The Historical Allegory In “The Faerie Queene”

By Haley Kroger

Not Your Typical Fairytale

“The Faerie Queene,” is much more than just a fairytale.

Many of the characters contain historical paradoxes from the Elizabethan time period in England.

The setting itself is an allegory to England.

A Little British History

During Queen Elizabeth's reign, England was going through the Catholic Reformation, which is also known as the English Reformation.

People believed the popes and Catholic Church were corrupt so they wanted to get away from it.

Instead they wanted Protestantism and Anglicanism.

Queen Elizabeth was a well known Protestant, so she became the symbolic leader of the Catholic Reformation.

Good Versus Evil

Edmund Spenser was very anti-catholicism. In the story, the good characters represent true

religion, which he thought was Protestantism/Anglicanism.

The villains represent the Roman Catholic Church.

The Good Guys

Gloriana, the Faerie Queen, is a paradox for Queen Elizabeth.

The Redcrosse Knight represents an individual Christian on their search for Holiness.

Una means truth. Must have true faith

to be Holy.

The Bad Guys Archimago means arch-

image. The Protestants accused Catholics of idolatry because of their extensive uses of images.

Duessa represents the Catholic Church because she is deceiving and she is described as wearing elaborate gold and purple clothing, showing the greedy wealth and arrogant pomp of Rome.

Error- “Her vomit full off bookes and papers was...”(177).

What do you think Edmund Spenser's purpose was for writing this?

Do you think he was hoping for some type of outcome?

Discussion Question