1. The Faerie Queene
Sir Edmund Spenser

2. Sir Edmund Spenser Born in 1552 in London Son of a poor family
Received excellent education thanks to the patronage of Robert Nowell, a wealthy landowner.
Studied at Pembroke College from
Earned B.A. and M.A. degrees

3. Sir Edmund Spenser Appointed as secretary to the Bishop of Rochester;
Entered the service of the Earl of Leicester, one of the most powerful figures in Queen Elizabeth’s court.
Began a friendship with the Earl’s nephew Sir Philip Sidney and together with a few other friends formed an poetical society.

4. Sir Edmund Spenser
In 1579, he published The Shepheardes Calendar, a small volume of 12 pastoral poems, which established his reputation as an important poet.

5. Sir Edmund Spenser
In 1580, he accepted a post as secretary to Arthur Lord Grey of Wilton, who was being sent to Ireland as Lord Deputy
This was a decisive move for Spenser because he remained a resident of Ireland for the rest of his life.

6. Spenser
He held several official posts in Ireland during the course of his life there.
He accompanied Sir Walter Raleigh back to London in 1589 and supervised the publication of the fist 3 books of The Faerie Queene, issued in 1590.

7. Spenser
In 1591, several other works were published in Compalints Containing Sundry Small Poemes of the World’s Vanitie.
He returned to Ireland after nearly 2 years in London.
He married Elizabeth Boyle in 1594.

8. Spenser
During the Irish rebellion in 1598, he was forced to leave Ireland.
He died in early 1599 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

9. The Faerie Queene
In a letter to Sir Walter Raleigh, he proposed to write a poem in which he would:
“ represent all the moral virtues, assigning to every virtue a knight in whose actions and chivalry the operations of that virtue are to be expressed and the vices and unruly appetites that oppose themselves to be beaten down.”
In 1583, He told guests at a dinner he was attending that he proposed to write a poem in which he would “ represent all the moral virtues, assigning to every virtue a knight in whose actions and chivalry the operations of that virtue are to be expressed and the vices and unruly appetites that oppose themselves to be beaten down.”

10. Spenser Depicted first 6 virtues: Holiness Temperance Chastity
Friendship
Justice
Courtesy
The project recalls the great epics like the Iliad (Homer) and the Aeneid (Virgil)
Had previously only written pastoral poetry.
Realized his great work only in part.
Depicted first 6 virtues in which each virtue is perfected by the trials of a particular knight fighting the evil that most threatens his character.

11. Spenser Published first three books in 1590.
Second edition (1596) added the next three.
Plan for a second set of six books resulted in only 2 cantos on the virtue of Constancy.

12. Spenser
The poem displays Spenser's thorough familiarity with literary history.
Although the world of The Faerie Queene is based on English Arthurian legend, much of the language, spirit, and style of the piece draw more on Italian epic.
Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso
Torquato Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered

13. The Faerie Queene
Spenser’s moral chivalry is sponsored and sustained by the court of GLORIANA, the Faerie Queene
She reflects the figure of Queen Elizabeth, Spenser’s monarch

14. The Faerie Queene
Gloriana’s story is illustrated by the actions of a character called Prince Arthur
Only one who possesses all 12 virtues
Intervenes at crucial moments to assist Gloriana’s knights
Seeks out Gloriana
bride he has chosen in a dream

15. The Faerie Queene Book I
Relates the adventures of the knight of Holiness
the Redcrosse Knight
Sir George
Identified by name
Sign on his shield
England’s patron saint

16. The Faerie Queene Book I His mission
to overcome the things that drive spiritual error which are menacing the English church
To deliver the parents of Una from the dragon of false faith

17. The Faerie Queene Themes of Book I Good vs. evil Truth vs. false faith
Protestant vs. Catholic
The plot of book I mostly concerns the attempts fo the evildoers to separate RCK from Una. Most of these villians are meant by Spenser to represent one thing in common: the Roman Catholic church
Time after the English Reformation, the people had defeated false religion, i.e. the Catholic church and embrace “true religion” (Protestanism and Anglicanism)
Thus, RCK must defeat vilians who mimic the falsehood of the RCC

18. The Faerie Queene Gloriana Arthur Queen of “Fairy Land”
Represents Queen Elizabeth
Arthur
Saves RCK (and other knights)
Christ-like figure

19. The Faerie Queene Redcrosse Knight Knight of Holiness
Devoted to fighting against sin or evil
Christian warrior
Armor of Christ

20. The Faerie Queene
Una
Truth
True church

21. The Faerie Queene
RCK must have true faith in order to be a true Christian
Plot of Book 1 mostly concerns attempts of evildoers to separate RCK from Una.
Spencer meant for most of these villains to represent the Roman Catholic Church.
For a Christian to be holy, he must have true faith, and so the plot of Book I mostly concerns the attempts of evildoers to separate Redcrosse from Una. Most of these villains are meant by Spenser to represent one thing in common: the Roman Catholic Church. The poet felt that, in the English Reformation, the people had defeated "false religion" (Catholicism) and embraced "true religion" (Protestantism/Anglicanism). Thus, Redcrosse must defeat villains who mimic the falsehood of the Roman Church.

22. The Faerie Queene Enemies of RCK Error Archimago Queen Duessa
Wizard/sorcerer
Shapeshifter/changes appearance
Duplicitous
Queen Duessa
Falsehood/lies (False Faith)
Opposite of Una (Truth)
Tries to lure RCK away from Una
The first of these is Error. When Redcrosse chokes the beast, Spenser writes, "Her vomit full of bookes and papers was (I.i.20)." These papers represent Roman Catholic propaganda that was put out in Spenser's time, against Queen Elizabeth and Anglicanism. The Christian (Redcrosse) may be able to defeat these obvious and disgusting errors, but before he is united to the truth he is still lost and can be easily deceived. This deceit is arranged by Archimago, whose name means "arch-image"--the Protestants accused the Catholics of idolatry because of their extensive use of images. The sorcerer is able, through deception and lust, to separate Redcrosse from Una--that is, to separate Holiness from Truth. Once separated, Holiness is susceptible to the opposite of truth, or falsehood.ouble other knights.
Archimago :Wizard/sorcerer/Shapeshifter/changes appearance; Duplicitous (deceitful)
Hermit (poking fun at monastic life)
Queen Duessa: Falsehood/lies (False Faith) i.e., Catholicism
Opposite of Una (Truth)
Tries to lure RCK away from Una

23. The Faerie Queene Enemies of RCK Orgoglio Despair Many-headed Dragon
(Italian for Pride)
Despair
Many-headed Dragon
Catholic church
3-day fight
these enemies are defeated by the RCK; however, he fails to kill Archimago and Duessa, who return in later books to tr