Spenser's masterpiece is an extensive poem The Faerie Queene. The first three books of The Faerie Queene were published in 1590, and a second set of three books were published in 1596. This extended epic poem deals with the adventures of knights, dragons, ladies in distress, etc. yet it is also an extended allegory about the moral life and what makes for a life of virtue. Spenser originally indicated that he intended the poem to be twelve books long, so the version of the poem we have today is incomplete.
Spenser refers to aspects of religion and tyranny in his works. His work The Fairie Queene is an example of where he has characters and messages that allude to tyranny and religion. One of Spenser's characters, Lucifera, has the connotation of Satan just by the name (Croft 560). Spenser also mentions how Lucifera is a queen that seized power “without right,” meaning she crowned herself a leader. The essay also mentions that Spenser compared her counselors to the six deadly sins, bringing another religious comparison and element to his work (Croft 561). Spenser uses elements of history in his epic poem, and uses Lucifera to represent Mary Tudor, Elizabeth I sister (Croft 562). Book 1 and 5 of The Fairie Queene establish suggestive links between the devil and tyrant (Croft 558). This is shown through comparing Lucifera, or really Mary Tudor, to a tyrant who is essentially evil and is the devil as well. There is a dragon in Spenser's book that is meant to remind the reader that the original tyrannical power holder was the devil (Croft 562). Spenser's works use tyranny as a comparison to the devil by using allegory to convey his message.
Read more about this topic: Edmund Spenser
Other articles related to "the faerie queene, faerie queene":
... Book 1 of The Faerie Queene’s discussion of the path to salvation begins with original sin and justification, skipping past initial matters of God, the Creeds, and Adam’s fall from grace (Whitake ... Spenser's language in The Faerie Queene, as in The Shepheardes Calender, is deliberately archaic, though the extent of this has been exaggerated by critics who follow Ben Jonson's ... language does not account for the poem's archaic tone "The subject-matter of The Faerie Queene is itself the most powerful factor in creating the impression of archaism." ...
... who is sent to stop the knights in the service of the Faerie Queene ... He is madly in love with the Faerie Queene and spends his time in pursuit of her when not helping the other knights out of their sundry predicaments ... Gloriana, the "Faerie Queene" herself, she is also sometimes called Tanaquill, which was her name before she became queen ...
... he became a Higher Magician, one of the most powerful Archimago -- an evil enchanter in The Faerie Queene ... wizard, associated with King Arthur, also in Spenser's The Faerie Queene ... (The Tempest by Shakespeare) Proteus - converted from Greek god to magician in Spenser's The Faerie Queene ...
Famous quotes containing the word queene:
“Joy may you have and gentle hearts content
Of your loves couplement:
And let faire Venus, that is Queene of love,
With her heart-quelling Sonne upon you smile,”
—Edmund Spenser (1552?–1599)