Part Two. Cupid and Psyche, and Eight Brief Tales of Lovers Summary and Analysis

Psyche was a young woman whose beauty Venus became jealous of. She sent her son Cupid (Eros) to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest and lowliest peasant he could find. However, Cupid fell in love with Psyche instead, and took her away to a wonderful palace. Here Cupid became her husband, but instructed that she must never look upon him. One day, however, her sisters came to visit. They persuaded her that she must try to see her new husband in case he was some fearsome monster who intended to eat her. That night she took a lamp to the bedroom and gazed at Cupid while he slept, but a drop of oil from her lamp fell on him...