The Faerie Queene
The Faerie QueeneThe Faerie Queene is an allegory, a story whose characters and events nearly all have a specific symbolic meaning. The poem’s setting is a mythical land, ruled by the Faerie Queene. Spencer sets forth the letter that this “Queene” represents his own monarch, Queen Elizabeth.
In the Faerie Queene, all of the characters are meant to have a symbolic meaning in the real world. Redcrosse is the knight of Holiness. (Intro. Pg. 201 Elements of Literature) Redcrosse is much like the Apostle Peter: in his eagerness to serve his Lord, he gets himself into unexpected trouble that he is not yet strong enough to handle. His mission is to be united with Una, who signifies Truth–Holiness cannot be attained without knowledge of Christian truth. In his immature state, he mistakes falsehood for truth, by following the deceitful witch Duessa. He pays for this mistake with suffering; but in the end this suffering makes way for his recovery in the House of Holiness, aided by Faith, Hope and Charity. With newfound strength, and the grace of God, he is able to conquer the dragon that represents all the evil in the world.
Similes are very evident in this poem. Similes are used to make a comparison between two seemingly unlike things. For example, “ Her dried dugs, like bladders lacking wind,” (Line 303 Pg. 210 Elements of Literature). Another example of simile being used is, “ But soone as breath out of his breast did pas,” (Line 159 Pg. 206 Elements of Literature).
Although there are many complex words in The Faerie Queene, the rhyme scheme makes the poem easier to read. The rhyme scheme is very simple. At the end of every other line there are words that rhyme. For example, “ They sadly traveiled thus, until they came
Nigh to a castle builded strong and hie:
Then cryed the Dwarfe, lo yonder is the same,
In which my Lord my liege doth luckless lie…”
(Line 10-12 Pg.201 Elements of Literature) The way the rhyme scheme is written, keeps the attention of the reader. The rhyme scheme helps to keep the structure of the play together and to make it flow easier.
In conclusion, it is Spenser’s blending of diverse sources with a high-minded allegory that makes the poem unique and remarkable. He is able to take images from superficial romances, courtly love stories, and tragic epics alike, and give them real importance in the context of the poem. No image is let fall from Spenser’s pen that does not have grave significance, and this gives The Faerie Queene the richness that has kept it high among the ranks of the greatest poetry in the English language.