Umbriel’s Journey to the Cave of Spleen
The Rape of the Lock is a notable literary work by Alexander Pope. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of The Rape of the Lock.
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Comment on the Umbriel’s journey to the cave of spleen.
Umbriel’s journey to the Cave of Spleen is very important in Alexander Pope’s (1688-1744) famous poem “The Rape of the Lock” (1712). It comes after Belinda feels sad and shocked. She has lost a lock of her hair. She cries and looks very weak. At that time, Umbriel enters the poem. He is not a human. He is a dark spirit. Pope shows him as a gnome. He goes to a strange cave. There he collects pain and sorrow. He brings it back to make Belinda more upset.
Who is Umbriel: Pope deals with several supernatural elements. One of them is Umbriel. He is a strange and dark spirit. His description is:
“Umbriel, a dusky, melancholy sprite,”
He is not like the sylphs. The sylphs are light and fun. They protect happy girls like Belinda. But Umbriel is the opposite. He brings sorrow, anger, and pain. He is from the earth, not from the air. He comes to the poem when Belinda starts crying. Pope uses him to bring a darker mood.
Why He Goes: Umbriel sees Belinda crying and sad. But that is not enough for him. He wants her to feel more pain. So he decides to go to the Cave of Spleen. He wants to collect more sadness. His aim is to make Belinda feel broken inside. This shows how Pope adds drama to a silly event. Umbriel’s journey turns a small joke into a sad moment.
The Cave of Spleen: The cave is a scary place. No happy wind blows there. The East wind brings headaches. The Queen of Spleen rules here. She is always sad and sick. Two maids serve her. One is Ill-Nature, the other Affectation. The cave is full of strange visions. It is like a bad dream. Pope writes about it in a funny way. He says,
“Here living teapots stand, one arm held out…,
A pipkin there, like Homer’s tripod
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