FAERIE QUEENE - BOOK I

Faerie Queene – Book I

Comments on Spenser

Ø  Spenser is called as “poets poet” by Charles Lamb.

Ø  J. R. Lowell calls “Spenser’s mere manner had not had so many imitators as Milton’s, but no other has given so many young souls as a consciousness of their wings and a delight in the use of them.

Ø  Cowley declares him “Irrecoverably a poet”.

Ø  Dryden tributes as a disciple says that “no man was ever born with a greater genius or more knowledge to support it”.

Ø  Pople says “There is something in Spenser that pleases one strongly in one’s old age as it did in one’s own youth”.

Ø  Milton describes him as “our sage and serious Spenser”.

Ø  Thomson calls him, “my master Spenser and looks upon him as a better teacher than Scotus or ‘Acquinas’.

Ø  Scott extols “the nobleness, purity and sweetness’.

Ø  Wordsworth calls him “Sweet Spenser, Brother, Englishman and Friend, the gentle Bard, chosen by the Muses for their Page of State” and he describes him as “moving through his clouded heaven, with moon’s beauty, and the moon’s soft pace”.

Ø  Landor and Addison calls him “Tedious”.

Important points to remember

Ø The primary purpose of Faerie Queen was to fashion a gentleman or noble person in virtuous and gentle discipline

Ø King Arthur is the hero of Spenser’s Faerie Queene.

Ø Spenser wrote an elegy Astrophel on Sidney’s death.

Ø Spenser used the Spenserian stanza in Faerie Queene

Ø There are Twelve Cantos in Book I of the Faerie Queene

Ø In the dedicatory letter, Spenser says that the real beginning of the allegory in the faerie Queene is to be found in Book XII

Ø Dean Church, A Critic says that the Faerie Queene is “downright flattery-gross, shameless, lying flattery” of Queen Elizabeth.

Ø Faerie Queen is basically a moral allegory. Spenser derived this concept of moral allegory from Aristotle.

Ø “Spenser writ no language”- Ben Jonson

Ø

Spenser highlighted Twelve ethical virtues in the Faerie Queene

Ø …………………..Her angel face,

As the great eye of heaven shyned bright

And made a sunshine in the shadie place

Did never mortal eye behold such heavenly grace”

Una’s beauty is described in these lines.

Ø Edmund Spenser introduced the Spenserian Stanza which consists of Nine Lines.

Book – I

Points to Ponder:

Ø Gloriana, queen of Faerie Land, appointed the Red Cross Knight to accompany Una on a journey to her kingdom to destroy a dragon that is ravaging the land and holding Una’s parents captive.

Ø Red Cross defeats the Monster Error.

Ø They meet Archimago (Arch-magician) disguised as a Kind old man.

Ø Duessa, the old witch disguised as Fidessa, a young and beautiful maiden

Ø Redcross killed Sansfoy.

Ø The Tree which speaks is once a young Knight Fradubio

Ø Una and the lion seek shelter in the home of Abessa (dumb) and Corceca (blind).

Ø Kikrapine-a church robber.

Ø Una was worshipped as goddess by Sylvanus creatures.

Ø Red Cross Knight drank magic fountain water which caused a  loss of strength.

Ø Orgoglio, a hideous giant.

Ø Duessa agreed to become to become the mistress of the giant to spare the life of Red cross knight.

Ø Prince Arthur has magic diamond shield which can turn men to stone and overthrow monsters.

Ø Prince Arthur agreed to help Una.

Ø Prince Arthur was raised by Timon, an old knight and educated by the magician Merlin, who told him that Arthur’s father was a king.

Ø Red Cross pierces the throat of the dragon, finally killing the beast.

Ø Red Cross and Una’s betrothal was arranged.
* Two cantos of Mutability" is a title of the last book of The Faerie Queen
* There are 6 knights in Faerie Queene
* The Faerie Queene was planned to be written in 24 books.
* The Faerie Queene has been recognized as "an English Christian Humanistic epic".