Study Guide

Cupid and Psyche

Introduction

Picture this: Mortal girl falls in love with supernatural boy. Relationship problems ensue. Boy makes girl immortal too. They live happily ever after.

If images of Robert Pattinson and his carefully disheveled hair are flitting through your mind, guess again. We're not talking about the Twilight series, or any other teen paranormal romance novel, for that matter. We're talking about the Greco-Roman myth of "Cupid and Psyche."

This story is all about what happens when Cupid gets nicked by his own arrow and falls for a mortal girl. There's love, mystery, betrayal, passion, danger … Heck, there's even a bit of Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella thrown in for good measure. Come to think of it, it's kind of crazy that the story of Cupid and Psyche hasn't been made into a blockbuster Hollywood movie yet. Seriously, somebody tell Disney to check out this guide. There's a gold mine here.

Best of the Web

Cupid and Psyche Resources

Websites

Theoi
A great source for all things related to Greco-Roman mythology.

Historical Documents

Apuleius's Version
Here's a link to the first version of the myth that was written down.

Videos

Cupid and Psyche (1897)
A very short silent film made waaaaaay back in the day in the studios of Thomas Edison. Prepare yourself; it's a bit weird.

Audio

Chatterbox
Here's an audio theatre version of the story, with a full cast.

Books

Cupid and Psyche (Craft)
A modern retelling of the story.