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Jealousy is an emotion experienced by one who perceives that attention, love or affection is being given to a third party when it should rightfully be given to them. The female characters in Cupid and Psyche are Venus, Cupids mother, and the two sisters of Psyche. These characters are the antagonists of Psyche all due to their jealousy in general. In this story I find jealousy to be the main theme. Although presented in different ways by Venus and the two sisters, this emotion is still delivered by women in todays world whereas I could even testify to defend.
Psyche in the story is a beautiful women in which “men journeyed to gaze upon her with wonder and adoration and to do her homage as though she were in truth one of the immortals. They would even say that Venus herself could not equal this mortal” (228-229). Venus, knowing that “all the honors once hers were now given to a mere girl destined someday to die,” (229) her jealousy began. She discovered that “her temples were neglected; her alters foul with cold ashes; her favorite towns deserted and falling in ruins” (229). Venus then decided to become vindictive. She turned to her son, Cupid, and asked him to shoot an arrow into an appalling man to have him fall deeply in love with Psyche. Cupid, by accident, shoots himself and he falls madly in love with Psyche. Cupid then leaves Psyche due to her curious behavior, and proceeds home to his mother. Psyche, in desire for Cupid, goes to proclaim her love for him. Venus, observing Psyches desire for her son, sends her on undesirable missions in order to see Cupid again. This is just another form of displaying her jealousy of Psyche. Now she is not only jealous of the common man, and his adoration for Psyche, but she is now jealous of her sons love for her as well.
Another example of jealousy is that of her sisters. Since “Psyche, excelled her sisters so greatly that beside them she seemed a