Spenser's The Faerie Queene: Allegories to Explore A Country's Religious Division

Early modern England was marked by a period of religious uncertainty. In less than a century, England leaves Catholicism for Protestantism under Henry VIII in 1534 then reverts to it under Mary I in 1553 before abandoning the Catholic doctrine again in 1558 under Elizabeth I. With The Faerie Queene, Spenser does not only write a national epic, but he also explores the religious division of his country. This, he does by starting his poem with a strong allegory that dwells upon England’s Catholic past. Moreover, Redcross’ encounter with Archimago positively imagines the development of Protestantism against Catholic threats. However, I begin with a quick summary of the events taking place in Book 1.

In Book I of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene, the central figure is the Redcrosse Knight, an embodiment of holiness, who is dispatched by Gloriana, the Faerie Queene herself, on a mission to slay a dragon terrorizing the family of Una, a woman whose character stands for truth. During his quest, a storm forces him to seek shelter in a forest where he arrives near a cave: Error's den. Redcrosse manages to defeat the beast, yet he is soon undone by Archimago, a sorcerer who conjures spirits to deceive Redcrosse, one planting lustful dreams, another mimicking Una in a staged betrayal. Convinced Una has dishonored herself, Redcrosse abandons her. Riding alone, he kills the knight Sansfoy and takes in his companion Fidessa, unaware she is the witch Duessa in disguise. Resting beneath some trees, he hears the tragic tale of Fradubio, a man Duessa transformed into a tree, yet fails to recognize Fidessa as the very same witch, and the two continue on together.

Redcross’s first battle warns its readers that although England is in 1590 a Protestant country, the Catholic past still lurks in the shadows. Following Spenser’s own allegorical key, given in his “Letter to Raleigh”, Redcross entering Errour’s den symbolises reformed England not listening to true religion. Redcross’ desire to “have the a[c]hievement of any adventure” (Letter to Raleigh) leads him to completely disregard Una’s warnings that “[t]he danger hid[es]” (1.1.12.3). Although Redcross’ decision might first be interpreted as a mistake, it ultimately enables his growth as he overcomes a trial, symbolising the strengthening of holiness in the narrative. Furthermore, it can be interpreted as the need for reformed England, textually represented by Redcross, to come to terms with its Catholic past. Errour, the name symbolic is important, highlights England’s mistaken reversion to Catholicism under Mary I. Also symbolically important are the downward and upward movements of going in and out the den, as it opens an intertextual key. Redcross’ descent into a den reminds of Orpheus entering the underworld looking for his lost beloved, but eventually resurfacing without her. Both Redcross and the myth’s character come back with the allegorical message that the past must be abandoned. It might not be something easy to perform, as Redcross’ struggle during the fight shows (1.1.18), but it is nonetheless necessary. As critic Bianca Bonomi remarks, “the inclusion of the vile monster (…) suggests the potential of Catholic enmity (…) and the need for the Protestant hero to seek out the hidden danger of Catholicism” (Bonomi 165). If Una originally wishes to stay away from “the wandering wood, [and] this Errour’s den” that is “no place for li[v]ing men” (1.1.13.6-9), it is not out of cowardice. It reinforces the idea that they represent antagonistic forces, truth and falsehood. Allegorically Protestantism and Catholicism. Moreover, Spenser’s characterisation of Errour presents the monster as a force luring in darkness, but nevertheless living in the “faerie land”, meaning that England’s Catholic past still haunts the country. With the description of the beast as a creature that is “ugly”, “most lo[a]thsome” and lives in a “darksom[e] hole” (1.1.14.123-126), the writer further reinforces the link between darkness and Catholicism. Later in the poem, Archimago, whom Spenser links with the Catholic Philip 2 of Spain, is also associated with darkness and obscurity as he is a hermit (1.1.34) who uses his dark powers to deceive. This characterisation shows that the error, Catholicism, is still there hiding in the shadows, and it takes a chivalrous and powerful knight as Redcross, to solve the problem. Nevertheless, it is Una who helps him to defeat his opponent. The symbolic interpretation is that true religion, Protestantism, helps reformed England, to finally overcome its past. Indeed, it is Una who tells the knight to “[s]strangle” Errour (1.1.19.4). This can be read as a message that Spenser sends to his contemporaries. Redcross’s fight against Errour allegorically suggests that England’s Catholic past is still there, reinforcing the country’s division, and that it must be dealt with.

After addressing England’s Catholic past through Errour, Spenser portrays Catholicism as a potential treat for the future through Archimago. As the previous paragraph discussed, Redcross must first fight England’s Catholic past. Nevertheless, and although England is now a Protestant country, the future is still presented as dangerous. This potentially ominous future is pointed out by Spenser through the mischief of Archimago. The magician is also a remnant of the past as he can allegorically be linked to Philip 2 of Spain. Catholicism therefore still haunts reformed England, even after having come to terms with its past. In the poem, the mischief goes as far as casting truth away from Spenser’s country. Indeed, Archimago uses his evil powers to create a false Una, testing Redcross’ faith in true religion. Eventually, the knight abandons Una as he believes that she slept with another man, and he is even but “hardly (…) restrained” of slaying her “in his furious ire” (1.2.5.8-9). Allegorically, this can be read as the vestiges of Catholicism testing the English faith in Protestantism. Moreover, Catholicism is linked to falseness and, as discussed in the previous paragraph, to a mistake as Redcross mistakenly believes in the hermit’s deceit. Nevertheless, Spenser further strengthens the link that unifies Protestantism and England as Una’s sole goal is to find Redcross: “[s]he [u]p arose, resol[v]ing him to find / [a]live or dead: and forward forth doth pas, / [a]ll as the Dwarfe the way to her assynd [showed]” (1.7.28.2-4). If Archimago also deceives Una for a moment, Spenser seems to point out that trying to attack true religion leads to punishment as the evil being is then attacked by Sansloy (1.3.28-30). Archimago’s survival, however, highlights the tenacity of Catholicism, suggesting that the issue remains as the magician also appears in book 2. This turn of event that sees England leave true religion, Protestantism, is a future that, when Spenser writes, was not entirely unconceivable given the yet weak state of the Protestant doctrine. Indeed, as author Christopher Haigh notes, it still happens during the Elizabethan period that “[p]rotestant services [are] disrupted, officials [are] driven out and church attendances [are] often poor, the Church of England [is] still an alien intruder upon established local custom” (Haigh 67). Eventually, Una helps Redcross, and they are reunited at the end of the 8^th canto. This suggests that regardless of how divided between Catholicism and Protestantism England is, the latter will always be there to help Spenser’s country.

In conclusion, it is notably thanks to its allegories that The Faerie Queene explores England’s religious division. Not only does Spenser thereby discuss the country’s Catholic past through Errour’s den, but he also seems to suggest that this division could still potentially cause trouble. This, he does through Archimago’s mischief, that tests Redcross’s faith in Una, true religion. Nevertheless, the writer envisions England’s Protestantism as strong enough to repel any attack from Catholics as Archimago’s plans are eventually thwarted.

WORKS CITED:

Bonomi, Bianca. “‘how might I see / the thing, that might not be, and yet was donne?’ (i. vi.39) seeing, believing, and anti-catholicism in book one of spenser’sfaerie queene.” Reformation & Renaissance Review, vol. 7, no. 2–3, 7 Oct. 2005, pp. 163–187, https://doi.org/10.1558/rrr.v7i2-3.163. https://doi.org/10.1558/rrr.v7i2-3.163 

Haigh, Christopher. “The continuity of catholicism in the english reformation.” The English Reformation Revised, 29 May 1987, pp. 37–69, https://www.jstor.org/stable/650527