1.
The Faerie Queene

2.
The Faerie Queene
• Epic: story
• Sustained: Long!
• Three layers of meaning:
1. the story
2. the metaphor based on religion
3. the metaphor based on politics

3.
The Faerie Queene
The story (book 1)
• The Redcrosse
Knight meets
Una.

4.
The Faerie Queene
• Together they seek shelter for the storm in a
beautiful forest (The Wandering Wood)
• Una warns the Knight this is where the
monster Errour is hiding. He goes on anyway.
• The Redcrosse Knight beats Errour. Her young
feed on her body.
• Leaving the forest, they meet Archimago.
Bad sorcerer: he sends R Knight dreams.

5.
The Faerie Queene
• Then a spirit (Duessa) in
the shape of Una tries to
seduce R. Knight. He
resists.
• The he is sent a dream in
which Una is ‘sporting’
with another knight.
• R Knight gets in another fight; Duessa – in the shape
of Fidessa - saves him and cares for him.

6.
The Faerie Queene
• Una, meanwhile is attacked by a lion, which
ultimately sees that Una is holy. Instead of
eating her, it vows to protect her.

7.
The Faerie Queene
• Duessa brings Redcrosse to the House of
Pride, run by Lucifera.
• Una has her own problems: she’s almost
raped. But fauns and satyrs come to her aid.
• Both running, Redcrosse and Duessa meet
again. They have sex.
• Giant Orgoglio takes Redcrosse prisoner.
• Una, warned by the escaped dwarf, finds
prince Arthur.

8.
The Faerie Queene
• Una tells her story to Arthur: her parents, king
and queen, are held prisoner by a dragon.
Gloriana, the Queen, sent Redcrosse to save
them.
• But at this moment Redcrosse is prisoner
himself!
• Arthur then goes and kills Orgoglio, Una sets
Redcrosse free.

9.
The Faerie Queene
• An old man, named Despair, almost persuades
Redcrosse to kill himself. Redcrosse is still very
weak after his capture.
• Una takes him to the House of Holiness. There
Caelia, with her daughters Fidelia, Sperenza
and Charissa restore Redcrosse both mentally
and physically.

10.
The Faerie Queene
• Redcrosse learns
that he is a real
human (not of
Faerie land) and his
real name is
George. He is
destined to become
King of England.

11.
The Faerie Queene
• Una now takes
Redcrosse to find
her parents.
• Redcrosse fights
the dragon.

12.
The Faerie Queene
• Fight lasts days.
• Redcrosse wounded several times but
magically healed.
• Una’s parents saved. They assume that Una
and Redcrosse will get married.
• Redcrosse still has 6 years of fighting to do for
Gloriana

13.
The Faerie Queene
religious metaphors
• Redcrosse – Knight of Holinesse, Faith
• Una – ‘Truth’
• Duessa – Duplicity, Catholicism
• Orgoglio – ‘Pride’
• The House of Pride – Catholic Church
• The House of Holiness – Protestant Church
• Dragon – The Pope
• Una’s parents - humanity

14.
The Faerie Queene
political metaphors
• Gloriana – Queen Elizabeth I
• Redcrosse – St George, England
• Una – ‘Truth’,
• Duessa – Duplicity, Mary, Queen of Scots
• Orgoglio – Spain
• The House of Pride – England’s enemies
• The House of Holiness – England’s allies