What does Duessa symbolize?
What does Duessa symbolize? oxford. views 1,428,169 updated. Duessa in Spenser's Faerie Queene, the daughter of Deceit and Shame, standing for falsity in general, but in particular alluding to the Roman Catholic Church and Mary, Queen of Scots; she is contrasted with Una, who stands for single-minded adherence to true religion. Who does Duessa represent in the Faerie Queene? Through her purple and gold robes and the seven-headed beast she rides upon, Duessa becomes a representation of the Whore of Babylon from the Book of Revelation. However, this does not mean Spenser has shifted the intended allegory of Duessa from...