Transcript The Faerie Queene - marinellienglishclass

The Faerie Queene
Edmund Spenser
The Faerie Queene
• Spenser considered “heroical” or epic poetry
to be the highest form of poetry
• As a humanist, he also revered the classics and
often imitated classical forms like pastoral and
epic poetry
The Genre
• Allegory: a form of extended metaphor in
which objects and characters within a
narrative are equated with meanings outside
the narrative;
• In other words, allegory uses characters to
personify abstract qualities, represent a
historical personage, or symbolize a category
of individual
The Genre
• The use of personification does not make a
work allegorical
• The personification must be symbolic
• Allegory is usually concerned with highly
important matters (damnation and salvation)
• May also be used as satire
Allegory in The Faerie Queene
• Contains religious, historical, and mythological
allegory
• Some characters are named for qualities they
represent (Error, Despair)
• Others have foreign names for their qualities
(Speranza = Italian for “Hope”)
Allegory in The Faerie Queene
• On one level Redcrosse Knight represents
Holiness or Faith
• His quest demonstrates
how to become a true
Christian
• He must reject false
doctrines and other
temptations to sin and cling to the true faith
Allegory in The Faerie Queene
• Redcrosse Knight also represents St. George, the
patron saint of England
• Therefore, he symbolizes England itself
• His quest portrays English Church history
• England had to reject the “false” faith of Catholicism
(according to Spenser) and learn to embrace the
“true” faith of Protestantism
Allegorical
Characters
• Gloriana, the Fairy Queen =
Queen Elizabeth
• Prince Arthur = a perfect
knight, representing
England
• Arthur is on a quest to find
Gloriana
• Their union signifies the
perfect union between
Queen Elizabeth and the
country she rules
Allegorical Characters
•
•
•
•
Una = the “true” faith, Protestantism
Duessa = the “false” faith, Catholicism
Archimago = the Anti-Christ, the Pope
Basically, the idea is that the Pope and his
Church are trying to trick England into
rejecting the Protestant faith, and returning to
Catholic doctrines
Book I, Canto 1
• Gloriana sends Redcrosse Knight on a quest to
escort Una to the kingdom of her parents and to
deliver them from a dragon that is ravaging their
land
• The Redcrosse Knight, Una, and a dwarf are riding
along a plain till rain forces them into a wood
• They become lost and happen upon Error whom
the Redcrosse Knight defeats after a struggle
Book I, Canto 1
• They find their way out of the forest and then
happen upon an aged sire who is really
Archimago
• He tricks them back to his home where he
causes the Redcrosse knight to have a lustful
dream about Una
• He then creates a false Una who comes to the
Redcrosse Knight's bed, tries to seduce him
without success, and angers him.
Canto 2
• Archimago creates a scene with the false Una in
bed with a man, then calls the Redcrosse Knight
to show him her seeming unchastity
• The Redcrosse knight is so upset he abandons
Una at dawn.
• He then finds Sansfoy (Faithlessness) and his lady
who calls herself Fidessa, but who is really
Duessa. (Duessa is the Roman Catholic church)
• The Redcrosse knight defeats Sansfoy in battle
and takes up with Duessa.
Canto 2
• Duessa tells him she had a fiance, a "prince so
meek" (Christ), but he died before they married
• The Redcrosse knight and Duessa come across
two enchanted trees
• One tree says it used to be a knight and Duessa
caused him to abandon his lady
• When he finally realized Duessa's corruption he
tried to escape but Duessa transformed him and
his lady into trees
• Duessa pretends to faint so Redcrosse leaves with
her, unaware that he is with Duessa
Canto 3
• Una continues to search for the Redcrosse Knight
• She encounters a lion which helps her find the
House of Abessa and Corceca where Una may
sleep for the night
• (Corceca, as she endlessly does her rosary,
represents the blind superstition of Roman
Catholicism; Abessa represents the abbeys and
monasteries which rob the church, according to
Protestant thought)
Canto 3
• Una leaves in the morning and encounters
Archimago who is now disguised as the Redcrosse
Knight.
• Una is deceived and travels with Archimago
• Sansloy (Lawlessness) attacks Archimago,
thinking him to be the Redcrosse knight.
• He removes his helmet to cut off his head and
realizes it is Archimago
• Sansloy releases Archimago and forces Una to
come with him.
Canto 4
• Duessa leads the Redcrosse Knight to the House of
Pride where Lucifera unlawfully rules by "policy" and
by virtue of her shiny beauty which amaze her court
• Lucifera's counsellors - the seven deadly sins - ride
through in procession
• Sansjoy (Joylessness) comes to avenge the Redcrosse
Knight for killing Sansfoy
• Lucifera orders them to battle out their grievance the
next morning
• That night Duessa comes to Sansjoy and warns him of
the Redcrosse Knight's charmed shield and armor.
Canto 5
• The Redcrosse Knight and Sansjoy battle
• Just when the Redcrosse Knight seems about to
win, a dark cloud hides and saves the wounded
Sansjoy
• Night and Duessa take Sansjoy to Hell where he is
healed Sansjoy.
• Duessa returns to the House of Pride and finds
that the Redcrosse knight has left because his
"wary dwarf" warned him of the dungeon full of
individuals who fell by pride.
Canto 6
• Sansloy takes Una into a forest where he tries to ravish her
• Her cries summon some fawns and satyrs and Sansloy is
frightened away
• The Satyrs worship Una's beauty and keep her with them
• Satyrane, a half human satyr knight, happens into the
forest and becomes devoted to Una and helps her escape
the satyrs
• They meet a Pilgrim - really Archimago - who tells Sansloy
has killed Redcrosse Knight
• Sansloy and Satyrane battle, Una flees in fright and is
pursued by Archimago.
Canto 7
• Duessa leaves the House of Pride and finds the
Redcrosse Knight
• They sin together and the Redcrosse Knight also
drinks from a charmed spring which weakens him
physically and morally
• A giant, Orgoglio (Pride), comes along, conquers
the Redcrosse Knight and locks him in a dungeon
• The Redcrosse Knight's dwarf gathers his arms,
finds Una, and tells her what has happened.
• Una meets Arthur who vows to help the
Redcrosse Knight.
Canto 8
• Arthur, Una, and the Redcrosse Knight's dwarf
come to Orgoglio's castle
• Arthur opens its doors with a trumpet blast.
• Orgoglio and Duessa ride out on the manyheaded beast to battle Arthur and his squire
• Arthur defeats theym with his charmed shield
• Arthur enters the castle and finds the Redcrosse
Knight who is debilitated and despairing
• They try to cheer the Redcrosse Knight and then
disrobe Duessa who is revealed to be hideous.
Canto 9
• Arthur says he does not his history know
because, as an infant, he was given to Merlin to
be raised
• He tells how the Faerie Queene appeared to him
as he slept and he has sought her since
• Arthur parts from Una and the Redcrosse Knight.
• Despair nearly convinces the Redcrosse Knight to
kill himself
• He is saved by Una who snatches the knife from
his hand and pulls him from Despair who - foiled tries unsuccessfully to kill himself
Canto 10
• Una takes Redcrosse Knight to the House of
Holiness to recover
• The House of Holiness is managed by Caelia
(Heavenly Spirit), who has three daughters:
Fidelia (Faith), Speranza (Hope), Charissa
(Charity)
• The Redcrosse Knight is restored under the
guidance of Fidelia, Esperanza, Patience,
Amendment, Penaunce, Remorse, Repentance,
Charissa, and Mercie
• These are the Christian virtues
Canto 10
• Una then takes Redcrosse Knight to
Contemplation who resides on a hill
• Contemplation shows him the New Jerusalem
(Heaven) and tells him he is really English and will
become St. George
• The Redcrosse Knight, after seeing New
Jerusalem wants to leave this world - but
Contemplation tells him he has work to do
• Now restored, the Redcrosse Knight gets ready
to undertake his quest again.
Canto 11
• Una and the Redcrosse Knight approach her
parents' castle which is terrorized by the dragon
• Redcrosse Knight battles the dragon Knight is
mortally wounded twice
• The first time he falls into the well of life and
revives the next day
• The second time he falls near the tree of life and
revives the next day
• Finally after wounding the dragon five times in
three days, the Redcrosse Knight kills the dragon.
Canto 12
• Una’s father, the king, promises his land and Una to the
Redcrosse Knight
• The Redcrosse Knight says he must first serve the Faerie
Queene for six years
• The king is about to formally betroth them when a
messenger (the disguised Archimago) enters
• He reads a letter from Duessa who claims the Redcrosse
Knight is already betrothed to her
• The Redcrosse Knight and Una explain his previous errors
and Duessa's present deception and have Archimago
enchained (but he later escapes)
• The two are betrothed, then The Redcrosse Knight returns
to the Faerie Queene to serve her for six years.