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 ID: 701606
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Slide1
The Faerie Queene
Edmund SpenserSlide2
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 poetrySlide3
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 individualSlide4
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 satireSlide5
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”)Slide6
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 faithSlide7
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 ProtestantismSlide8
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 rulesSlide9
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 doctrinesSlide10
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
struggleSlide11
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.Slide12
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
. Slide13
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
DuessaSlide14
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) Slide15
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.Slide16
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
.Slide17
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. Slide18
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
. Slide19
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. Slide20
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 many-headed 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. Slide21
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 himselfSlide22
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 virtuesSlide23
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.Slide24
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. Slide25
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.