#5 - Till We Have Faces 1 - Psyche’s Beauty

 Something that has struck me as interesting in the beginning chapters of this book is how Psyche’s beauty is described. She is described as perfectly beautiful, though not in any sort of flashy way. She held this beauty at every stage of her life. She was appropriately beautiful at every age. This description of Psyche was strikingly similar to the description of Alcibiades in Plutarch’s Lives, Thucydides’ History, and Plato’s Alcibiades Major. He was incredibly beautiful at every age, and this gave him a serious edge in society. Both Alcibiades and Psyche held power over the people in their towns (Athens and Glome) partly due to their beauty. Sometimes shear physical beauty grants people a level of influence over people that allows them to persuade others with ease. Psyche used her influence for good, while Alcibiades used it for personal gain. 


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