Cupid and Psyche

Hi,

The similarities are not accidental. "Cupid and Psyche" is the ancestral tale to Beauty and the Beast. You can read about the lineage of the tale here: http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/beautybeast/other.html#CUPID, http://www.balletmet.org/Notes/StoryOrigin.html.

An interesting note about the allegorical meaning of "Cupid and Psyche" (http://www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/psyche.html) - Cupid representing love and Psyche the soul, which adds significance to the Prince's statement, "Love can turn a man into a beast, but love can also make an ugly man handsome." Cocteau shows us this transformation literally, but it also seems to be encoded in the roots of the tale itself.

i wouldnt know about the Golden Ass novel, but generally, the connections between Beauty & the Beast and Cupid & Psyche are these:

1. two jealous sisters who plot the heroine's downfall
2. a parent or parents whose actions result in the heroine being taken prisoner/ wedded to a "beastly" bridegroom
3. a mystical palace wherein the heroine is pampered by invisible servants/enchanted objects
4. reluctance on the heroine's part towards marriage/marital relations
5. the revelation of the "beast" as a handsome youth
6. trials that the heroine (emotional on Belle's part, "labors of hercules" type on Psyche's) must undergo to regain her love.

hope this helps!