The Faerie Queene

1
The Faerie Queene

• Book I Canto 9 - 10

2
What happens?

• Arthur explains his reasons for coming to
  Faerieland
• Redcrosse and Una come across Trevisan whose
  friend was overcome by Despair
• Despair almost makes Redcrosse realise that hes
  rubbish and should kill himself
• They venture to the House of Holiness
• Then theres the old man on Mount Contemplation...

3
But what does it all mean???

• Arthur
• From Western Wales (ix.4)? the origins of Tudor
  lineage... Justification of Queen Liz (just like
  the Aeneid)
• Arthur gives RC a liquid like the Eucharist in
  Protestantism, another form of justification
• RC as becoming a Christ-like figure (ix.19)
• The future of Saint George

4
But what does it all mean???

• Despair
• Redcrosses Despair is resolved by Una and the
  True Faith of God he cannot learn to resist this
  (like Error) until he has learned his lessons
  from the House...
• Described as a Snake could remind us of Satan
  in PL, deceptive (ix.28)

5
But what does it all mean???

• The House of Holiness
• Primarily acts as a parallel to the House of
  Pride works to raise the profile of Godliness
• The members of the House...
• Caelia as opposed to Lucifera
• Fidelia Faith shows Redcrosse discipline and
  the Gospel
• Sperenza Hope comforts Redcrosse out of
  Despair
• Patience and Pennance purge him of sins
  (Remorse Repentance)
• Charissa Charity instructs him how to be
  better
• Mercie in the end his righteous soule might
  save (x.34)
• X.37-43 Seven Corporal Works of Mercy
• What does this scene do then?
• Letter of the Author... How to be a gentleman of
  true virtue

6
But what does it all mean??? (still...)

• Mount Contemplation
• Presented with the view of the cities of both God
  and the Faerie Queene Jerusalem and Cleopolis,
  respectively
• This puts Gloriana on the same standing as God
  i.e. She has created the ideal place
• Redcrosse learns of his Fate he is really
  St.George (acts as foreshadowing of the end of
  the Book, as we know the legend)

7
Now for a special note ...

• Arthur
• Full hard it is ... to read aright/ The course
  of heavenly cause, or understand/ The secret
  meaning of th'eternall might/ That rules mens
  wayes, and rules the thoughts of living wight
  (ix.6)
• May want to compare this to Paradise Lost
  Milton wants to reach a greater task
• The House of Holiness
• Besides acting as a parallel with the House of
  Pride, as mentioned before it works to show how a
  gentleman should behave
• The progress through the members of the House and
  their allegorical position
• He learns that he needs to learn this before he
  can defeat evils alone

8
The Path to our destination is not always a
straight one...

• Canto 10 includes extensive descriptions of
  paths...
• Stanza 5, 10, 33, 35, 51, 55, 61
• In Dantes Inferno he sets off as so Half way
  along the road we have to go,/I found myself
  obscured in a great forest (Inferno 1.Canto 1.
  1-2)
• This is very similar to (ix) stanza 39 wearie
  wandring way