Who is Morpheus? Describe his house in the underworld.
The Faerie Queene is a notable literary work by Edmund Spenser. 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 Faerie Queene.
Answer
Who is Morpheus? Describe his house in the underworld.
Morpheus is the Greek god of dreams who lives in the underworld. He controls the world of dreams. In “The Faerie Queene, Book I, Canto I” (1590), Morpheus helps the evil magician Archimago. Archimago brings a false, lustful dream from Morpheus to deceive the Red Cross Knight. This is Archimago’s trick to mislead the knight and make him leave Lady Una.
Morpheus does not speak much. He is always sleeping and does not care about anything. His job is to send dreams when someone wakes him up. Morpheus’s underworld house is described below.
Dark and Silent House: Morpheus lives in the underworld. His house is deep inside the earth where sunlight never comes. In this place, everything is silent and peaceful, which is perfect for sleep. It is far away from any noise or enemies. Spenser writes:
“Wrapt in eternall silence farre from enemyes.”
Doors and Dogs: The house has two doors. One door is made of ivory, and the other is covered with silver. There are watchdogs in front of the doors to keep away anyone who brings worries or problems.
“And wakefull dogges before them farre do lye”
Perfect for Dreaming: Inside the house, everything is calm, perfect for dreaming. A small stream flows. There is soft rain with a light wind. It sounds like bees humming. This sound helps people fall into a deep sleep and dream. There is only quietness and rest. Morpheus sleeps deeply in this place. Even when someone talks to him, he does not wake up. He only wakes up when someone shakes him hard or uses magic.
In short, Morpheus is the god of dreams. His house is a silent, dark place in the underworld. It is the perfect place for deep, peaceful sleep.