is wonderful and provides vivid images for the reader; I particularly liked the line "a wicked grin still playing on her lips." The only note I have is to avoid starting sentences with "so." This is more of a colloquialism and does not lend itself well to the written word.
ReplyDeleteHi Brooke! I really enjoyed your story. I thought it was creative and well written. I really liked your description of the creature that Psyche transformed into. You really did a great job at painting a picture of your story. I was not familiar with the story of Cupid and Pyshce, but I loved your retelling of it. I also really enjoyed all of the themes and motifs of the story.
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