1

The Faerie Queene - Edmund Spenser

Book I, Canto I

Stanza 1
Invocation of the Muse an epic convention
Similarities to Virgil: pastoral then epic poetry
Structure - supposed to reflect Virgils Aeneid, i.e. 12 books with 12 cantos each
The last line of this stanza also echoes Virgils first line in the Aeneid: I sing of warfare and a
man of war
Also introduces allegory aim is to moralise present a moral for the reader/audience

Stanzas 2-4
open the chests of scrolls to release tales about Gloriana and Arthur
Invocation to Cupid, Venus and Mars to add the love element into the epic, hence moving
towards romance poetry
Reference to Queen Elizabeth I through Gloriana as similar types...

Canto I st. 1-2 Redcrosse Knight
Description of the hero
Allegorically: Holiness
Historically: St George, the patron saint of England and the right kind of gentleman
Red bloudie Cross on his armour and on his shield a symbol of Jesus suffering for mankind
faithfull true in deed and word, but rather solemn
dreaded nothing but was dreaded himself

Stanza 3 The Quest
given to him by Gloriana, the Faerie Queene,(allegory: QEI) - the lady (Una) is the true instigator
of the quest (st.5)
Aim: to winnne him worship, and her grace to have / which of all earthly things he most did
crave (honour ll.22-23) and to prove himself in battle
Nemesis: a dragon

Stanza 4-5 The Lady Una
Whiter than white (purity)
Mourning white clothes covered by a black stole - face hidden by the folds of a veil
She has a lamb with her
Una is truth, the one true faith Anglican Protestantism
Of royal lineage
Dragon wasted her land and kidnapped parents
Summoned knight to avenge her land

Stanzas 6-11 The Storm
Forced to seek shelter in shady grove with tall trees
paths are wide and worn, lead into the forest
Birdsong heard singing the praises of the trees in the forest
a catalogue of the trees and their uses as part of the birds hymn...
2

That path they take, that beaten seemed most bare (93) lost in maze
Birdsong courtly love flirtation - leads them astray in grove
Wandering losing their faith
Going deeper into forest descent into Underworld
God leads them out at the end

Stanza 12 Arriving at a Cave
Lady warns RCK of potential danger
Advises him to turn back
Appearances can be deceptive

Pride shame were to revoke / The forward footing for an hidden shade: / Vertue gives her
selfe light, through darknesse for to wade.

Stanza 13

Lady recognises Errours den
Error means to wander, to err, be mistaken

Redcrosses Development
Not Holiness in the beginning;
He makes mistakes, learns by his mistakes, and so becomes perfected in Holiness.
PRIDE (first of the Seven Deadly Sins) leads RCK into trouble
A trait shared with many knights from Arthurian romance
Recurrent idea in the FQ pride the downfall of the Christian

Errours Den (14-26)
shining armour provides light
Errour half-serpent, half-woman she is loathsome, vile... (st. 14)
huge tail, mortal sting a thousand young ones suckling her (on poisonous dugs) offspring are
of various forms
Durty ground lives in the darkness - afraid of light (truth) retreat into the darkness of her
mouth - Inversion of birth

Allegorically represents the Roman Catholic Church (the enemy)
Everything foul must come from it darkness, filth, poisons the mind, soul, body etc. afraid of
the light, i.e. truth..(st.15 - 16)

The Battle
RCK blocks her retreat
She becomes enraged threatens to sting
RCK strikes first blow
Errour - dazed from the blow - winds herself around his body
the speaker says: God helpe the man so wrapt in Errours endless traine (l. 162)
Power of True Faith
Lady implores RCK to add faith to his forces and to strangle her
3


Implication: through the wandering in the forest, RCK lost faith
Frees a hand, gets a good grip on her throat and she loosens her hold on him

Stanza 20
Flood of poison, lumps of decayed flesh issue from Errours mouth
stench forces RCK to lose his hold on her
spews out books and papers, frogs, toads which creep away into the grass

books and papers refer to the anti-Protestant RC propaganda against England and Queen
Elizabeth at the time spreading poison

Epic similes (21 & 23)
Like Nilus describes the way the Nile floods in spring and later as the water recedes, it leaves
muddy ground for all sorts of creatures to feed from
In 22 - pours forth all her spawn serpents, monsters swarm about him but cant hurt him
Likens their effect to the effect of gnats of an evening brushes them off in the same way

24-26
Stench is overbearing
shame of running away
cuts off her head black blood gushes from her head
Spawn try to reenter her via the mouth, but cant find it sucked up her blood making her
death their life and eke her hurt their good
Having drunk the blood, they swelled and then burst, hence self-destructive slew themselves

Stanza 27-28 The Way Out
Lady congratulates him and wishes him a like outcome in similar adventures
his first adventure proven self worthy of armour
Back through the forest keeping to the most obviously beaten path out of the forest, with God
as their friend

Stanza 29 The Old Holy Man
dressed in black
grave, solemn
a book by his belt, rosary beads in his hands, praying, bent low
void of any malice
prays, knocking on breast, as one that did repent

Seeking New Adventures (30-33)
Enquires after any adventures of hermit
Holy man - no right to meddle in such things -only prays for his sins
BUT knows of an evil RCK takes the bait
An evil lives far away
Ladie intercedes: he must get some rest before he can take on another adventure
they can stay for the night

4


34-35
Description of hermitage far from people, holy Chapel built in where he does his holy
things Christall stream gently played, sacred fountain (something is not right??)
Hermit entertains them with stories of saints and popes and Hail Marys before and after each
story

Archimago (36)
A messenger of Morpheus puts them to sleep a deadly sleep
Hermit goes into his study
magick books to conjure up troublesome dreams
Evokes evil spirits Plutos grisly Dame (Persepine patron of witchcraft) and Demogorgon all
tremble in fear of him
Calls sprights takes 2, sends one on an errand, the other remains with him

The (mini) Descent into the Underworld (37-45)
First sprite on mission to Morpheus to get a bad dream
Perpetual darkness and silence damp, dark, night covers Morpheus while he is sleeping
Morpheus house locked gates, dogs on guard to keep care, the enemy of sleep, away
Sprite gets in and finds Morpheus fast asleep cant wake him
Threatens him with the name of Hecate
Morpheus begins to quake, angry, asks why he came sent by Archimago for fit false dreams,
that can delude the sleepers sent (i.e. senses) (l. 387)
Morpheus = a god still obeyed and sprite on his way with the dream
Other Spright - transformed to resemble lady Una

The Dream (46-48)
Dream for RCK taught sprite to act like Una
Erotic dreams believes the lady is lying beside him and wants to learn about lustful play
Venus brings Una to his bed - the chastest flower has now become a paramour
Graces seem to be singing a call to the pleasures of the marriage bed (i.e. sex)

(49-52)
Wakes up face to face with Una
offers him a kiss
Angered - wants to hit her, but gets control of himself
wants to put her to the test of truth she weeps to stir up his pity for her noble blood and
tender youth
Pleads for his pity cannot help how she feels about him
She deserves to die- she knows, her life is in his hands
After all, he is the reason that she is not at home now (????)

53-55
Assures her of his respect
she must be telling truth - not told an untruth yet - apologises for the grief he has given her
Sprites mission foiled - goes to lie down
5


RCK concludes: Una is very frivolous
Not worthy of his devotion
Goes back to sleep - same erotic dream troubling him