The Faerie Queene

Book 1

The speaker of the allegorical epic identifies themselves right away when they announce, “Lo I the man, whose Muse whilome did maske” (1.p.1.1). The speaker is a male poet, and while he may not be Edmund Spenser, he has much in common with the author. At one time, the muse masked him in “lowly Shepheards weeds” (1.p.1.2)—a reference to Spenser’s The Shepheardes Calender. Now the speaker asks his muse to help him “sing of Knights and Ladies gentle deeds” (1.p.1.5). The speaker writes their poem to spotlight the adventures of men and women. To do so, the speaker adopts a supplicating tone. He humbly asks his muse, “O helpe thou my weake wit, and sharpen my dull tong” (1.p.2.9).

The speaker introduces the first knight with imagery. He uses specific words to create a picture of the knight’s horse and shield, and the image of the bloody cross loops in the theme of Christianity and goodness. The knight is virtuous in part because he’s a Christian. The knight is on a mission from Gloriana, the “greatest Glorious Queene of Faerie land” (1.1.3.3). The speaker uses alliteration. He puts words together with the same first letter or similar sounds. He also uses a hyperbolic tone for Gloriana. She’s a symbol for Queen Elizabeth, so the speaker pours on the praise. The speaker uses imagery for the woman alongside the knight, and he highlights her impeccable purity through hyperbole.

For the speaker, looks and traits come before names. The speaker doesn’t divulge the woman’s name, Una, until Stanza 45. Although the speaker uses Redcrosse in the title of Book 1, he doesn’t say the knight is Redcrosse in the body of the poem until Canto 2, Stanza 15. Withholding names adds to the complexity of the epic. Conversely, the names help clarify the characters and places and what they stand for. Una is Una because her name means “one” in Latin. The knight is Redcrosse since he’s a good Christian warrior. The “Errours den” (1.1.13.6) is an error—it’s a mistake or a wrong turn.

Errours den links to the theme of Women Versus Men. Una tells Redcrosse it’s a bad idea, but he doesn’t listen. Una has to bail Redcrosse out when he fights the monster. She tells him to strangle the beast, and the speaker brings the monster’s vileness to life through imagery. Her vomit is “[f]ull of great lumpes of flesh and gobbets raw” (1.1.20.3). The graphic depiction of waste makes the speaker’s tone somewhat scatological.

The arrival of the “aged Sire” (1.1.29.2) advances the speaker’s tricky approach to characters. The character isn’t a harmless older man but Archimago—a name that suggests an arch or evil magician. Archimago develops the theme of Women Versus Men—the fake Una torments Redcrosse, and her sexual behavior compels him to ditch her.

The theme of Christianity and Goodness Versus Irreligion and Badness continues with Sansfoy. His name means “without faith,” so Redcrosse defeats him. Sansfoy has two brothers: Sansjoy (without joy) and Sansloy (without law), and the names tie the brothers together and suggest playfulness on the part of the speaker. Sansfoy was with Fidessa, and the lavish, scarlet imagery indicates that she’s not a “pure” woman.

Fradubio’s story explicitly introduces Duessa. Like the speaker, Fradubio uses alliteration and a hyperbolic, scatological tone to stress Duessa’s heinousness. She’s a “filthy foule old woman” (1.2.40.8), with “neather partes misshapen, monstruous” (1.2.41.1). In the penultimate stanza in Canto 2, the speaker reveals that Fidessa is Duessa—setting the stage or foreshadowing further trouble for women and men.

Una’s relationship with the lion symbolizes her purity and goodness. Unlike Duessa, she doesn’t use force. With her innocence, Una passively tames the lion. The idea of appearance and the trickiness of identity come into play as Archimago turns himself into a fake Redcrosse. Una thinks he’s the real Redcrosse, and so does Sansloy. Lucifera continues the idea that appearances can mislead. She’s a “bright blazing beautie” (1.4.8.7), yet she rules over a hellish kingdom. Her six advisors further her wicked characterization, as does her proximity to Fidessa/Duessa.

The speaker uses imagery to create the eventful battle between Redcrosse and Sansjoy and a hyperbolic tone for the dramatic violence. Redcrosse bends “on lowly knee” (1.5.16.2) before Lucifera, so Redcrosse is easily fooled by women and might not be the best judge of character. Archimago’s attempt to sexually assault Una reinforces his malign character and Una’s pure character. Una’s innocence makes violation possible. Humble, Una rejects idolization but accepts the help of Satyrane. He doesn’t try to rape Una, and he fights Sansloy, so he’s depicted as a good character.

The cursed fountain that makes Redcrosse sleepy alludes to Greek mythology. Diana, the goddess of hunting, cursed the water after a nymph failed to give it their all in a hunt. The curse makes Redcrosse vulnerable to Orgoglio and advances Duessa’s immorality. She has no qualms about becoming his romantic partner.

The introduction of Arthur alludes to the legendary king and gives the speaker a way to free Redcrosse from the dungeon. Arthur has powers unavailable to Redcrosse. With his bugle and shield, he defeats Orgoglio. The shield unleashes a “blazing brightnesse” (1.8.19.4). Earlier, the speaker described Lucifera as a “bright blazing beautie” (1.4.8.7). The similar diction or word use adds to the trickiness of identity and appearance.

The stripping of Duessa furthers the scatological, graphic tone of the speaker. He compares her “dried dugs” to “bladders lacking wind” (1.8.47.6) and calls her “neather parts, the shame of all her kind” (1.8.48.1). The speaker draws attention to the explicit imagery by admitting, “My chaster Muse for shame doth blush to write” (1.8.48.2), but that doesn’t stop him from displaying Duessa’s “rompe” (1.8.48.3).

Redcrosse’s stint at Caelia’s home furthers his Christianity and gives Canto 10 a particularly religious atmosphere. The speaker uses hyperbole to highlight Redcrosse’s “distressed doubtfull agonie” (1.10.22.6) over his past mistakes. Redcrosse redeems himself by killing the dragon plaguing Una’s parents. The fight has a hyperbolic and Christian tone: The Well of Life and the Eden-like tree propel Redcrosse to a dramatic victory. Spenser adds a final snare with the messenger/Archimago before his speaker tells the reader they need to take a break before the next adventure. The speaker is human. They don’t have endless energy. Like the speaker, the reader might require a breather.

Book 2

The speaker reinforces the centrality of Queen Elizabeth by addressing her in the proem. He wants her to see “thine owne realmes in lond of Faery” (2.p.4.7). He issues his request humbly and then returns to the action. Archimago is on the loose, so he stirs up drama. The idea of appearance and the rape symbolism returns as Archimago dresses up Duessa and portrays her as a survivor of sexual assault. Archimago and Duessa want Guyon to think Redcrosse raped her.

As with Redcrosse in Book 1, Guyon makes an “error” (2.1.28.2) and almost attacks Redcrosse. Redcrosse’s appearance prevents further violence. Guyon realizes he’s good and wouldn’t sexually assault someone. Redcrosse wishes Guyon well on his quest. It’s as if there’s a passing of the torch. Now Guyon is the star. Guyon has a partner, a palmer or pilgrim, to connect him to Christianity.

The story of Amavia and Sir Mordant continues the theme of Women Versus Men. Acrasia lures Sir Mordant away from Amavia, and she tries to rescue him, so Acrasia, ruler of the Bower of Bliss, kills him. The tale introduces Acrasia, the Bower, and Guyon’s primary goal. The place doesn’t sound overtly bad, but Book 2 is about temperance, and bliss is not a moderate condition, so Guyon has to destroy it.

The speaker makes Guyon and the palmer compassionate. They bury Amavia and her love, and they give the baby to the temperate Medina. The speaker uses the other two sisters and their boyfriends to illustrate the antithesis of moderation.

With Braggadochio frightening Trompart, Spenser adds humor to this poem. As his name implies, Braggadochio is an unmitigated braggart, so it’s easy to laugh at him. Trompart teases him through “fine flattery” (2.3.9.8), and Braggadochio reveals his absurd confidence by refusing Prince Arthur’s supernatural sword. Braggadochio tries to rape the beautiful huntress—proving his inimical character and the huntress’s purity. The speaker omits the name of the huntress, as he wants her looks and actions to define her first.

Furor and Occasion sustain the theme of Women Versus Men. Occasion is Furor’s mom, and she’s “the root of all wrath and despight” (2.4.10.9). Phaon betrays his lack of temperance by killing Claribell, and Pyrochles exposes his absence of temperance through the constant need to fight. Guyon adopts a pragmatic, almost therapeutic tone with Pyrochles when he advises him to confront his anger issues. In keeping with his character, Pyrochles’s tone is dismissive and huffy.

Pyrochles’s brother, Cymochles, isn’t temperate either. He hangs out with Acrasia and then Phaedria. The speaker juxtaposes Cymochles with Guyon to show the reader the virtuous approach to the temptations offered by Phaedria. Guyon is a symbol of circumspection. With her, he’s “wise, and warie of her will” (2.6.26.1). Spenser adds additional humor when Furor sets Pyrochles on fire and he jumps into the lake, and Atin jumps in after him, and Archimago has to save them. The scene has an over-the-top quality; it’s as if they’re putting on a clown show.

The Christian tone returns when Guyon meets Mammon and tries to tempt him with riches. Guyon sees “[g]reat heapes of gold, that neuer could be spent” (2.7.5.2), so the speaker uses imagery and hyperbole to illuminate the sinful sumptuousness of Mammon’s underworld. Yet Mammon’s tone is more like that of a salesperson. He’s trying to convince Guyon to stick around, but the underworld is not for him. It’s not a temperate or thoughtful place, and the people pushing and shoving on Ambition’s golden chain underscore the lack of moderation. Spenser adds a hint of humor when Mammon suggests Guyon should marry Ambition. Guyon is “good,” and Ambition is “bad,” so they’d make a funny couple. Guyon’s time in the underworld links to Dante’s epic Latin poem Inferno (ca 1400), where the speaker receives an extensive tour of hell.

The speaker turns to a melancholy and philosophical tone when he wonders about angels and humans. The pensive thoughts relate to the action in the story, as the palmer meets an angel. Pyrochles continues to convey his lack of temperance and honor by taking Guyon’s armor. As he did with Redcrosse, the legendary Arthur arrives and saves the day. His battle with Pyrochles applies to The Motif of Looking, Appearances, and Reality as Pyrochles has Guyon’s shield. Arthur sees that Pyrochles is not Guyon and kills him.

On Guyon’s shield is an image of Faerie Queene, so the speaker shines the spotlight on Queen Elizabeth. Guyon calls the Queene, “My liefe, my liege, my Soueraigne, my deare” (2.9.4.5). There’s repetition, alliteration, and hyperbole. As the Queene symbolizes Elizabeth, Spenser needs unmitigated praise. The tone calms down with Alma and her castle. She and her home represent temperance, so there’s not much drama. In Canto 10, the speaker takes a break from the action and turns to a professorial tone by providing a history—an imaginative history—of England. As the speaker is discussing Elizabeth’s lineage, the speaker still has to use hyperbole.

The speaker gives Arthur a chance to be the hero when he protects Alma’s castle from Maleger and his crew. Meanwhile, Guyon, like Ulysses in The Odyssey, has to endure monsters and diverse femme fatales on his way to the Bower of Bliss. The speaker uses imagery to portray the fake sensuousness of the Bower. The prolonged image of the two naked women in the fountain is somewhat pornographic. Guyon betrays his weakness by staring at them until the palmer, a Christian conscience, “rebukt those wandring eyes of his” (2.12.69.2). Hyperbole and imagery illustrate Acrasia’s vampishness and Guyon’s obliteration of her bower. He destroys her home with “rigour pittilesse” (2.12.83.2), so it’s arguably acceptable to harness immoderation to stamp out immoderation.

Book 3

Like the proems to Books 1 and 2, the speaker adopts an obsequious tone to Queen Elizabeth. Book 3 is about chastity; the speaker, fawning over Elizabeth, notes that it might seem superfluous to create characters that symbolize the virtue when it shines so brightly in his “Soueraines brest” (3.p.1.5). The poet puts on a self-deprecating tone when they refer to their “modest quill” (3.p.3.3). Someone who plans to write a 12-book allegorical epic on Aristotle’s virtues is arguably more ambitious than modest.

Britomart adds a wrinkle to the Women Versus Men theme. As men think she’s a male knight, they fight her, so her conflict with them is physical and less centered on spells and love. Britomart demonstrates she’s no match for men when she knocks Guyon off the horse and then helps out Redcrosse. Redcrosse sustains his holiness and wholeness by refusing to break with Una and love someone else. As Britomart appears to be a different gender, The Motif of Looking, Appearances, and Reality remains constant throughout Book 3. Malecasta, thinking she’s a he, falls for her and sneaks into her bed—even women who can pass as male knights have to fear rape.

The speaker interrupts the story and adopts a learned tone to note the singularity of Britomart’s predicament. Providing a brief history and gender lesson, the speaker says women knights were commonplace until insecure men clipped their freedoms. The speaker uses imagery and alliteration to explain how Britomart disliked stereotypical female labor. She didn’t want to “finger the fine needle and nyce thread” (3.2.6.8). She adopts a sly, playful tone so that Redcrosse will puff up Arthegall. Britomart’s pursual of Arthegall reveals women can pursue men and not be witches or inimical characters.

The presence of Merlin, Arthur’s wizardly ally, links Britomart to the legendary king and suggests Britomart is on her way to becoming a legend. The speaker uses imagery to illustrate Britomart’s battle with Marinell, and the belief that a virgin might fatally harm him adds a life-or-death emphasis to the Women Versus Men theme.

The speaker gets around to revealing the name of the beautiful huntress from Book 2, Canto 3. She’s Belphoebe, so her name means Beautiful Diana. Like Britomart, Belphoebe can fight men. She fought the predatory Braggadochio. She’s also nurturing, as she takes care of Timias, who’s in love with her but doesn’t try to assault her since he’s good. Belphoebe’s “stedfast chastity” (3.5.55.1) makes her another symbol for Queen Elizabeth, who branded herself a virgin throughout her reign.

Argante adds another layer to the theme of Women Versus Men. She shows women can rape men. The Squire of the Dames brings in humorous irony. In other words, his name sharply departs from expectations. He’s not adept at attracting women. The witch’s creation of the fake Florimell ties to The Motif of Looking, Appearances, and Reality, and it ties to the theme of Women Versus Men. The witch forms the false Florimell because her son was in love with the real Florimell and thinks his mom killed her. The fight between Braggadochio and the witch’s son adds additional humor, as they’re both rather ridiculous characters.

The man in the boat tries to rape Florimell, so the fraught rape symbolism returns. She has to withstand him to “save her honor” (3.8.27.4). If she didn’t have honor, the man couldn’t rape her, so, in the poem, rape seems to only come up with virtuous women. Florimell isn’t a huntress like Belphoebe or a knight like Britomart, so she can’t vanquish the man. As “none of all her knights is nye” (3.8.29.1), she calls on Proteus, who saves her but also preys upon her.

The speaker adopts a gender-fluid approach to Britomart by referring to her with male pronouns when she fights Paridell outside Malbecco’s castle. Then again, perhaps the back-and-forth gender pronouns have more to do with the speaker’s puzzling tone and his aim to make the readers as confused as the characters when it comes to Britomart’s gender.

The dinner at Malbecco’s castle has a humorous tone as Paridell cheekily flirts with Hellenore while Malbecco ineffectively surveils them. The relationship between Hellenore and Malbecco underscores the Women Versus Men theme, and Hellenore’s behavior problematically vindicates Malbecco’s suspicions. Hellenore lacks chastity: She runs away with Paridell and then becomes a wife to a group of satyrs. Malbecco’s continued pursuit of Hellenore departs from the poem’s past presentation of female sexuality. Hellenore has multiple sexual partners, yet she’s not “ruined”—Malbecco still wants her. His desperate attempt to gain her back and his humiliating demise represent a kind of morbid humor.

Britomart shows off her supremacy by making it through the fire while Scudamore fails. In a reversal of gender roles, Britomart has to save Amoret, and Scudamore has to passively wait outside. The speaker uses imagery to describe the tapestries of rape scenes and the haunting theatrical performance. Imagery also illustrates Amoret’s mutilated body and the battle between Britomart and Busirane. Per the 1596 ending, Scudamore doesn’t stick around for Amoret, so Britomart has the chance to be her knight.

Book 4

Spenser published Books 1-3 in 1590 and Books 1-6 in 1596, so the public had time to read them and voice criticisms. Supposedly, readers claimed Spenser was privileging love over virtue, and his focus on romance could negatively influence readers. The feedback accounts for the speaker’s defensive tone in the proem, and it provides further evidence that the speaker acts on Spenser’s behalf and is closely related to him. The speaker also attacks critics, declaring, “Such ones ill iudge of loue, that cannot loue” (4.p.2.1). People put down love if they don’t know to love, and love is at the root of “honor and all vertue” (4.p.2.6).

As Amoret is honorable and thinks Britomart is a male knight, she fears “fowle dishonor” (4.1.8.6) or rape. Britomart is good, so there is no rape attempt. To put her at ease, Britomart reveals her gender—although Book 3’s Argante and Malecasta indicate that women can also rape. The speaker adopts an ambiguous tone when he describes the “franke affection” (4.1.15.6) between Britomart and Amoret. It’s up to the reader to decide if the phrase signifies sexual or platonic intimacy.

Imagery and alliteration illuminate the “fowle and filthy” (4.1.27.1) Ate. As a creator of strife, she extends the theme of Women Versus Men, as does the fight over Amoret and Scudamore’s abuse of Glauce. The ruckus over the fake Florimell also contributes to the theme of Women Versus Men, and it ties into The Motif of Looking, Appearances, and Reality; the speaker’s appropriation of Chaucer’s characters turns the motif on him. It provides further evidence that the modest, self-deprecating persona is less than sincere. In reality, the speaker—or, to be blunt, Spenser—craves the renown of Chaucer.

With his transparent cowardice toward Blandamour, Braggadochio continues to bring humor. The knights then display their brawn and courage in the tournament. The unnamed knights maintain the speaker’s purposefully puzzling tone. The characters don’t know who they are, and neither do the readers. Britomart’s victorious battle over Arthegall links back to the idea at the start of Book 3, Canto 2: Women are better warriors than men. With imagery and hyperbole, the speaker introduces the women in the beauty pageant, and the contest pertains to The Motif of Looking, Appearances, and Reality. The girdle doesn’t fit Florimell—a clue that she’s not who she says she is. Yet she’s nice to look at, so she wins the contest anyway—a case of appearance trumping reality.

Scudamore’s upset stay at Care’s cottage alludes to Redcrosse’s troubled time at Archimago’s home in Book 1, Canto 1. Advancing female superiority, Britomart knocks out Scudamore. Arthegall balances things out by knocking off her helmet. The theme of The Adversity of Quests and Journeys precludes Arthegall from settling down with Britomart. If his quest stops, the conflict ends, and so does his and Britomart’s story.

Amoret’s ordeal with the flesh-eating rapist underscores the poem’s graphic eye, brutal tone, and problematic rape symbology. As Amoret and Aemylia represent status and honor, the villain tries to rape them. The older woman lacks such qualities, so she has sex with the cannibal rapist instead. The situation creates a disturbing hierarchy among women. Yet Spenser showcases female dominance when Belphoebe kills the villain. He then pivots to Women Versus Men when Belphoebe, who thinks Timias likes Amoret more than her, leaves him.

Timias’s time as a hermit complicates the motif of appearance and reality. Timias looks like a hermit, and he is a hermit, but he’s also still a squire. Timias’s relationship with the turtledove indicates that men can have an enchanting relationship with nature and nature’s creatures. Spenser brings his and Belphoebe’s journey to a standstill when they reunite and settle down.

The speaker takes on a defensive tone when Arthur, Amoret, and Aemylia spend the night together in the witch’s cottage. The possibility of a knight raping a woman remains constant throughout the poem. However, the idea that Arthur—the legendary Arthur—might try to take advantage of the two women requires the speaker to insert themselves and vouch for his unimpeachable integrity. When Arthur kills Corflambo, the Postmodern elements of the poem shine strong. As with Postmodern narratives, like Thomas Pynchon’s novel The Crying of Lot 49 (1966), Spenser’s poem throws a lot of information at the reader. The Amyas tale reflects the topsy-turvy data overload. The reader has to keep Amyas separate from his love Aemylia and tell Amyas apart from Placidas—they look almost identical. Similar to Postmodern literature, Spenser’s poem, exemplified by Amyas’s backstory, demands the reader’s careful attention.

Britomart and Scudamore’s row over who misses Amoret furthers the idea that there’s a romantic element to Britomart and Amoret’s relationship. Scudamore’s backstory somewhat salvages his reputation after he fails to breach the castle in Book 3, Canto 11. While Scudamore doesn’t force himself on Amoret, Womanhood rebukes him for “being ouer bold” (4.54.10.2). He shows her his shield, and Womanhood approves, so honorable knights might be aggressive, but they’re not predatory like pagans or bad knights.

Spenser uses imagery to portray the lavish, god-only wedding. He also furthers the claim that rape is constantly a threat to virtuous women. These women are inherently “pure,” however, so rape can’t occur in practice. Proteus can try and rape Florimell, but he can’t rape her and he doesn’t rape her, and the involvement of the gods symbolizes the futility of trying to violate a woman like Florimell—a woman with an inviolate status.

Book 5

Similar to Book 4, the speaker begins Book 5 with an aggressive note. He condemns the “state of present time” (5.p.1.1), where things “growe daily wourse and wourse” (5.p.1.8). The speaker’s castigatory tone connects to his choice to use antiquated diction. Spenser wants to link his poem to “the golden age” (5.p.2.1) and a period of supposedly virtuous behavior.

Arthegall symbolizes justice, and his mom represents the power of women. She taught him right and wrong, so she was his teacher. She also empowers her son through Talus, who’s made of iron but relates to Christianity. Talus “thresht out falshood” (5.1.12.1), and in the Bible, threshing often symbolizes judgment. Arthegall’s resolution for the two knights fighting over the dead women retains the Christian tone: It alludes to King Solomon’s judgment about the baby in 1 Kings 3:16-27.

Imagery highlights the precarious land-and-water battle between Pollente and Arthegall, and it illuminates Munera’s desperate attempts to fend off Talus, who punishes her without mercy. His pitiless form of justice alludes to the humiliation of Duessa in Book 1, Canto 8, and the destruction of the Bower of Bliss in Book 2, Canto 12. The poem indicates that immoderation is acceptable if it’s done in the name of justice. Then again, as Talus punishes Munera and not Arthegall, perhaps there is something unjust about his actions, so Talus represents the underbelly or questionable side of dispensing justice. Talus does Arthegall’s dirty work so Arthegall can stay clean.

Arthegall extends his Christianity in his debate with the giant. He’s on the side of God and tells the giant to not disrupt “their Makers might” (5.2.35.2), or God’s vision for the world. Talus inflicts violence, and the speaker uses a simile to convey how easy it is for Talus to eradicate the followers. The speaker states, “He like a swarme of flyes them ouerthrew” (5.2.53.6). The speaker compares two unlike things—the followers and the flies—using a connecting word: like.

Marinell’s love for Florimell relates to the theme of Women Versus Men. To prove his love for her, he has to fight a hoard of knights. The arrival of the false Florimell and Braggadochio’s theft of Arthegall’s shield links to The Motif of Looking, Appearances, and Reality, with reality triumphing, as the false Florimell can’t survive the juxtaposition—the side-by-side comparison with the real Florimell—and self-destructs.

The cameo by Guyon spotlights the Postmodern element in this Book. It pushes the reader to return to Book 2 and remember that Braggadochio took his horse. It also gives Arthegall a chance to show off his just tone. He settles the conflict, and, with Talus pummeling Braggadochio for him, avoids violence. The just tone persists as Arthegall talks with the brothers and settles their claim on the sea treasure.

Radigund and her women warriors emphasize the theme of Women Versus Men. There are good and bad male knights, and there are good and bad women fighters, and Radigund is not honorable like Britomart or Belphoebe. Britomart and Belphoebe fight and defeat men, but they don’t emasculate them. Spenser makes Radigund less monstrous through her love for Arthegall. Spenser also complicates the dynamic with Clarin’s lies. Arthegall’s imprisonment puts the speaker in a defensive tone. The speaker assures the reader that Arthegall doesn’t surrender his masculinity and stays aware that he’s unfairly under “th’insolent commaund of womens will” (5.6.1.4).

Britomart thinks Arthegall is cheating on her, so she has a problem with him. Her route to him ties into the theme of The Adversity of Quests and Journeys. She has to confront the vengeful Dolon, his trap, and a vision at Isis’s temple. Imagery and alliteration convey Britomart’s defeat of Radigund. The speaker says, “She with one stroke both head and helmet cleft” (5.7.34.6). Spenser juxtaposes Britomart with Radigund, with Britomart putting men back in charge and “them [women] restoring / To mens subiection, did true Iustice deale” (5.7.42.6-7). In Book 3, Canto 2, the speaker says men curbed women’s freedoms out of jealousy. Based on the speaker’s tone in Book 5, it appears as if he agrees with the men that true justice manifests when men control women. Britomart strengthens her tie to justice when she orders Talus to stop massacring Radigund’s subjects.

The speaker then returns to their puzzling tone, so the reader doesn’t know that the mysterious knight is Arthur. Imagery and juxtaposition illuminate the differences between Queen Mercilla, another Queen Elizabeth figure, and Adicia, and the speaker uses imagery to narrate Arthur’s fight with Souldan and his chariot. The speaker uses imagery and hyperbole to portray the beastly fate of the evil Adicia as well.

The defeat of Malengin has a Postmodern tone: It involves numerous pieces. Malengin’s transformations link to The Motif of Looking, Appearances, and Reality. Spenser magnifies the grand, heavenly appearance of Queen Mercilla and her castle with hyperbole and simile. Her throne has “gemmes of endlesse price” (5.9.26.7), and the queen looks superhuman. She’s “like a cloud” (5.9.28.4), and she has “spreading wings” (5.9.28.5) as if she were an angel. The speaker uses hyperbole to zero in on Duessa’s singular evil, and Queen Mercilla’s clemency connects her to Queen Elizabeth and the mercy she supposedly showed Mary, Queen of Scots.

Geryoneo’s idolatrous chapel reinforces the theme of Christianity and Virtue Versus Irreligion and Wickedness. Imagery highlights Geryoneo’s multiple bodies and the monster’s hideous figure, and the graphic description of “her entrailes” (5.11.31.3) has a scatological tone. The quest to save Irena from Grantorto alludes to history and the belief that the English could rescue Ireland from Catholicism or, in general, its hostile population. Burbon also links to history. He symbolizes Henri de Navarre from the House of Burbon—a French dynasty. He became king of France in 1589 and flipped from Protestantism to Catholicism. With Elizabeth and England representing the former, Burbon’s switch is a betrayal, so Arthegall adopts a severe tone with him.

Arthegall manages to ignore the caustic rhetoric of the witches and the Blatant Beast, and perhaps the speaker could learn from Arthegall. The speaker seems to have a hard time disregarding criticism. The speaker can be defensive, and the punished poet in Book 5, Canto 9 indicates that, unlike Arthegall, the speaker has little tolerance for antagonistic speech.

Book 6

The speaker adopts the tone of a critic and appraises his work. He marvels at the “exceeding spacious and wyde” (6.p.1.3) Faerie Land and admits the journeys are difficult to follow. The speaker’s connection to his poem is personal. Adopting a confessional tone, the speaker admits, “[W]hen I gin to feele decay of might, / It strength to me supplies, & chears my dulled spright” (6.p.1.8-9). The pleasure the poem brings the speaker might be why he—or, frankly, Spenser—plans to write six additional books and perhaps more books after that.

Briana brings in the theme of Women Versus Men and shows how women can be led to do bad things on behalf of the men they love. Crudor’s cries for clemency add humor, and Calidore embraces a censorious tone when he lectures them on their discourteous policy of taking the hair from strangers.

The inclusion of Tristram brings the poem back into the realm of King Arthur. Tristram derives from that myth. He falls in love with a princess he has to escort to her wedding. Though Calidore brings Priscilla back to her dad, he doesn’t fall in love with her. However, the dad’s refusal to let her marry the man she wants underscores the theme of Women Versus Men.

Calepine proves that women and men aren’t always at odds. He tries to help Serena get care. The “saluage man” (6.4.2.2) who helps Calepine and Serena demonstrates that a person doesn’t have to be a knight or overtly Christian to have compassion and be good. The notion that the baby can be a fine knight upends norms that equate parentless children as inferior.

Spenser zeroes in on The Adversity of Quests and Journeys when Timias leaves his content life with Belphoebe and rejoins Arthur to face further conflicts. He and Serena heal their wounds through a kind of spirituality, and Arthur uses an explicit tone to humiliate Turpine, who already embarrassed himself when he hid from Arthur and cried to his wife—another funny moment. Later, Turpine realizes Arthur is sleeping and not dead, so the motif involving appearance and reality returns. By naming the discourteous man Sir Turpine as well, Spenser continues to presage Postmodernism. Amazons killed Sir Turpine in Book 5, so this is a different Sir Turpine—a bit confusing.

Mirabella extends the theme of Women Versus Men, and her faulty character seems to justify the abuse she endures. Arthur displays courtesy by offering to try and get her out of her punishment. Mirabella reveals admirable character traits when she refuses his help and accepts the consequences of her actions.

Imagery conveys Serena’s terrifying situation. The speaker graphically describes how the villains lust after her body parts and want to rape her. The villains’ involvement with the priest and sacrifice reinforces thematic elements like anti-Christianity and evil.

Calidore models courteous, Christian behavior as he lets Condon wear the crowns that he didn’t win. Conversely, Calidore’s behavior could come across as condescending. The arrival of Colin Clout connects to Postmodernism. Postmodernists played around with identity and the boundaries between an author and their characters. Arguably, Spenser is two people in the poem: He’s the speaker and Colin Clout. Spenser isn’t a musician, but he is a poet, and his poems are musical. More so, Spenser’s poem is for Queen Elizabeth, and Colin plays his pipe for the Elizabeth symbol Gloriana.

Pastorella is beautiful and honorable, and the captain of the plunderers tries to rape her. The speaker uses imagery and simile to show how her abduction and illness can’t suppress her exceptional appeal. Imagery also helps the speaker convey the massacre between the merchants and thieves, with “carcases” (6.11.20.1) falling on Pastorella. Her story links appearance to reality. She appears to be the daughter of Bellamoure and Claribell, and she is.

The escape of the Blatant Beast sets up further books. With the monster still out there, additional quests and journeys remain. The speaker stays preoccupied with antagonistic speech. Book 6 ends with a somewhat self-centered tone. The speaker makes the last lines about him and speculates that this beast will speak ill of his “homely verse” (6.12.41.1). The speaker wants his poem to seem simple, but in reality, The Faerie Queene is quite complex.

The Mutabilitie Cantos

The unpublished cantos continue the theme of Women Versus Men, as Mutabilitie is female and tries to assert her power. Like other aggressive female characters, Mutabilitie’s quest for dominance makes her inimical. The speaker calls her wicked and cruel, so her violence symbolizes something bad. As in previous cantos, these cantos have an argumentative tone. It’s as if the speaker uses the poem to launch a debate about the power of change versus other forces. Imagery helps the God of Nature describe the specific elements of the months, seasons, and other stages in the world. Thus, Mutabilitie loses the debate, and the gods defeat her. The presence of gods gives the cantos a spiritual atmosphere. Unlike the past books, spirituality isn’t explicitly Christian.