Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold: Analysis of Major Characters
*Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold* is a novel by C.S. Lewis that reinterprets the classic myth of Cupid and Psyche through the lens of Orual, the eldest princess of Glome and its eventual queen. The story, narrated by Orual in her old age, explores her complex relationships with her beautiful half-sister Istra (Psyche), her tutors, and her father, King Trom. Orual's fierce love for Istra is shadowed by possessiveness, leading to tragic consequences when Istra is sacrificed to a divine being. The character of Istra embodies beauty and sacrifice, living a dual existence as both mortal and goddess. Supporting characters like Lysias, the Greek tutor, and Bardia, the captain of the guards, highlight themes of loyalty, philosophy, and martial prowess. The narrative delves deep into themes of jealousy, divinity, and the often painful complexities of love and loss, culminating in Orual's journey toward understanding and acceptance of her fate and the nature of the gods. The book ultimately weaves a rich tapestry of human emotion and divine interaction, challenging readers to reflect on the paradoxes of existence.
Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: C. S. Lewis
First published: 1956
Genre: Novel
Locale: Glome, a kingdom in Eastern Europe or Asia Minor
Plot: Mythic
Time: Sometime after the death of Socrates (399 b.c.e.) and before the birth of Christ
Orual, or Maia (MAY-yah), the narrator, the eldest princess of Glome and finally its queen. She is caught between her love of learning as presented in the ideals of Greek philosophy and poetry and her earthy, passionate nature. So ugly as to have no hope of romantic love, Orual attaches herself fiercely to her Greek tutor and her divinely beautiful half sister, Istra/Psyche, while secretly cherishing a love for the soldier who teaches her swordsmanship. Each love is marred by her inability to release its object, a fault most evident with Istra, who is doomed to exile through Orual's possessive jealousy. Orual rules Glome well: She is brave in battle and wise in council. The story is told in her old age, as an accusation against gods and their inscrutable cruelty, and covers Orual's life from childhood. Visions and dreams cause the book to end in understanding and acceptance of the paradox of divinity as Orual dies.
Istra, or Psyche (SI-kee), the youngest princess of Glome, the lovely child of the king's second wife. She fills Orual's hungry heart but is too beautiful for a mortal; she is sacrificed to the “Shadow Beast,” a manifestation of the son of Glome's patron goddess, Ungit. Ungit is understood as a cultural alternate form of Aphrodite (Venus), and her son is the Glome Eros (Cupid). Thus Istra/Psyche and Ungit's son tie this tale to the Cupid-Psyche myth of antiquity. The princess' sacrifice is also a wedding, and Psyche lives in an invisible palace with a divine husband whom she must never see. When Orual forces a betrayal of the god-bridegroom, Psyche is doomed to lose her love and home and to wander weeping through the world. Before her own death, Orual encounters a shrine where Istra/Psyche is worshiped as a goddess of spring and renewal.
Lysias, the “Fox,” a Greek slave bought as a status symbol to teach the children of the king. He stands as an affectionate father to Orual and Istra, teaching them the intellectual ideals of Greek philosophy, yet he is unable to fathom the nature of divinity manifested in Ungit. He renounces his hope of a return to Greece so that he can stay with Orual as a councillor when she frees him.
Trom, the brutal, selfish king of Glome, who rejects his daughters in the hope of having a son, railing against the gods and fate in his misfortunes of war, famine, and disease. He uses Orual's intellectual gifts but dies in terror of her, realizing in his last illness the growth of her power in his own decline.
Bardia, the captain of the king's guards and councillor to Orual. He teaches her military arts and accompanies her on her first search for the body of the sacrificed Istra. Devoted to martial virtues and common sense, Bardia never sees Orual as a woman or realizes that she loves him. His widow accuses Orual of working her devoted servant to death.
Redival, the middle princess, beautiful in mortal terms, hungry for love, and jealous of Orual's tie to Istra. She is a flirt and a gossip whose indiscretions help lead to Istra's sacrifice. Orual marries her to a neighboring king and adopts her second son as heir to the throne of Glome.
Priest of Ungit, the immensely old and inscrutable representative of the abuses and mystery surrounding the worship of the goddess Ungit. It is he who demands the sacrifice of Princess Istra. He dies, after a long illness, at the same time as does Trom.
Arnom, the successor to the old priest of Ungit. He understands his goddess as a Hellenized and abstract deity, an Aphrodite represented by a Greek statue that displaces Ungit's shapeless, faceless stone. Arnom is a skilled politician, alert to the interests of the temple. His establishment as chief priest is contemporary with Orual's accession to the throne, and they work as allies. He ends the novel with praise of the dead queen.