And with those words she unsealed the jar, where there was a
drop of beauty, that awoken her soul.
When the cover was lifted, joy filled her instantly, enveloping her
entire body. She immediately rose from
where she was and love overcame her. She
was lifted in spirits and joy for everything she could possibly think of.
Cupid, missing his beloved Psyche, flew out of the window
high up in his castle to find his one true love, Psyche. No longer confined by walls, Cupid roamed the
skies day and night until he found her once again. When he finally found her, he rushed to her
side and took notice of her new attitude.
He could see the joy in her eyes and love in her heart and
didn't have the courage to return that energy back into the jar, though he didn't
want to anyways. He spent the next
several hours by her side, enjoying all that this new found happiness could offer. After time had passed, he roused her with a
harmless touch of his arrow, saying: “Look at what a miracle you have released
unto the world with that irrefutable curiosity of yours. Come now and show my mother what you have
discovered in that jar.” And Psyche did
just that.
Cupid who was so infatuated with Psyche and overcome with
love, thought to himself, “to be with the one I love so much, I would do
anything.” Though Cupid loved how happy
and cheerful Psyche had now become after opening the jar, he knew that once
that beauty ever went back in, Psyche would no longer be the same person she
was now. That was troublesome to
Cupid.
A decision had to be made, would Cupid seal the beauty back
into the jar and expose Psyche for who she really was, who she used to be and
still is deep down, or would he allow Psyche to remain in a dreamlike state
where all the world was right and happiness was nothing out of the
ordinary?
Cupid was in a tough position, knowing that if he took that
drop of beauty away from Psyche, she would no longer be the woman he just fell
in love with. But, he also knew that if
he sealed the jar back up that it could then be discovered again by someone
else and they too would be able to experience what Psyche felt.
Cupid thought of his options and knew the one that he would
make. He went back to Psyche and without
any hesitation, he made his decision.
Authors note: I chose to retell the story of The Sleep of the Dead because after reading it, I became sad knowing that Psyche opened the jar only to find deathly sleep. I wanted to retell the story in a more positive way so I turned the sleep into beauty. Cupid became torn about what to do with Psyche and the jar once he realized that other people could also experience this euphoria as well, he though he loved Psyche, he wanted to give other people the chance to feel that same way too. I became inspired by this story because I know people experiencing a tough decision of love and I thought this would be a good way to express those emotions through words.
Apuleius's Golden Ass, as translated into English by Tony Kline (2013).
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| Psyche, by Waterhouse |
Hey, Brittan! Your storytelling post was really good. The title made me want to read more and the opening line definitely got my attention – I was drawn into the situation and immediately wanted to know what was happening. The end line was also a great closing because it allowed me (or any reader) to come to their own conclusions about what Cupid would have maybe decided and provided plenty of context that one could argue either way. I don’t have a whole lot to critique… If anything, I was a bit confused – I think it was mainly because the story talked about Psyche in the first paragraph and then flipped to Cupid and seemed to go back and forth so it wasn’t entirely clear who was being spoken about at some points. However, I love how you changed the story into a more positive one with the jar of beauty rather than deathly sleep – how creative!
ReplyDeleteI got a bit confused at the beginning of your story on who was who but after reading the whole story everything fell together. Not only is your version a beautiful recreation of the original but it also teaches a moral. Like you said, people who are in relationships have to make some tough decisions and in this story cupid definitely made the right one.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was an interesting decision to not tell the reader what choice Cupid made at the end, but instead just left it to the reader to decide. Earlier I read someone's storytelling blog post that had Psyche as a character, and the author touched on the Psyche’s curiosity as well. Now I want to read some of the stories from this unit because it seems to be a popular one.
ReplyDeleteHey Brittan!
ReplyDeleteI thought that it was really uplifting and cool that you changed the story into a more positive way. Your take on the story also show a more loving and gentle side of Cupid. Cupid had to make a very tough decision. He saw the happiness that the jar brought to Psyche and wished others to experience this as well. This was very unselfish of Cupid.
Brittan, I really like how you took the dull, depressing concept of the deathly sleep and changed it in order to make the story a more positive and happy one. I really enjoyed the ending of your story as well- leaving the reader thinking about whether Cupid sealed the jar or left it open for Psyche to enjoy. I think that the title you chose is great, as it caught my attention immediately. Your paragraphs are organized very well and your transitions between them are clear and well placed. I think you could have utilized some dialogue to engage the reader a little more and add more personality to the characters. I still do think that the characters are compelling though. The way that you describe Psyche’s euphoric attitude and Cupid’s love for her really draws the reader into the story towards the end when Cupid is faced with his decision. Overall, I think you did a great job retelling the original story with a more optimistic feel.
ReplyDeleteHey, Brittan! First off, I love Ovid and this story! Great choice. Additionally, I recently went to Castel San Angelo in Rome and saw the "Cupid and Psyche" room, so I already had strong visuals to go along with the tale you told here--if you ever get the chance in your travels, you should definitely visit this castle! The rooms and views were gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteBut back to your story: You put an interesting twist on this tale by changing something tragic into something euphoric but equally devastating. When it comes to love stories, there are often hard choices to be made, and you portrayed the dilemma of possibly losing the one you love when doing the right thing quite accurately. Fantastic work!!