Psyche - Molière
Summary Molière's "Psyché" is a tragédie-ballet based on the ancient Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, co-written with Pierre Corneille and P...
Summary
Molière's "Psyché" is a tragédie-ballet based on the ancient Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, co-written with Pierre Corneille and Philippe Quinault, with music by Jean-Baptiste Lully. The story begins with the goddess Venus, jealous of the mortal princess Psyche's surpassing beauty, ordering her son Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with a hideous monster. However, Cupid accidentally pricks himself with his own arrow and falls deeply in love with Psyche.
An oracle dictates that Psyche must be sacrificed to a monstrous husband on a mountaintop. Instead, she is whisked away by Zephyrus to a magnificent palace where she lives in luxury with an unseen husband who visits only at night, forbidding her to see his face. Her envious sisters visit and persuade her that her mysterious husband must be a monster, prompting Psyche to defy her husband's command and light a lamp to see him. She discovers Cupid, but a drop of oil awakens him, and he flees, feeling betrayed.
Heartbroken, Psyche embarks on a desperate search for Cupid, eventually submitting to Venus's cruel vengeance. Venus forces Psyche to perform a series of seemingly impossible tasks. With divine intervention, Psyche completes these trials. In the final task, she retrieves a box of beauty from the Underworld but opens it, falling into a death-like sleep. Cupid, having recovered from his wound and realizing his love, finds her, revives her, and pleads with Jupiter. Jupiter, moved by their love and the suffering Psyche has endured, grants her immortality, allowing her to marry Cupid and ascend to Olympus, uniting gods and mortals through love.
Book Sections
Prologue Section
The play opens with a magnificent prologue featuring several deities and allegorical figures. Venus, the goddess of beauty, is presented with a dilemma: her son, Cupid, has been wounded and is absent. She laments his disappearance and expresses her concern. Other gods and goddesses, including Flora and Aeolus, gather to celebrate the power of love and beauty, unaware of Venus's true grievance. The prologue serves to establish the divine setting and the central theme of love, while subtly introducing the source of conflict – Venus's pride and the disruptive nature of Cupid's unpredictable arrows.
| Character | Characteristics | Motivations |
|---|---|---|
| Vénus (Venus) | Goddess of love and beauty, proud, vain, vengeful. | Jealousy over Psyche's beauty; desire to assert her supremacy; anger at Cupid's disobedience. |
| Amour (Cupid) | God of love, mischievous, powerful, later tender and devoted. | Initially intended to fulfill his mother's command; accidentally pricks himself and falls in love with Psyche; later driven by love and remorse. |
| Jupiter | King of the gods, powerful, wise, ultimately benevolent and just. | To maintain order and balance among the gods; to resolve conflicts; to reward true love. |
| Mercure (Mercury) | Messenger of the gods, swift, diplomatic, resourceful. | To deliver messages and carry out divine commands. |
| Éole (Aeolus) | God of the winds, powerful, often subservient to higher gods. | To control the winds as directed by other gods; to facilitate travel or events. |
| Zéphir (Zephyrus) | The gentle west wind, benevolent, helpful. | To carry out divine commands, particularly Cupid's, with grace and care. |
| Cidippe | One of Psyche's two envious sisters. | Jealousy of Psyche's beauty and sudden prosperity; desire to undermine her sister's happiness. |
| Aglante | One of Psyche's two envious sisters. | Jealousy of Psyche's beauty and sudden prosperity; desire to undermine her sister's happiness. |
| Deux Rois (Two Kings) | Psyche's suitors, mortals of high standing. | Desire to marry Psyche, captivated by her beauty. |
| Psyché (Psyche) | A mortal princess of extraordinary beauty, innocent, pure, but also curious and susceptible to persuasion. | To find love and happiness; to obey her unseen husband; later, to find Cupid and atone for her betrayal. |
Section 1 (Act I)
The first act introduces the mortal realm and the central conflict. Two Kings, Psyche's devoted suitors, lament their unrequited love for the princess, whose beauty is so immense that it discourages common admiration and makes her seem destined for a higher, perhaps divine, union. Psyche herself appears, expressing distress not at her beauty, but at the fact that it prevents her from finding ordinary love and a husband. Her sisters, Cidippe and Aglante, driven by envy, pretend to console her while secretly delighting in her apparent misfortune. Venus, still furious that mortals are worshiping Psyche instead of her, descends and commands Cupid to use his arrows to make Psyche fall in love with the vilest creature on earth. Unseen by Venus, Cupid prepares his arrow but accidentally pricks himself, becoming instantly enamored with Psyche. The act concludes with an oracle declaring that Psyche is destined for a terrifying, monstrous husband on a desolate mountaintop, filling everyone with despair.
Section 2 (Act II)
Following the oracle's grim pronouncement, Psyche is led to the desolate rock where she is to be sacrificed. Her family and the populace mourn her fate. As she is left alone, prepared for her doom, Zephyrus, the West Wind, gently carries her away to a magnificent, enchanted palace, a creation of Cupid's magic. Here, she finds herself surrounded by invisible attendants who cater to her every desire. Her unseen husband, Cupid, visits her nightly, shrouded in darkness, loving her but strictly forbidding her to try and see his face, warning that her happiness depends on her obedience. Psyche lives in a state of luxurious isolation, loved but increasingly curious and lonely. Cupid, wishing to alleviate her loneliness, reluctantly grants her permission for her sisters to visit, despite his apprehension about their influence.
Section 3 (Act III)
Psyche's sisters, Cidippe and Aglante, arrive at the palace, overwhelmed by its splendor and the riches bestowed upon Psyche. Their envy intensifies as they witness her lavish lifestyle. Feigning concern, they question her about her mysterious, unseen husband. They maliciously plant seeds of doubt, suggesting he must be a hideous monster or serpent who devours her at night. They urge her to defy his command, providing her with a lamp and a dagger to discover his true form and protect herself. Despite her husband's warnings and her own initial resolve, Psyche's curiosity and fear are finally overcome by her sisters' manipulative persuasion. She promises to discover his identity that very night.
Section 4 (Act IV)
In the dead of night, Psyche takes the lamp and approaches her sleeping husband. Instead of a monster, she finds the beautiful god Cupid. Struck by his divine beauty, she gazes in awe, but a drop of hot oil from the lamp falls upon Cupid's shoulder, waking him. Betrayed and heartbroken, Cupid instantly reproaches Psyche for her disobedience and lack of faith. He declares that love cannot exist where there is no trust and, with a sorrowful farewell, he vanishes from the palace, which also immediately dissolves, leaving Psyche alone and desolate amidst a barren landscape. Overcome with despair, Psyche begins her desperate search for Cupid, calling out his name in anguish.
Section 5 (Act V)
Psyche, now a wanderer, seeks to reconcile with Cupid and eventually submits herself to Venus's wrath. Venus, still enraged and seeing an opportunity for revenge, subjects Psyche to a series of seemingly impossible tasks. These trials include sorting an immense pile of mixed grains, fetching a golden fleece from dangerous sheep, and collecting water from the deadly river Styx. With the help of divine intervention (ants, a talking reed, and an eagle sent by Jupiter), Psyche manages to complete these tasks.
For the final task, Venus commands Psyche to descend into the Underworld and obtain a box of beauty ointment from Proserpina, queen of the dead. Warned not to open the box, Psyche succeeds in her mission. However, on her return, her curiosity once again gets the better of her, and she opens the box, hoping to enhance her beauty for Cupid. Instead of ointment, she finds a Stygian slumber that plunges her into a death-like sleep.
Meanwhile, Cupid, having recovered from his wound and realizing the depth of Psyche's love and suffering, finds her lifeless form. He revives her by removing the sleep from her body and then appeals to Jupiter for help. Jupiter, moved by their enduring love and the trials Psyche has faced, convenes the gods. He declares that Psyche has proven her worth and, with the unanimous consent of the Olympians (including a now mollified Venus), grants her immortality. Psyche ascends to Olympus, is deified, and is finally united in marriage with Cupid, celebrated by the gods in a grand feast and ballet.
Literary Genre
"Psyché" is a tragédie-ballet, a unique genre combining elements of tragedy, spectacle, and dance. It features a dramatic plot with tragic themes (suffering, separation, divine wrath) interspersed with elaborate balletic intermèdes and musical numbers.
Author Facts
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (Molière) (1622–1673) was a French playwright, actor, and director, considered one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature.
- Master of Satire: Molière is renowned for his sharp wit and satirical comedies that often mocked societal hypocrisies, human follies, and specific types of individuals (e.g., the miser, the hypocrite, the social climber).
- The King's Favorite: He enjoyed the patronage of King Louis XIV, who admired his work and protected him from critics and religious factions. His troupe, the "Troupe du Roi," performed regularly at court.
- Collaborative Work: While primarily known for his comedies (e.g., Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, The Imaginary Invalid), he also collaborated on more elaborate court entertainments like "Psyché," which involved a team of writers (Pierre Corneille for the tragic verses, Philippe Quinault for some of the lyrical sections) and composers (Jean-Baptiste Lully for the music).
- Legacy: Molière profoundly influenced French theatre and comedy. His plays are still performed worldwide, and the French language is sometimes referred to as "la langue de Molière" (Molière's language).
Moraleja (Moral)
The main moral of "Psyché" is the triumph of true love over jealousy, adversity, and divine wrath. It illustrates that:
- Love requires trust and faith: Psyche's initial downfall comes from her lack of trust in her unseen husband, fueled by her sisters' manipulation.
- Perseverance leads to reward: Despite immense suffering and seemingly impossible tasks, Psyche's determination and unwavering love for Cupid ultimately lead to her redemption and immortality.
- Love can bridge divides: The union of a mortal and a god signifies that genuine love can transcend boundaries and elevate the human spirit.
- Jealousy is destructive: Venus's jealousy causes suffering for both Psyche and Cupid, highlighting the destructive nature of envy and pride.
Curiosities
- A Collaborative Effort: "Psyché" was a massive undertaking, a "tragédie-ballet" commissioned by Louis XIV. Molière wrote the prologue and the first act, and outlined the rest. Due to his workload and a tight deadline, he enlisted the help of Pierre Corneille (who wrote most of the tragic verses for Acts II, III, IV, and V) and Philippe Quinault (who contributed some lyrical verses). The music was by Jean-Baptiste Lully, and the staging and machinery were incredibly elaborate.
- Grand Spectacle: The play was designed to be a spectacular court entertainment. It featured magnificent sets, elaborate costumes, intricate machinery for flying gods, and numerous ballet sequences (intermèdes) between the acts, all intended to impress the Sun King and his court. The first performance in 1671 was a dazzling event.
- Ballet as an Integral Part: Unlike many later operas or plays with incidental music, the ballet segments in "Psyché" were not mere diversions but were integrated into the narrative, reflecting the emotions and advancing the themes of the story.
- Molière's Health: Molière was already suffering from the pulmonary illness that would eventually claim his life, which partly explains his need for collaborators on this demanding production. His later masterpiece, The Imaginary Invalid, famously features him collapsing on stage and dying shortly after.
- An Allegory for the King: Many court ballets and spectacles of the era subtly (or not-so-subtly) paid homage to Louis XIV. The ultimate triumph of love and order, overseen by Jupiter, could be seen as an allegory for the powerful and just rule of the king.
- Influence of the Myth: The myth of Cupid and Psyche, first fully recorded in Apuleius's Metamorphoses, was a popular subject in arts and literature throughout the centuries, and Molière's adaptation is one of its most notable theatrical treatments.
