Reading Diary A: Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche

(Psyche Honored by the People, Giordano)

Reading A of Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche:

1. The Captive Woman
2. Her Dream
3. Psyche's Beauty
4. The Oracle of Appolo
5. The Magical Palace
6. The Mysterious Husband
7. The Jealousy of Psyche's Sisters
8. Psyche's Husband Warms Her
9. Fears and Doubts
10. Psyche's Husband Revealed
11. Psyche's Despair

Take away from this reading:
The thing that struck me the most was just how similar that Cupid and Psyche is to Beauty and the Beast!

Each story has three beautiful daughters, in which the youngest is the most beautiful and pure. There are wicked sisters in each story that deceive and get Beauty or Psyche to break her promise. Speaking of which, Psyche and Beauty make promises to their husband (however Psyche makes more promises,) and they both break the promises.

There is a also a beast that is a handsome prince/man in both stories. In Cupid and Psyche, Psyche is supposed to marry a beast, and Cupid sort of pretends to be a beast, even though he is in fact a handsome man. Being Venus' son, he's also kind of a prince. Similarly, in Beauty and the Beast, the Beast is in fact the handsome prince.

Both stories have a fair maiden trapped in a magical castle. Psyche and Beauty are depressed about their situation, but end up happy in the end.

Also, in Beauty and the Beast, tears fall and wakes up the beast. In Cupid and Psyche, similarly oil falls on Cupid and he wakes up. I haven't read the second part of Cupid and Psyche, but I am hoping that it ends where they are happily every after like in Beauty and the Beast!

Things to borrow from each story for my own story:
-Magical castles, the beast as a handsome prince, an unknown husband, wicked sisters, beautiful princess-type of character, and how the husband is actually son of the wicked witch (who is Venus in Cupid and Psyche.)