The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser

Genres of The Faerie Queene Epic

Influenced by Virgilian tradition Mirrors contemporary European poets: Ariosto, Tasso, Camoens Influenced:

John Milton, Paradise LostWilliam Blake, JerusalemAlfred Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King

Chivalric Romance Allegory

Religious Historical

Courtesy Book The moral formation of the ideal Protestant GentlemanPropaganda

Protestant vs. Roman Catholic Fantasy

Influenced J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Games of Illusion and Delusion – watch disguises!

The Spenserian Stanza

The Spenserian stanza is a fixed verse form.

Each stanza contains nine lines in total: eight lines in iambic pentameter followed by a single 'Alexandrine' line in iambic hexameter.

The rhyme scheme of these lines is "ababbcbcc."

Booke IThe Legende of the Knight

of the Red Crosse, or of Holinesse

Sir Guyon and the Palmer by Thomas

Danby

Booke II The Legend of Sir Guyon,

or of Temperance

Britomart Unarmingby

Frederick Richard Pickersgill

Booke III The Legend

of Britomartis,

of of Chastitie

Cambel and Telamond

(Triamond) battle

Sir Satyrane

Booke IV The

Legend of

Cambel and

Telamond, of

Friendship

Booke V The Legend of Artegall, or of Justice

Sir Artegall slaying the monster

Chrysaor

Sir Calidore overthrows the Blatant Beast

byFrank C. Papé

Booke VI The Legend

of St. Calidore, or of Courtesie

Prince Arthur and the Faerie

Queenby 

Johann Heinrich Füseli

Booke VII: Two Cantos of Mutabilitie

Booke IThe Legende of the Knight of the Red

Crosse, or of Holinesse

CLEOPOLISCourt of theFaerie QueeneGloriana

UnaTruthDwarfPrudence

Red CrosseKnightHoliness(St. George)

ErrorHermitArchimagoHypocrisy

Sans FoyWithout FaithFidessa/Duessa

AbessaSuperstitionCorcecaBlindness

KirkrapineChurchthief

Archimagodisguised as RC

Fradubio

Sans LoyWithout Loyalty

HOUSE OF PRIDELucifera & 7 Deadly Sins

Sans JoyWithoutJoy

Kingdom ofDarknessNight

HADES: Aesculapius

Sir Satyrane

Orgoglio PrideDUNGEON

Dwarf

Prince Arthur

Cave of Despaire

House of HopeDame Caelia Heavenly

Fidelia FaithSperanza HopeCharissa Charity

Holy Hospitall

HermitageContemplation

Fidelia and Speranza byBenjamin West

Vision of the “New Jerusalem”

St. Georgeof England

Unaand the

Red Cross

Knight by

George Frederic Watts

Return to Una’s Kingdom of Eden

The Slaying of the Dragon

3 Day Battle

After 1st day: revivedby Well of Life

After 2nd day: revivedby Tree of Life

3rd day: slays the Dragon with thrustinto his fiery mouth

Betrothal of Una and RedCrosse – threatened by

Archimago

Return to the Faery Court