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Lucius
Psyche is the third daughter of a king and queen—one of the most beautiful mortals in all the world and the eventual wife of Cupid. Her story, the longest in the book, is told by the old hag to Charite, while Lucius is also present. Apollo prophesies that Psyche will marry a snake-like being that will destroy the world. In a ceremony that combines elements of a wedding and a funeral, Psyche’s parents take her to a crag, and then she’s carried by the West Wind into a valley where she finds a mysterious mansion. A disembodied voice in the mansion claims to be her new husband. Psyche is happy in the mansion, but her scheming sisters convince her to try to find out her husband’s identity (which she has been forbidden from doing). Psyche learns that her husband isn’t a snake but is in fact the love god Cupid (who was tasked by his mother Venus with finding a pathetic husband for Psyche, but who disobeyed orders). The discovery of Cupid’s identity starts a long chain of events that angers Venus, who forces Psyche to complete various seemingly impossible tasks. Ultimately, however, Psyche proves herself, and with the intervention of Jupiter, she is made immortal so that she can live with Cupid in peace. Psyche’s story parallels the ups and downs of Lucius’s story, foreshadowing the happy ending, but it also shows the consequences of curiosity and greed, as well as what happens when mortals dare to challenge the gods.
Psyche Quotes in The Golden Ass
The The Golden Ass quotes below are all either spoken by Psyche or refer to Psyche. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 4
Quotes
In a certain city there lived a king and queen who had daughters three in number and illustrious in beauty. Though the two born first were quite gratifying enough to look at, praise and publicity on a mortal scale were held to be adequate for them. But the youngest girl’s gorgeousness was so extraordinary, so remarkable that the poverty of human speech prevented any proper description or even encomium.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Book 5
Quotes
But the instant the lamp elucidated the secrets of the bed to which she brought it, she saw the sweetest beast, the gentlest wild thing in the world, Cupid himself, that gorgeous god, at gorgeous rest.
But from the time you were a toddler, you weren’t properly socialized.
Book 6
Quotes
Believe me, I’m moved by your tearful pleas, and I’d like to be of service, but I can’t fall out with my kinswoman.
My daughter, no more moping from you. Have no anxiety for your family tree, sky-high as it is, or for your own prestige because of this marriage with a mortal.
Get the entire The Golden Ass LitChart as a printable PDF.
Psyche Quotes in The Golden Ass
The The Golden Ass quotes below are all either spoken by Psyche or refer to Psyche. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 4
Quotes
In a certain city there lived a king and queen who had daughters three in number and illustrious in beauty. Though the two born first were quite gratifying enough to look at, praise and publicity on a mortal scale were held to be adequate for them. But the youngest girl’s gorgeousness was so extraordinary, so remarkable that the poverty of human speech prevented any proper description or even encomium.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 5
Quotes
But the instant the lamp elucidated the secrets of the bed to which she brought it, she saw the sweetest beast, the gentlest wild thing in the world, Cupid himself, that gorgeous god, at gorgeous rest.
But from the time you were a toddler, you weren’t properly socialized.
Book 6
Quotes
Believe me, I’m moved by your tearful pleas, and I’d like to be of service, but I can’t fall out with my kinswoman.
My daughter, no more moping from you. Have no anxiety for your family tree, sky-high as it is, or for your own prestige because of this marriage with a mortal.
