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In Beauty and the Beast by De Beaumont, Beauty was admired by everyone. She had 2 older proud, vain sisters.
In Cupid and Psyche parallels were seen; like Beauty, Psyche was gorgeous and payed homage to by everyone so much so that she incurred the wrath of the Godess Venus for stealing away the attention. Likewise, Beauty's father incurred the wrath of the Beast for trying to steal a rose for Beauty.
Both women were offered up like a sacrifical lamb. Beauty was offered up to a great, frightening monsterous creature. Psyche was offered as a virginal bride to Cupid, who was decreed by the Oracle as "A monster no man of god can resist."
Unlike Beauty, Psyche was destined for marriage. Beauty on the otherhand was sent up to be killed by the Beast. It wasn't until later, when the Beast asked for her hand in marriage did such a subject come up.
Both Beauty and Psyche had manipulative sisters. Beauty's sisters threw a fit to make her stay an extra week so that the Beast would end up dying of sorrow. Psyche's sisters told her that her husband was a frightening monster that must be killed for her virtue to be saved. Unlike the Beast, Cupid was a beautiful creature with blue eyes and golden locks. Although personality wise The Beast was better; he was kind and sincere, though ugly on the outside. Cupid was goregous on the outside but had a very mischevious nature.
Cupid and Psyche were really just Beauty and Beauty. If anyone was the "Beast" it was Venus, for although she was beautiful on the outside, her jealousy and cruel treatment of Psyche made her "ugly".
Angela Carter had written that Beauty needed the Beast, rather than the Beast needing Beauty. The beast represented Beauty's inner beast/ sexual acceptance; In order to be truly happy she had to love herself, and accept her sexuality before ever loving another person. In a way, there was a similar element of sexual frustration for Psyche to overcome. No one would touch her. Sure, she was admired by everyone, but no king, or man wanted to marr that virginal innocence. Like Beauty her older sisters were married already. But Psyche was completley isolated and alone in her beautiful innocence which "failed to awaken love."
In the end both Beauty and Psyche ended up marrying their true love, but it was their diligence and kindness that allowed them to overcome the obstacles set before them so that they could love themselves, and in turn love their spouses as well.
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