A Comparison

The two fairytales we covered in week five are all those that relate to Beauty and the Beast and then the Greek tale of Cupid and Psyche. There are several versions of the Beauty and the Beast: Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's version, Giovanni Francesco Straparola's by the name of "The Pig King", The Brothers Grimm version called "The Frog King", Angela Carter's "The Tiger's Bride", "Urashima the Fisherman", Alexander Afanasev's "The Frog Princess", and "The Swan Maiden".   (Quite the collection, huh?)

"Cupid and Psyche" is much different from the traditional Beauty and the Beast tales. For starters, no one in the Greek tale is ugly or monstrous. Only the idea that Psyche's unknown husband might be a monster, though he turns out to be the angelic Cupid. In the other tales, there is at least one character who is unsavory either in character or appearance.

Furthermore, in the fairytales, there is usually some sort of bargaining between the parents (usually the father) for the daughter's hand in marriage. For example, the father has done something wrong against the beast figure and so the prettiest daughter's hand is asked in marriage to repay the sin. In "Cupid and Psyche" however, it is a prophecy that Psyche decides to follow of her own accord the unites her with Cupid, the proclaimed "beast" figure.

Also, in most of the tales, it is the beast figure who ends up unconscious, dead, or under a spell, and the beauty saves them. However, it is quite the opposite in the Greek tale. Cupid, again seen as the beast figure, is the one who saves the beauty, Psyche, from a deathly sleep cast upon her.

These tales share very similar traits in basic ways, as well. There is a perceived "beast" figure, whether in personality or appearance. There is a "beauty" figure, who tends to be the submissive type and is usually reluctant in some degree towards the situation of marriage with the beast. There is also some jealous family member, usually the sisters, who try to sabotage the marriage. Finally, there is some sort of trial the one character goes through to be reunited with the other.

However slight the differences, these two can definitely be classified together. Especially since both the Greek tale and most of the fairytales end up with a Happy Ending.