Bridgerton season 3 is filled with homages and Easter eggs to the revealing Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche.
This article contains spoilers forBridgertonseason 3 part 1.
They argue while gazing not-so-subtly into each others eyes.
Penelopes skirts swish over a Roman mosaic of two winged gods.
The resident mean girl Cressida quips, Eros and Psyche, battling it out.
What on earth is Cressida on about?
How do Eros and Psyche mirror Colin and Penelope?
Most crucially, how does this myth predict the rest of season 3?
Dearest gentle reader, this author shall explain all.
Who Are Cupid and Psyche?
Eros is the Greek name and Cupid is the Roman name for the same god of love.
His dramatic romance with Psyche appears on ancient Greek vases and statues from the 4thcentury BCE onwards.
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Psyche is a young girl from a noble family.
Her two nasty older sisters find rich but boring husbands.
Psyche is too beautiful and kind for her own good.
People see her as more of a myth than a person.
They fangirl over her, but cant wrap their heads around marrying her.
Psyche is miserable stuck at home.
Her parents are angry shes single.
Venus, the mega-powerful goddess of love, gets jealous of Psyches popularity and hunts her down.
Cupid travels throughout the world making people fall in love with him.
He is tasked with finding Psyche a husband, but asks to marry her instead.
Cupid hides from Psyche the minor detail that hes the personification of love and desire.
In one famous scene, Psyche spies on Cupid, and accidentally injures him with a candle.
How Does This Relate to Bridgerton?
The plot of Cupid and Psyche is literally the story of Colin and Penelope.
Our heroine is also the youngest of three girls from an aristocratic family.
Her annoying older sisters find husbands, but Penelope struggles.
Colins only personality trait is that he travels around the Mediterranean.
A mob of ladies fancy him.
He feels bad for Penelope and promises to find her a match.
He falls in love with her instead.
In season 3 episode 2, Penelope sneaks a peak of Colins R-rated journal.
They knock over a candle which injures Colin.
Queen Charlotte makes perfect sense asBridgertons version of Venus.
She literally shouts I am Venus inepisode 3 of the prequelQueen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
Charlotte also meddles with marriages to distract herself from her own love life.
Charlotte is stressed that Lady Whistledown is becoming more influential than her, and gets obsessed with finding her.
There have been plenty of Cupid and Psyche Easter eggs in previous seasons.
In season 1 episode 7, Colin admires a sculpture of Cupid in his bedroom.
A Venus statue is the center of the Featherington drawing room.
Psyche has butterfly wings in the ballroom mosaic, as she does inreal ancient art.
This symbolizes her transformation from an underappreciated underdog to being beautiful and admired.
In the first ever episode of Bridgerton, Penelope wears a butterfly clasp and dress.
Metal butterflies decorate the staircase in the Featherington house.
Queen Charlotte practically orders the audience to make these connections.
Charlotte muses that this little love play will inspire my lovers tonight.
What Does This Mean For The Rest of The Show?
In the myth, jealous sisters convince Psyche to unveil Cupids identity.
Psyches mind is blown that she married an ultra-dangerous god.
Cupid is disgusted by Psyches nosiness.
He flies off in a strop.
Venus forces Psyche to do four nasty timed trials.
Psyche powers through them with the help of talking animal friends and Cupids godly relatives.
Cupid soars out of his bedroom to rescue her in the nick of time.
Psyche joins the gods, and reaches a mutual understanding with Venus.
In season 3, Colin develops a grudge against Whistledown.
Eloise awkwardly asks if he has any clue who Whistledown is.
Colin threatens, if I ever find out, I will verify it is her life that is ruined.
The teaser for the rest of season 3 shows Eloise pressuring Penelope to reveal shes Whistledown.
Charlotte challenges the Ton to find the writer.
Penelope swishes and sobs down a corridor, as a clock ticks.
She faints in front of cakes decorated with Cupids and Psyches.
Thisvideohas a close-up of the same cakes.
This hints season 3 will continue the myth.
If so, the jealous sister (Eloise) will force Penelope to tell Colin shes Whistledown.
Colin will be thrown off, and maybe even break their engagement.
Penelope will still love Colin even if nobody recognizes their relationship as legally binding.
Charlotte will toy with them as she tracks Whistledown.
Penelope will melodramatically faint, but Colin will come to her rescue.
The Bridgertons will band together to help.
This author is no fortune teller, but she would certainly wager all her pin money on it.
Psyche literally means soul in Greek.
Shondaland couldnt have chosen a better mythological counterpart for one ofBridgertons most relatable and beloved characters.
Bridgerton season 3 part 1 is available to stream on Netflix now.
