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Questions
for Study (answered)
The Faerie Queene is a strongly Protestant work in which Spenser intentionally
incorporates his own beliefs into the Story. What has made the poem popular among readers of all faiths, not just Protestants?
While Spenser
spends a good deal of time attacking the Catholic Church, he makes it clear that there is a greater overall evil that threatens
mankind, the very basic evil of sin. This is the dragon that Redcrosse defeats at the end of Book I. By broadening the battle to good versus evil, the spiritual part of man's existence, Spenser
expands his audience far beyond the narrow range of Elizabethan Protestants.
What
is Spenser's view of pagan (non-Christian) virtue? Does it have any value to him?
Yes and
no. Spenser is quick to recognize that native virtue (as usually represented by forest creatures or people brought up in the
forest) is oriented toward the good. By comparison to the many perverse characters in the poem, this is commendable, but it
pales in comparison to the virtue of the Christian heroes. Natural virtue is good as a building block toward the true religion,
but if it falls short, it is worthless, mere idolatry.
In what
ways are the stories of Redcrosse and Britomart parallel?
Superficially,
they are hardly parallel at all; Redcrosse goes through an arduous process of discovery and cleansing until the final dramatic showdown and glorious victory, while
Britomart pops in and out of the narrative, helping out here and there, but never, it seems, getting any closer to her goal. But on
the level of the allegory, both stories elaborate on a virtue, instructing the reader how to recognize falsehood or insincere
chastity, until the virtue is mature and can conquer true evil. In this respect Book I and Book III have a similar buildup
and climax, despite the obvious difference in plot.
What
is Spenser's view of "courtly love"?
Courtly
love is the love of Arthurian romances and their Italian counterparts, sources that Spenser used extensively. However, he
tends to represent courtly love as superficial and even silly, a far cry from pure Christian love. See the ridiculous task
that the Squire of Dames tells Satyrane he must perform for his lady (III.vii.53-61)--such devices were common to courtly love stories, and Spenser only mocks them.
The allegory
indicates that Holiness cannot survive without Chastity; does Chastity depend upon Holiness? There is little or no reference
to God or Christ in Book III, as compared to Book I; what are the indications that Chastity remains a Christian virtue? Is
Britomart as much of a Christian warrior as Redcrosse?
Study Questions for Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book 1
The
best beginning procedure is always to read the assignment all the way through, keeping track of characters, so that you know
what's happening. If possible, read the whole work first. Try to get the big picture of the book (or canto) before getting
bogged down in details. Read through, then go back and clear up details. Then you're ready to read the work closely with these
questions in mind. (In the discussion below, page and line numbers in parentheses refer to The Norton Anthology of English
Literature, 7th ed., vol. 1[B] [2000] unless otherwise indicated.)
A note on the language: Spenser is consciously writing in a slightly archaic language in imitation
of Chaucer. Many of his spellings in fact contain puns (for example, a "geaunt" or giant is made of earth, "gaia" in Greek)
or other multiple meanings, and therefore editors keep the original spellings. (If we read Shakespeare in original spelling
editions it would look much like this; the difference is that there is no sense that Shakespeare paid any attention to his
spelling or to anything about the printed versions of his plays.) But Spenser's language is contemporary with Shakespeare's
language, not Chaucer's, and therefore you should read Spenser with modern pronunciation.
A note on line numbering: It is traditional to refer to passages from The Faerie Queene by book, canto,
stanza, and line numbers (not by line numbers within the whole canto, as our anthology does). These study questions use the
traditional method, so that what appears in the anthology as line 115 of Book 1, Canto 1 (on p. 632) appears in these notes
as 1.1.13.7 (i.e., Book 1, Canto 1, stanza 13, line 7). The introductory stanzas appearing in each Book before the beginning
of Canto 1 are called the "proem"; thus line 10 on p. 628 of the anthology is cited in the traditional format as 1.Proem.2.1.
The four short lines appearing at the beginning of each canto are the "argument" or description of the canto. The second line
of the argument to Canto 1 on p. 629 is cited as 1.1.Arg.2.
Note that for convenience the questions often refer only to a stanza
number (identified as "stanza[s]").
"A Letter of the Authors" (the Letter to
Raleigh,
pages 624-627)
|
1. |
How does Spenser describe the kind of allegory he is writing and what objections might
people have to it (page 624)? |
|
2. |
What, according to Spenser, is "the general end . . . of all the booke" (page 625)? |
|
3. |
Who is to be Spenser's hero? What is his connection to the Faery Queen? |
|
4. |
Who are the heroes of the first three books (pages 626-627)? How does each of their adventures
begin? |
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Book 1, Proem and Canto 1 (pages 628-641)
|
Proem |
|
|
1. |
In stanza 1, what change does the author claim to be making in his career? The parallel
Spenser is claiming with Virgil, who began with pastorals and then moved to the epic Aeneid, is clearer when we realize
that the Renaissance thought that The Aeneid began not with "Arms and the man I sing . . ." ("Arma virumque cano
. . .") but with "I am he who once tuned my song on a slender reed, then leaving the woodland, constrained the neighboring
fields to serve the husbandmen, however grasping-a work welcome to farmers: but now of arms and the man I sing . . ." |
|
2. |
To whom is Spenser referring in stanza 4, line 3? |
|
|
|
|
Canto 1 |
|
|
1. |
Who is the first character we see? What is he doing? How happy is his horse with him? What
sort of knight is he, based on stanzas 2-3? Do we know the knight's name? (Throughout Book 1 Spenser calls him the Redcross
Knight.) Which of the moral virtues does Redcross represent? (See the Book 1 title, page 628.) |
|
2. |
Who is the Lady with the Redcross Knight and what do we learn about her (stanzas
4-5)? Do we know her name? Who is with her (stanza 6, lines 1-4)? |
|
3. |
What happens when it starts to rain (stanzas 6-10)? When they discover that they are lost,
how do they try to get out? |
|
4. |
What does the the Redcross Knight plan to do when they see a cave (at stanza 11, line 6)?
How does the Lady respond (stanzas 12-13)? Where are they? What is ominous about the names (stanza 13, line 6)? How does the
name of the woods match what has happened to them in it so far? |
|
5. |
The Redcross Knight's encounter with Error is the first of the important episodes
in the poem. Read this segment carefully (stanzas 14-26). What does Error look like? Does she have any kids? What are they
like? What happens when Error attacks? How does Redcross get free of the first attack (stanza 19)? What does Error vomit and
what is the significance of that? How does she die? What happens to her offspring when she dies? |
|
6. |
The Error episode contains two epic similes, or extended comparisons. Epic similes
usually run for several lines and begin with "As when..." or some similar opening phrase. The first epic simile takes up all
of stanza 21, the second all of stanza 23. How does the language of each simile reflect what is going on in the main action
of the poem art that point? |
|
7. |
This would also be a good chance to look at the shape of the Spenserian stanza (described
on the bottom of page 623). Look carefully at stanza 21 and note how the meter, rhyme scheme, and line lengths work. How many
words does Spenser need for each rhyme in each stanza? |
|
8. |
How difficult is it to get out of the woods once Error has been defeated (stanza 28)? |
|
9. |
Whom do the Redcross Knight and the lady meet when they leave the woods (stanza 29)? What
does the Redcross ask the hermit? Is there any action in the neighborhood? What does the lady suggest (stanza 32),
and what does the hermit then suggest (stanza 33)? |
|
10. |
What are the hermitage and the hermit like (stanzas 34-35)? Does anything seem to be not
quite right? |
|
11. |
What does the hermit do as soon as the Redcross Knight and the lady are asleep (stanza
36, lines 7-9)? Are we surprised? Should anything have warned us something wasn't quite right? |
|
12. |
Notice that the magician/hermit calls up two "sprights" or spirits in stanza 38. Keep track
of those two. What does he do with the first one (stanza 38, line 8)? |
|
13. |
The House of Morpheus is a frequent device
in epic and romance poems; note 1 on p. 638 identifies earlier versions in Ovid and Chaucer. (And "The House of Something
is an even more frequent motif, one that we will meet at least twice more in Book 1. Remember that the messenger is the first
of the two "sprights." Read the House of Morpheus passage carefully (stanzas 39-44). What happens? What has the "spright"
been sent for? How easily does he get it? Does Morpheus as a character provide a good example of the characteristic he represents?
(This is one form of allegory that we will meet often--a character with an abstract name like Morpheus (i.e., Sleep) who shows
the characteristics of that abstraction. |
|
14. |
What do we learn about the magician/hermit in this passage? Notice the double meaning of
his name in note 3 on page 639. He is an important evil character for the whole poem. |
|
15. |
What does Archimago do with the other "spright" (stanza 45)? Once a duplicate of
the lady has been made, the lady herself is finally named. What is her name and what is it's significance? |
|
16. |
What does Archimago do with the false dream he got from Morpheus (stanzas 47-48)? What
does the image of Una in this false dream tell the Redcross Knight (stanza 48)? |
|
17. |
What happens when the the Redcross Knight wakes up (stanza 49)? Is this really Una? (Remember
stanza 45.) What does this false Una tell Redcross about why she really left her father's kingdom (stanza 52)? Does all this
work on Redcross? What does he tell her to do (stanza 54)? What happens when Redcross finally gets back to sleep (stanza 55)?
Notice that the false dream and the "spright" made to look like Una leave Redcross (stanza 55, lines 8-9). |
top
Canto 2 (pages 642-652)
|
1. |
Archimago tries once more (stanzas 1-6). What does he do? How well does it work? What happens
to the Redcross Knight and Una's dwarf? |
|
2. |
What does Una do (stanzas 7-8)? Her story continues in Canto 3. Notice the poetic description
of dawn in stanza 7. This is another epic tradition. Why would a goddess like Aurora
be weary of her husband's bed? Notice that he is called "aged Tithones." When Aurora
fell in love with the mortal Tithonius, she got her wish to have him made immortal, but she forgot to ask to have him remain
young, so he just keeps getting older and older, while she stays young. Poets have had lots of fun with this situation. |
|
3. |
How does Archimago respond to what has happened (stanza 9)? What does he do next (stanza
11)? |
|
4. |
What is the Redcross Knight's name (stanza 12)? What happens when he meets Sans Foy
and the lady with him (stanzas 12-19)? What does the description of the lady say about what she represents in the poem (stanza
13)? Who sins the fight between Sans Foy and the Redcross Knight (stanza 19)? |
|
5. |
What does the lady then do (stanzas 20-25)? Who does she say she is (stanza 26)? Be sure
to look at note 2 to see some of the associations Spenser's original audience would make in this description. What does Redcross
tell her (stanza 27)? How does she respond? What is the narrator telling us in the last 5 lines of stanza 27? |
|
6. |
How are Redcross and Fidessa getting on (stanzas 28-30)? What happens when Redcross
breaks off a bough to make her a garland. |
|
7. |
What warning does the voice give to Redcross, and how does Redcross respond (stanzas 31-32)?
Who is Fradubio, how did he get into this difficult situation, and whom does he blame (stanzas 31-42)? Duessa,
like Archimago, is an important evil character in The Faerie Queene. |
|
8. |
Why might Fidessa be unhappy that Redcross is hearing this story? (See stanza 44, line
1.) What happens to Fidessa, and how does Redcross respond (stanzas 44-45)? |
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Canto 3 (pages 652-662)
Summary: Una wanders "Forsaken, wofull, solitarie mayd / Farre from all peoples prease, as in exile"
(3.3.2-3) looking for Redcross. While she is sleeping, a lion attacks but recognizes her royal nature and so protects her
instead, following her as she searches for Redcross. She finds Archimago disguised as Redcross and thinks she has found her
knight. But Archimago is defeated by Sans Loy, revenging his brother's death, who then reveals Archimago to Una. Sans Loy
kills the lion and takes Una with him by force.
top
Canto 4 (pages 662-674)
|
1. |
Where do Redcross and Fidessa/Duessa stop for the night? Read the description of the House
of Pride carefully (stanzas 2-5). What isn't quite right about this building? |
|
2. |
Read stanzas 7-12 carefully. Who might come to mind for Spenser's readers at the mention
of "A mayden Queene" (stanza 8, line 5)? Where is she sitting? What is under her feet? What is she holding? What attribute
does this queen seem designed to represent? What is troublesome about the name Lucifera? Who are her parents? Whom
does she claim her father is? How did she become a ruler? |
|
3. |
How do the lords and ladies greet Redcross (stanza 15)? Why do they welcome Duessa more
warnly? How does Redcross respond to these people? |
|
4. |
Stanzas 17-36 describe a procession of the Seven Deadly Sins (see note 6 on page
666--amazing! Actually, Spenser works interestingly with numerology in The Faerie Queene, but he certainly didn't
have anything to do with the page in this anthology that the procession of the Seven Deadlies would begin on!) The procession
represents another set piece in which the author's challenge is to describe the characteristics of each sin in the person
representing that sin. |
|
5. |
The first six sins appear in three pairs: Idleness (i.e., Sloth) and Gluttony (at 18.6
and 21.1), Lechery and Avarice (at 24.1 and 27.1), and Envy and Wrath (at 30.1 and 33.1). What is the seventh? Where is it
represented? Who is sitting on the coach's beam (stanza 36)? |
|
6. |
Where is this procession going (stanza 37)? Who is riding next to Lucifera? How does Redcross
respond to all this? |
|
7. |
Who has arrived when they return to the palace (stanza 38)? Why does Sans Joy attack Redcross
Knight, and what happens (stanzas 39-43)? |
|
8. |
What happens when Duessa/Fidessa visits Sans Joy that night (stanzas 44-51)? How honest
is she in describing Sans Foy's death? What does she promise to Sans Joy? |
top
Canto 5 (pages 674-687)
Summary: Redcross knight wins the victory over Sans Joy, who disappears before Redcross can kill him.
At night, Duessa journeys to Night and with her goes to recover the body of Sans Joy, which they then take to Hell. (The journey
to Hell is another epic convention.) There Aesculapius agrees to treat him. When Duessa returns to the House of Pride, she
discovers that Redcross Knight has left, having been told by the dwarf what happens to people who stay there.
top
Canto 6 (pages 687-698)
Summary: Sansloy woos the captive Una, and when she refuses him, tries to rape her. But she is saved
by a group of fauns and satyrs, who then worship her as their goddess. A knight, Sir Satyrane, arrives to visit his kindred
and leaves with Una. They meet a simple pilgrim, actually Archimago, who describes seeing the death of Redcross Knight. Sir
Satyrane goes after the person who killed him (Sansloy again) but learns that the person he had fought was Archimago, not
Redcross. As they fight, Una flees.
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Canto 7 (pages 698-710)
Summary: Duessa soon catches up with Redcross in the shade by a fountain that dulls anyone who drinks
from it. Redcross has lost his strength but still courts his lady Fidessa. Redcross is attacked and captured by the giant
Orgoglio and thrown into a dungeon, while the giant makes Duessa a queen. The dwarf has fled and soon meets Una. He tells
her what has happened to Redcross since he left Una. They then meet a knight who has a shield of diamond (kept covered) that
cannot be pierced. This is Prince Arthur (yes, The Faerie Queene is another example of Arthurian literature). Una tells him
why she went to Gloriana's court to seek assistance for her parents and how the untried knight became her champion. Arthur
promises to rescue Redcross.
top
Canto 8 (pages 710-721)
Summary: Orgoglio fights Arthur, with the help of Duessa's beast. When the beast accidentally uncovers
Arthur's shield, the beast is blinded. Arthur then kills Orgoglio, who deflates like a bladder (or balloon). Arthur finds
Redcross in the dungeon, but Redcross wants to die. Once Arthur has brought Redcross out of the castle, he strips Duessa to
reveal the ugly witch that she really is and then lets her go.
top
Canto 9 (pages 721-734)
|
1. |
Notice the "goodly golden chaine" of stanza 1, another epic device that goes back to the
Iliad. In The Faerie Queene it will ultimately link all of the knights together through their contact with Arthur,
who appears in each book. |
|
2. |
Why is Arthur in Faerie land (stanzas 3-8)? What did he previously think about love,
and what caused him to change (stanzas 9-12)? |
|
3. |
What happened to Arthur when he slept in the forest (stanzas 12-15)? Was this only a dream?
What evidence is there that something actually happened? How is this dream different from Redcross Knight's dream in canto
1, stanza 52? How long has Arthur been searching for the Faerie Queen? Do you think he will ever find her? |
|
4. |
How do Arthur and the Redcross Knight bond (stanzas18-19)? What is significant about the
two gifts? |
|
5. |
Is Redcross ready to fight the dragon yet (stanza 20)? |
|
6. |
What has happened to the fearful knight who suddently appears in stanza 21 and to his friend
(stanzas 21-31)? Who is this fearful knight (see stanza 32, line 5)? Who is his friend (stanza 27, line 3)? Whom do they encounter
and what does he urge them to do? What is Sir Trevisan's advice to Redcross (stanza 31)? What does Redcross decide
to do (stanza 32)? |
|
7. |
What happens to Redcross when he encounters Despair (stanzas 33-51)? Why is Despair
able to convince Redcross that he deserves to die? Why is Despair's language so effective? What things are missing from Despair's
arguments? Be sure to read Despair's speeches carefully; this is another of the famous set pieces in The Faerie Queene. |
|
8. |
How is Redcross rescued from Despair (stanzas 52-53)? What does Una tell Redcross that
convinces him to leave? |
|
9. |
What does Despair do when Redcross Knight gets away? How effective is it? |
top
Canto 10 (pages 734-750)
|
1. |
Who are the real enemies, according to stanza 1? |
|
2. |
Where does Una take the Redcross Knight for recovery (stanzas 2-3)? This place is identified
as the House of Holiness in the argument to this canto. Who lives there (stanza 4)? |
|
3. |
What figures appear as Una and Redcross enter the House of Holiness, and what do they represent
(stanzas 5-7)? |
|
4. |
Who is Dame Caelia and what does she represent (stanza 8-11)? How does she know
Una? Why is she surprised to see Redcross there? |
|
5. |
Who is Fidelia, how is she described, and what does she represent (stanzas 12-13)?
Have we seen anything like the cup and book before? (See canto 9, stanza 19)? |
|
6. |
Who is Speranza, how is she described, and what does she represent (stanza 14)?
Why isn't Charissa with her two sisters (stanza 16)? |
|
7. |
What does Fidelia teach Redcross (stanzas 17-20)? What is the result for Redcross (stanza
21)? Is this a familiar position for him to be in? How is it different this time, or is it? |
|
8. |
What does Speranza teach Redcross (stanza 22)? Why is Una upset (stanzas 22-23)? Who comes
to cure Redcross, and how effective is he (stanzas 23-24)? |
|
9. |
What happens to Redcross while he is under the care of Patience (stanzas 25-28)? |
|
10. |
Who is Charissa, how is she described, what does she represent, and what does she
teach Redcross (stanzas 29-33)? Why is it fitting that Redcross meets her only now? |
|
11. |
Where does Mercy take Redcross and what does he learn there (stanzas 34-45)? The
seven beadsmen represent the seven works of charity, or corporal mercy (see note 4, page 744). Why is this section especially
relevant at Saint
Xavier University? |
|
12. |
Where does Mercy then take Redcross (stanzas 46-51)? Have we met a hermit before in The
Faerie Queene? How are this hermit and hermitage different, if they are? |
|
13. |
What does Contemplation tell Redcross about himself in stanza 52? |
|
14. |
Contemplation then takes Redcross to "the highest Mount." To what other mounts is this
one compared (stanzas 53-54)? Are there any surprises here? |
|
15. |
What does Redcross see from the mount (stanzas 55-56)? What is the new Jerusalem
(stanza 57)? How does it compare to the Faerie Queen's capital, Cleopolis (stanzas 58-59)? |
|
16. |
What does Contemplation say about Redcross Knight's race and name (stanzas 60-61)? |
|
17. |
How does Redcross respond to being there (stanzas 62-63)? Why can't he stay there? |
|
18. |
Why did Contemplation say that Redcross is English (stanzas 64-66)? Note that being English
means that he is Anglo-Saxon (in this case Saxon). Arthur is British, one of the Celtic kings of Britain. What little we know of the historical Arthur suggests that he won a great
battle against the Anglo-Saxons in about 500 CE. The Tudors claimed Welsh descent, the Welsh being descendants of the Celtic
Britons, so they claimed to be uniting the British and the English lines. |
|
19. |
What happens when Redcross looks back down (stanza 67)? What happens after Redcross has
rejoined Una and rested for a while (stanza 68)? Is he ready to fight the dragon now? What does knowing his name suggest about
the outcome of that battle? |
top
Canto 11 (pages 750-762)
|
1. |
What do Una and the Redcross Knight see as they approach her parents' kingdom (stanzas
1-4)? Where do her parents now live? |
|
2. |
What happens in stanzas 5-7? This is a traditional epic invocation of the muse. What does
stanza 7 suggest about what will happen later in The Faerie Queene? (This seems to refer to the book describing the
final battle, which Spenser never wrote.) |
|
3. |
What does the dragon look like (stanzas 8-14)? Who or what is the dragon? There's a hint
in the first line of the Canto 11 argument, which refers to "that old Dragon." Spenser's original readers would have picked
up on the phrase from Revelation, which reads, in the Geneva
translation, "And the great dragon, that old serpent, called the devil and Satan, was cast out" (Rev.12.9; compare 20.2). |
|
4. |
What happens in the first day's battle (stanzas 15-28)? What finally defeats the Redcross
Knight? |
|
5. |
What saves Redcross (stanzas 29-30)? What does the Well of Life represent? |
|
6. |
How does Una respond (stanza 32)? |
|
7. |
What happens in the second day's battle (stanzas 33-45)? Why is Redcross able to wound
the dragon today when he couldn't yesterday? (See stanza 36.) What finally defeats the Redcross Knight? |
|
8. |
What saves Redcross (stanzas 46-49)? What does the presence of the Tree of Life tell us
about where we are? How does the tree save Redcross? |
|
9. |
How does Una respond (stanza 50)? |
|
10. |
What happens in the third day's battle (stanzas 51-54)? Why is Redcross able to kill the
dragon today when he couldn't the other two days? What does the Redcross Knight's victory on the third day represent? Who
then is the dragon? |
|
11. |
How does Una respond (stanza 55)? |
top
Canto 12 (pages 763-772)
|
1. |
What metaphor does Spenser use in the first stanza to represent the writing of the poem? |
|
2. |
How do the people in the tower learn of the death of the dragon (stanzas 2-3)? What sort
of celebration is proclaimed (stanza 4)? |
|
3. |
What is the procession to the Redcross Knight and Una like (stanzas 5-12)? How are the
common people portrayed (stanzas 9-11)? Are these people you can recognize? |
|
4. |
What happens when they return to the palace and the Redcross Knight tells his story (stanzas
13-16)? |
|
5. |
What does the king propose, and why does Redcross object (stanzas 17-18)? What might the
significance be of having to serve six years? Who is opposed to the Faerie Queen? (Compare canto 11, stanza 7.) Compare these
two stanzas on the need to return to the battle with canto 10, stanzas 60-66. |
|
6. |
What does the king tell Redcross to do after he has served his six years with the Faerie
Queen (stanzas 19-20)? |
|
7. |
What does Una look like now that she has ended her travels (stanzas 21-23)? Note 3 on p.
768 gives an idea of what she represents (again from Revelation, which is the source for much of the imagery in cantos 10-12;
the Song of Songs is also relevant here). How does Redcross respond to her? |
|
8. |
What interruption occurs? Note that the first half of 24.6 introduces a speech but that
the poem itself is interrupted by the second half of the line. |
|
9. |
What is in the letter that the messenger brings (stanzas 24-28)? Who sent it? What does
she claim? Note that Una's father is further identified by the title given to him in 26.1. Compare 26.3-4 with canto 2.22.7-9.
But what do we already know about Fidessa? What does Fidessa threaten in 28.7-8? |
|
10. |
How does the king respond to this (stanzas 29-30)? What does Redcross tell him (stanzas
31-32)? Whom does he say Fidessa really is? What does Una add (stanzas 33-34)? |
|
11. |
What happens to the messenger (stanzas 35-36)? Who is he? What is suggested by 36.4-5? |
|
12. |
What happens in the betrothal ceremony and at the feast (stanzas 37-40)? Who seems to provide
the music? Notice the parallels from Revelation cited in the notes. |
|
13. |
How long does the Redcross Knight stay, and what does he do next (stanza 41)? |
|
14. |
How is the last stanza of the canto like the first? |
|
