The Faerie Queene, Book 1
'The Faerie Queene, Book 1' Summary
Book I is centered on the virtue of holiness as embodied in the Redcrosse Knight. Largely self-contained, Book I can be understood to be its own miniature epic. The Redcrosse Knight and his lady Una travel together as he fights the monster Errour, then separately after the wizard Archimago tricks the Redcrosse Knight into thinking that Una is unchaste using a false dream. After he leaves, the Redcrosse Knight meets Duessa, who feigns distress in order to entrap him. Duessa leads the Redcrosse Knight to captivity by the giant Orgoglio. Meanwhile, Una overcomes peril, meets Arthur, and finally finds the Redcrosse Knight and rescues him from his capture, from Duessa, and from Despair. Una and Arthur help the Redcrosse Knight recover in the House of Holiness, with the House's ruler Caelia and her three daughters joining them; there the Redcrosse Knight sees a vision of his future. He then returns Una to her parents' castle and rescues them from a dragon, and the two are betrothed after resisting Archimago one last time.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
Early Modern EnglishPublished In
1590Author
Edmund Spenser
England
Edmund Spenser was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsm...
More on Edmund SpenserDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Rainer Maria Rilke: Poems by Rainer Maria Rilke
A selection of poems by this renowned German poet.
Sonnets from the Crimea by Adam Mickiewicz
The Crimean Sonnets is an expression of Mickiewicz's interest in the Orient, shared by many of the students of the University of Vilnius. Involuntaril...
Midsummer Noon by Charles Hamilton Musgrove
The poem describes the heat and stillness of a summer afternoon, and the author uses his words to paint a picture of a tranquil and peaceful world. Th...
Liberty Bell by Edward Doyle
This book is a tribute to the famous Liberty Bell, which symbolizes America's struggle for independence. Edward Doyle wrote the "Liberty Bell poem" i...
The Botanic Garden, a Poem in Two Parts. Part 1 by Erasmus Darwin
Step into a realm where science and poetry entwine, where nature's secrets unfurl in mesmerizing verses. "The Botanic Garden, a Poem in Two Parts. Par...
Grown-Up by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet and playwright. She won poetry prizes from an early age, including the Pulitzer Prize in 1923, an...
Hallowe'en by Virna Sheard
A tribute to Hallowe'en by Canadian poetess Virna Sheard.
Outward Bound by Sir Henry Newbolt
Sir Henry John Newbolt, was an English poet, novelist and historian. He also had a role as a government adviser with regard to the study of English in...
A Fish Story by Clara Doty Bates
It tells the story of a little fish and his adventures in the water. The poem was first published in 1898 in "St. Nicholas Magazine," a popular Americ...
The Dream by John Donne
Would you wake up from a dream if it were the most beautiful dream you have ever had? In John Donne's poem The Dream, the speaker finds himself in su...
Reviews for The Faerie Queene, Book 1
No reviews posted or approved, yet...