The Faerie Queene is an epic poem by Edmund Spenser that tells the stories of several knights, each representing a particular virtue, as they go on quests for the Faerie Queene, Gloriana. Each of the poem's six books focuses on a different virtue - holiness, temperance, chastity, friendship, justice, and courtesy. The knights must overcome various trials and temptations through their virtues in order to develop personally and aid the realm. Major characters include Redcrosse as the knight of holiness, Guyon as the knight of temperance, Britomart as the knight of chastity, Artegall as the knight of justice, and Calidore as