The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spencer (Questions & Answers)

 

The Faerie Queene

by Edmund Spencer

(Questions & Answers)

 

 

1.               What is the most striking feature of Spenser’s language?

-    The language is archaic and it has been done with a design to lend a dignity to the piece of verse to suit the stately setting.

 

2.               What kind of poems was Spenser engaged in writing before embarking upon writing The Faerie Queene?

-    Before embarking upon writing Faerie Queene, Spenser was writing pastoral poems.

 

3.               Who was Tanaquill? Whom does Spenser intend to refer to?

-    Tanaquill was an Etruscan wife and she is a noble queen. Spenser uses the name to refer to Queen Elizabeth I.

 

4.               What does the Red Cross Knight’s entry into the ‘wandering wood’, despite Una’s warning, show about his character?

-    It shows the adventurous spirit of the Knight.

 

5.               What is the moral allegory in the Red Cross Knight’s fight and his final victory over the monster at the very outset of the poem?

-    The allegory lies in the victory of Holiness (the Red Knight) with the motivation of Truth (Una) and the assistance of common sense (the dwarf) over Error (the monster).

 

6.               What does ‘loathly frogs and toads’ symbolize?

-    It symbolizes distorted bits of information resulting out of ignorance.

 

7.               Whom does the phrase ‘An aged Sire’ refer to?

-    It refers to Archimago, the chief magician and necromancer. At the level of religious allegory, he is identifiable with Catholicism.

 

8.               Whom does the phrase ‘holy father’s in stanza 30 refer to?

-    It refers to the Pope.

 

9.               Why has Proserpine, who was beautiful been called ‘griesly Dame’?

-    Proserpine, who was beautiful has been called ‘griesly Dame’ because when she was carried off by the God of the Underworld, Plutoe and made his queen, she lost all her beauty and acquired a terrible figure.

 

10.        Why is Cupid called ‘false winged boy’?

-    Cupid is called ‘false winged boy’ because love is not constant, it keeps changing and creating illusions of the beloved in the mind of the lover.

 

11.        Explain the following:

 

i.          ‘Shepherds weeds’

-    Before Spenser wrote The Faerie Queene, he had completed The Shepheardes Calendar in 1579, where he sought to revive the conventions of classical pastoral verse. Now he no longer wishes to write pastoral poetry.

 

ii.       ‘antique rolles’

-    Historical records were called as ‘antique rolles’.

 

iii.    ‘Gloriana’

-    This name refers to Queen Elizabeth the First.

 

iv.    ‘milke white lambe’

-    Lamb is associated with Jesus Christ and the phrase is symbolic of meekness, purity and self-sacrifice.

 

v.       ‘to learn Dame pleasures toy’

-    This means to be instructed in the art of amorous play.

 

12.        Explain the lines:

‘For that old man of pleasing wordes had store,

And well could file his tongue as smooth as glass;

He told of Saintes and Popes, and ecermore?

-    These lines describe the old man whom the Red Cross Knight met. The old man had a large stock of leasing words. He could polish his tongue and make it appear as smooth as glass. He told the guests, stories about saints and popes and all through his conversation kept on repeating the words ‘Hail, Mary’.

 

13.        Write a note on the moral and spiritual allegory in Book 1 Canto 1 of The Faerie Queene?

-    Spenser has himself clarified that his poem, The Faerie Queene was a dark conceit or a continuous allegory. His intention in the poem was to depict the twelve ethical virtues of mankind. Although in the six books in which the poem is written, he could depict only six of them viz, Holiness, Temperance, Chastity, Friendship, Justice and Courtesy. He considered Magnificence as the highest of the twelve virtues and Arthur was to be the embodiment of this virtue. Spenser has shown each of these virtues struggling against the evil forces and whenever they are unable to cope with those evils, Magnificence takes over and rescues them but its limitation is that it cannot advance these virtues up to heaven. This according to him can be done with the help of Christian virtues like Faith, Hope and Charity. So, every book has been designed to show struggle, victory, defeat, rescue and final triumph.

The theme of Book I is Holiness. The various characters, in this book, are symbolic. The Red Cross Knight personifies Holiness, Una personifies Truth, the dwarf personifies Prudence, the monster personifies Error, Archimago personifies heathenism or infidelity, Sans Foy personifies faithfulness, Sans Loy lawlessness, The lion, the natural reason of man, Corceca, blind devotion, Abessa (her daughter), superstition, Kirkrapine, the plunder of the church. Lucifera represents Pride along with the six Deadly Sins (acting as her counselors). The fauns and the satyrs are symbolic of barbarism and sir Satyrane, heroic activity, Orgoglio, the giant represents Carnal Pride, Prince Arthur, Magnificence, Despair represents Hopelessness, the House of Holiness and its inhabitants represent those qualities which inspire a man with a new hope, courage and desire for heaven and the Dragon stands for Satan, the Devil.

In Canto I, the Red Cross Knight travels in the company of Una followed by the dwarf to her father’s kingdom. Her father is in great danger from a Dragon as his kingdom is being destroyed by it. The allegorical significance here is that Holiness has joined hands with Truth for the spiritual liberation and emancipation of the human race from the bondage of the Devil. Unless the powers evil are conquered, emancipation is not possible. The first of these powers of evil is Error, moral and political error and error of all kinds. It is symbolized by a monster who is half-woman and half-serpent. It can be defeated by the combined strength of Holiness and Truth. Error is conquered when the monster is killed by the Red Cross Knight but he becomes a victim to another opponent named Archimago who symbolizes Hypocrisy. In Canto II we find the description of all the mischief that he is capable of and his deception of both the Red Cross Knight and Una.

 

14.        Write a note on the peculiar qualities of Spenser’s verse in Book I Canto 1 of The Faerie Queene.

-    The Faerie Queene of Spenser is remarkable for its smooth verse and decorous diction. This complex long poem is a continued allegory or dark conceit. The most significant contribution that Spenser made to literature through this work is the Spenserian Stanza. It shows his originality and inventiveness as a craftsman in verse. Spenser’s intention in designing it was to suit his purposes in this poem in particular.

The stanza has been described as fluent and luxuriant. It is known for its fluidity and ease. Each stanza is complete in itself and conveys a complete portion of a picture. Each stanza ends with an Alexandrine, almost summing up the verse, indicating a clear pause and gives a definite climax. The rhyming of the last line with the sixth and the eighth ensures its linkage to the stanza as a whole. The rhyme scheme is a b a b b c b c c. The rhythm of the stanza is iambic pentameter for the first eight lines and iambic hexameter (Alexandrine) for the ninth line.

Spenser’s stanza is suited to a description of landscape, scenes, situations and events and even sketches and portrayal of persons. It also suits the analysis of thoughts and feelings, to moralizing and sermonizing, to reflection and meditation. Book I is full of descriptions of various monsters, fights and weapons of Prince Arthur and the Spenserian stanza very much suits the description. The individual quality of Spenser’s melody also finds a perfect expression through this stanza. This stanza form is ideal for the elaborate epic simile also. The nine long lines of this stanza can very well convey the complete intended meaning of the writer. There are quite a number of such similes in Book I. For instance, there is one in Canto 1, stanza 21. Here the poet compares the vomit of Error with the waters of the river Nile which overflow the banks and leave behind filth and mud which become breeding ground for different kinds of ugly creatures. The latter are the symbolic equivalents of the forms and ways whereby Error expresses itself.

The Spenserian stanza is capable of infinite variations. This variety is achieved by constant assonance, by great rhythmical variation and by use of rhetorical devices like alliteration and onomatopoeia. The alliterating d’s in stanza 40, line 8-9 illustrate the nature of sleep which is personified by Morpheus. The Alexandrine (iambic hexameter) is of immense importance to Spenser in providing a splendid conclusion to the stanza. It is capable of providing variations in its sound and its sense. It can sum up what has been in the earlier lines of the stanza in the form of a terse and pithy comment about the Red Cross Knight. The variation which Spenser gives to the rhythm and the balance of the Alexandrine greatly helps to vary the general rhythm of the succession of stanzas. Spenserian stanza for these reasons is pliant and stately and it serves every purpose for which he needs it. The adaptability of this stanza is the reason why Book I sustains itself throughout its great length with becoming monotonous.