The Faerie Queene Book 1

Description

Edmund Spenser was an English poet which became to prominence with his epic poem The Faerie Queene. An unfinished poem, with 6 books, the The Faerie Queene is considered an allegorical work which was most likely meant to celebrate the Tudor Dynasty as well as Queen Elizabeth I.

Edmund Spenser is considered to be one of the greatest English language poets of all time, and a premier craftsmen of poetry in the then-newly emerging Modern English. The poem is one of the longest poems in English as well as the fixed form verse named after him Spenserian stanza.

On a literal level, the poems explore several virtues by following the adventures of several knights. However, even Spenser himself acknowledges in the Letter of the Authors that it is filled with allegories. Historians believe that the main focus of these poems is the exploration as well as praise for the powerful Tudor Dynasty and its last monarch, Queen Elizabeth I.

The Faerie Queene: Book I is centered around the Redcrosse Knight and the Holiness virtue which he seems to embody. He starts a journey accompanied by his beloved lady Una, only to encounter the terrible dragon Errour. The couple then encounters the powerful wizard Archimago who tricks the Knight into believing that his Lady is not chaste. The two part ways, and soon after the Redcrosse Knight gets lured and trapped by Duessa. Duessa then take the Knight as a captive with the help of the giant Orgoglio, where Una, after succeeding in evading peril on the road, manages to come and save the knight. The Redcrosse Knight is eventually taken to the House of Hollies where he recovers.

The poem provides readers with an insight into the 16th century England, the Tudor dynasty, as well as the virtues that were seen as highly important in the English society.
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