What lesson does The Faerie Queene teach?
Each of the 6 books of the Faerie Queen speak to a specific, Christian virtue
that Spenser believed all people should aspire to embody. In Book 1, the
Redcross Knight represents Holiness, as well as the struggle to achieve
holiness as a follower of Christ. This is the same for the other books: Guyon
in Book 2 representing Temperance, Britomart in Book 3 representing
Chastity, Cambell in Book 4 representing Friendship, Sir Artegall in Book 5
representing Justice, and Sir Calidore in Book 6 representing Courtesy.
What does The Faerie Queene represent?
The Faerie Queen, Gloriana, symbolizes Queen Elizabeth I. Spenser viewed
Elizabeth as a champion for England and the religion he practiced,
Protestantism. He was writing during and after the Reformation, when Queen
Elizabeth changed the official religion of England to Protestantism from
Catholicism, a move that Spenser saw as divinely inspired.
Why is The Faerie Queene important?
The Faerie Queen is important as a historical piece of writing. It gives insight
into religious thought and the religious strife between Protestantism and
Catholicism. Spenser's poem attempts to capture Protestant virtue and
glorify Queen Elizabeth I and her lineage. The poem not only teaches the
values of Protestants at the time, it also comments on the politics and history
of England, and stands as one of the most popular and influential works of
English literature.
Who was the Faerie Queene woman?
The Faerie Queene is also known as Queene Gloriana. She tasks the
Redcross Knight with slaying the dragon that terrorizes Una's home.
Symbolically, the Faerie Queene is Queen Elizabeth I of England. The poem is
partially dedicated to celebrating Elizabeth and elevating her as a figure of
Christian virtue.
What is the main plot of The Faerie Queene?
The Faerie Queene is a collection of 6 poems, each poem having it's own
narrative following different knights, such as the Redcross Knight in Book 1
or Guyon in Book 2. The Faerie Queene is therefore episodic, having six plot
lines that share characters and locations.
Introduction to The Faerie Queene
The Faerie Queene, written by Edmund Spenser in the late 1500s, is an
allegorical tale created to teach its readers how to live up to the six virtues
Spenser explores in each book. Instead of providing an instruction booklet
about how to lead a sinless life, Spenser portrays each virtue and vice
through the knights' quests.
The Faerie Queene is divided into six books, each one dedicated to a specific
virtue: holiness, temperance, chastity, friendship, justice, and courtesy.
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Summary
Book I
Book I, dedicated to the virtue of holiness, follows the adventure of the
Redcross Knight, who represents the virtue of holiness. He encounters the
deceptive Duessa, Archimago, and the House of Pride. The virginal Una, who
represents Truth, initially aids the Redcross Knight in his journey; however,
after his encounter with the monstrous Errour and her cannibalistic offspring,
the Redcross Knight wanders away from his guiding light and proceeds into
an illicit relationship with the deceptive Duessa, whose very name means
'duplicity'.
The Redcross Knight only learns the virtue of holiness after his fall from
grace. Duessa leads him into the House of Pride, where the Knight meets
Lucifera, the female representation of Satan, and her court of sin: Idleness
followed by Gluttony, Lechery, Avarice, Envy, and Wrath. The Knight's
ignorance causes him to consummate with Duessa, leaving him too weak to
fight the giant Ogoglio. When Una and Prince Arthur come to rescue the
Knight, Una reveals Duessa's true form and redeems the Redcross Knight by
taking him to the House of Holiness after his triumphant battle over the
monster Despair. With renewed strength, the Redcross Knight defeats the
dragon that held Una's parents imprisoned.
Book II
Book II shifts the point of view to Sir Guyon, who represents the virtue of
temperance. His major heroic act is destroying the Bower of Bliss controlled
by Acrasia, an evil witch who lures men to her bower with sexual appeal but
then magically transforms them into beasts. Sir Guyon devotes himself to
destroying the witch and her bower.
Accompanied by Knight Palmer and Prince Arthur, Guyon encounters many
beasts and adventures on the journey to the island. He gets into skirmishes
with characters like the evil knight brothers Pyrochles and Cymochles, the
beast Mamon, and a group of violent men attacking a castle. Additionally, he
must forge through the dangerous waters and confront the monsters of the
Gulf of Greediness, fight off the wild beasts on the island, and ignore the
seductive women of the island. Eventually, they find Acrasia. Binding Acrasia
with nets, Sir Guyon ultimately destroys the Bower of Bliss.
Book III
Book III introduces the reader to the lady knight Britomart, who represents
the virtue of chastity and is on a quest to find her beloved Artegall. Unlike
Book I and Book II, Book III is set up as a collection of separate love stories
that are interwoven into a pattern of relationships representing both chaste
and unchaste love affairs.
The first love affair is Britomart's, whose love for Artegall occurs after she
sees him in a magic mirror. Meeting previous characters such as Sir Guyon,
Prince Arthur, and the Redcross Knight, Britomart must confront foes such as
the seductress Malecasta, who is the very representation of unchaste lust.
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Compared to other chaste characters like Florimell, Britomart's chastity does
not need to be tested because her chastity is embedded within her very
nature. After she meets the knight Scudamore and helps him rescue his
betrothed, Amoretta, Britomart continues her journey to find Artegall by the
end of Book III.
Book IV
Book IV, in its elaboration on the virtue of friendship, is also a collection of
stories. From Britomart's rescue of the fair Amoretta to the false friendship
between Blandamour and the envious Paridell, Book IV explores friendship as
a social and public virtue that contrasts the private virtues of Books I-III.
When Britomart proves to be Amoretta's knightly champion in a battle to
preserve Amoretta's chastity, the two women express their true friendship
through their devotional commitment. On the other hand, characters like
Blandamour and Paridell become the illustration of a destructive friendship
ruled by jealousy and exploitation. Such representations of true and false
friendships become interwoven in a book that continues the exploits of the
chaste characters introduced in Book III.
Book V
Book V returns to Artegall's adventure as he travels with Talus to rescue
Eirena from her captor Grantorto. Representing the virtue of justice,
Artegall's adventure begins after he receives his quest from the Faerie
Queene. After encountering a squire and a knight named Sanglier fighting
over a lady, Artegall acts as a benevolent and mindful judge, testing his
subjects to see who truly loves the lady in question.
By defeating various foes, Artegall extends his just hand across the kingdom
into Mercilla's court, where Prince Arthur and Artegall help maid Samient in
defeating the evil king and queen, Souldan and Adicia. After watching
Duessa's trial and execution over her many crimes, Artegall finishes his
quest, rescuing Eirena from the monstrous Grantorto and driving the hags
Distraction and Envy away along with their Blatant Beast, a representation of
scandal and dishonor.
Book VI
Book VI follows Calidore as he spreads the social virtue of courtesy. Book VI
starts with Calidore defeating Crudor and his wife Briana, then teaching them
the virtue of courtesy. Calidore continues his adventure, eventually meeting
Knight Calepine and his lady Serena, who was bitten and poisoned by the
Blatant Beast.
The narrative diverges into separate adventures, with Serena and Calepine
meeting Prince Arthur to find a cure for the Blatant Beast's poison, and
Calidore encountering the beautiful Pastorella who helps him in his journey.
While Serena and friend Timias learn that the cure to the Blatant Beast's
poison is the combination of virtue, self-control, and forthrightness, Calidore
rescues his rival Coridon from a brigand and defeats the Blatant Beast's
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scandalous mouth by binding it together. Courtesy, which is contrasted to
the personification of Disdain and Scorn, is able to beat the Blatant Beast,
but it is also suggested that it cannot kill the Beast for good.
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