The Faerie Queene is an important romantic epic that more than being just poetry, represents the protestant imagery in terms of kinds of individual virtue , the forces of temptation and human weaknesses to which the greatest of persons can succumb and, of course, the humanist ideals of its time. His author, Edmund Spenser, makes use of biblical and classic allegories to tell his story, that more than have been a religious writing, the poem’s purpose was to educate, to turn young men into gentlemen and to make a declaration of faith in England.
However, the more important purpose of the Faerie Queene is its allegory, the meaning behind its characters and events. The story’s setting is a fanciful “faerie land,” that emphasizes how its allegory is meant for a land very close to home: Spenser’s England. In the poem, two kinds of levels of allegory appear to be used; the first one examines the moral, philosophical, and religious terms, symbolized by the Redcrosse Knight who, at the same time represents Christians.
The second level is focused on the political and social terms, in which Queen Elizabeth I is referred as different characters along the poem. This paper will examine Una, the Lady, as a character of symbolic nature, the role she plays in the story, the relationship that she has with the other characters, and how her beauty, humbleness and strength are representative in the development of the poem. I will describe Una’s role in The Faerie Queene as an allegory of truth for the Protestant Church.
The allegorical narrative The Faerie Queene is a story following the Redcrosse Knight on his path to find Christian salvation. Through this character, Spencer explores the two virtues he believes to be the most important in the Christian religion, Chastity and Holiness (Book i). Armed with faith, the Redcrosse Knight represents the Christian souls in the search of Holiness. He is travelling with Una, whose name means “truth”; “A lovely Ladie rode him faire beside. ”(I, i, 4, 1) He desires to be united with her.
Una is a pure, virtuous and beautiful woman who represents Truth; however, he cannot attain her without the knowledge of Christian truth. Throughout the poem she helps the Redcrosse Knight out of danger in his fight, providing him with the mental guidance he needs to overcome the obstacles that he must face. She symbolizes the truth of the Protestant church that must provide direction for the Holiness that Redcrosse represents, saving him from certain doom on several occasions.
To be holy for a Christian, one must have true faith, so the plot of Book I principally concerns the attempts of evildoers to separate the Redcrosse Knight from Una; “For of devotion he had little care,/ Still drownd in sleepe, and most of his dayes ded;/ Scarse could he once uphold his heavie hed,/ To looken, whether it were night or day:/ May seeme the wayne was very evill led,/ When such an one had guiding of the way,/ That knew not, whether right he went, or else astray. ” (I,4,165-171). Most of these villains are meant by Spenser to represent the Roman Catholic Church.
The poet seems to believe in the English Reformation, so people must defeated Catholicism as a false religion, and embraced Protestantism as the true one. The relationship works both ways, however; Una also needs saving. Without believers to protect it, the truth can be overcome by evil. In addition to the Redcrosse Knight, there are also natural elements that come to Una’s support, such as the lion and the satyrs of the woods. These natural elements represent nature in general, and their relationship to Una is shown to be one of deference to God’s truth, as natural law is derived from divine power.
The turning point in the poem occurs during his time at the House of Holiness; when the Redcrosse Knight is in despair, he nearly gives up on his quest, and on himself. It is important to notice that it is Una who has to persuade him out of his misery, it is her who must save him many times throughout the story. The Redcrosse Knight has to face his inner self, he is able to transform, and this is partly what grants his success at the end. Every time, Spenser is trying to get readers to realize the incredible difference between Protestantism and Catholicism; to show them that England needs the true religion to receive the gifts of God’s power.
Throughout The Faerie Queene, there are female representations, the most prominent female characters are Una and Duessa. These female characters show a certain form of power; Una has the heavenly power of truth in contrast to Duessa’s power of falsehood and black magic. Although they have individual power, both share a common feminine power over men. Spenser uses the female characters to represent the path of good and the path of evil respectively, by pairing these characters with the Redcrosse Knight, he illustrates the power, whether good or evil that women possess to compel men to action.
When Archimago gives the knight erotic dreams of Una, the false image of her, drives him to leave the real Una; he is a representation of the Catholic Church and its way to deceive the believers with false images, icons and falsehood in purpose to prevent them to see the truth. Probably it also represents the doubt over the beliefs during the search of truth. The scene also conveys that women are able to make men question the truth and therefore cause men to make irrational decisions. Thusly, the false image of Una is able to convince Redcrosse that Una is not virtuous.
Spenser is depicting that only women have the power to compel men to such extreme actions. The feminine power that Una has over men is evident when she is by herself in the woods and a lion comes after her. There is another scene where passion and reason are presented. Una has been abandoned in the forest by her knight, now she finds herself living together with the satyres. They represent the animal side of human nature, they are not bad. They are in an improper relationship to Una, or truth. They are also the creatures who rescued truth from being violated by the absence of love, or Una from being raped.
The side of human nature is neither good nor bad; it is amoral and unpredictable. When it has too much power over the mind, truthful insight can result, but the mind is kept from seeking holiness. Then, Una has to escape from the satyres so she can get to the Red Cross knight, but she can not do it by herself; she needs the help of the Satyrane. Again, the force of will is not good or bad; it is just important for it to be in a harmonious relationship with the other forces in the psyche and in society. With will power serving truth, truth is free to meet holiness.
Una has to abandon Satyrane after he gets her out of the forest. Will is left locking with will, oblivious to the larger scheme of things, as Satyrane fights the knight accused of killing the Red Cross knight. The character of Una appears to be a major character all long the poem, her advices, and reactions over others and on the circumstances represent important events I the story. As she represents Protestantism, her importance is present everywhere where is looked for Holiness, as the religion English must walk with and the one the must fight for. Nature is therefore itself a part of the great allegory.
In fact, Spenser’s allegorical poem is a synthesis of his vision of the world, comprising the forces that drive the world and human behaviour at the same time. The poem relates mainly the adventures of Redcrosse, the errant knight of Holiness, and Una, his female companion and the symbol of truth, of the True Church. The Faerie Queene is no less than Queen Elizabeth of England, whom Spenser regarded as a holy person because she was the defendant of Protestantism against the corrupted Catholicism. The allegory opposes these two religions, making it clear that Protestantism is the right religious view.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Oxford Anthology of English Literature
Smith, Roland M. “Una and Duessa” Vol. 56 No.3 pp.917-919 http://www.jstor.org/pss/458228
The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Faerie Queene Volume 1, by Edmund Spenser http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/6/9/3/6930/6930.htm
