Abstract

among the metapoetic characters of ovid’s Metamorphoses there is morpheus, a daemon from Book X i, son of Hypnos and co-protagonist of the Ceyx alcyone episode. the first and the second section of the article intend to show that his metamorphic capabilities, introduced by the poet at 633-649 and applied by the dream at 650-673, are strictly related to ovid’s poetical technique: as a matter of fact, the enargeia of morpheus’ transformations conjures up the author’s visual language and the aims of artistic mimesis, which is most proved by ovidian vocabulary. moreover, the importance of the themes of image and eyesight raises an issue about knowledge and its limits: this is because the eye is seen as the basic source of knowledge. on the other hand, the illusionistic power of morpheus involves an exploration of a poetics of absence and presence: the vanishing phantom of a dead is able to deceive a living in a dream and to persuade her of its truth and real presence. this is possible through its use of speech and through the mention of Ceyx’s name, which constitute the two major evidences of identity, together with facies. therefore the last section of the article deals with the “victim” of the daemon’s arts, alcyone: since alcyone is the trusting spectator of his theatrical performance, she may represent the reader – particularly the reader of the Metamorphoses– and their suspension of disbelief