The Faerie Queene

Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Adult

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

With byzantine plots, archaic diction, and inconsistent spelling, the text of the poem is relatively messy. Spenser contrasts the knotty content with a tidy form. Spenser contains the epic in nine-line stanzas, with Lines 1-8 featuring iambic pentameter, or five pairs of unstressed, stressed syllables. Line 9 turns into an alexandrine, so there are six pairs of unstressed, stressed syllables. The meter fastens the topsy-turvy adventures to a predictable rhythm. The ABABBCBCC rhyme scheme adds to the stability and brings a melody to the tribulations and discord. At the same time, the deviant Line 9 reflects the unevenness of the epic. It’s as if there’s always an added element to disrupt any harmony the characters might achieve, and the additional Line 9 symbolizes the inevitable presence of an external, disruptive element.

As the type of stanza in The Faerie Queene didn’t exist until Spenser created it, the stanza bears Spenser’s name, and it’s called a Spenserian stanza. Due to the poem’s length, there’s more to the form than meter, rhyme scheme, and stanza length. Like the form of the stanzas, Spenser keeps the form of the books stable, so there’s a proem, an introduction of sorts, followed by 12 cantos—sections or chapters. However, the number of stanzas in each canto varies.

Allegory and Hyperbole

In his letter to Walter Raleigh, Spenser calls his epic a “continued Allegory,” so allegory is an essential literary device for the poem, and Spenser calls allegory a “darke conceit,” as an allegory typically contains a hidden meaning or additional layer of symbolism. Through the quests, Spenser illustrates the dimensions of Aristotle’s virtues. While the journeys of Britomart, Redcrosse, Guyon, and so on may entertain the reader, there’s an ulterior purpose—to instruct the reader on how to be “a gentleman or noble person in vertuous and gentle discipline.” By using allegory, Spenser can enchant the reader and educate them. As Spenser announces the virtue that he intends to portray in the title of each book, the “conceit” isn’t so “dark.” Spenser is rather transparent about the literary device, so it’s easy for the reader to identify the virtue and then get lost in the story. Paglia argues that the graphic imagery and crisscrossing conflicts subvert the “scheduled moral meanings” or the allegorical function (Sexual Personae).

The allegory produces the theme of Christianity and Virtue Versus Irreligion and Wickedness, so the allegory is bound to the literary device of hyperbole. The speaker maintains a dramatic and exaggerated tone throughout the poem to emphasize right and wrong. The speaker has a purpose—to separate admirable conduct from abominable behavior—so, to prevent confusion, the speaker stresses the good traits in the honorable characters and the wicked parts of the various antagonists. Gloriana isn’t a good queen, and she’s not a great queen, but she’s “[t]hat greatest Glorious Queene of Faerie land” (1.1.3.3). Conversely, Duessa isn’t only filthy or foul or old, but she’s all three: “A filthy foule old woman” (1.2.40.8). The stakes of the poem make hyperbole the go-to tone for Spenser and his speaker.

Alliteration

Alliteration is a literary device that Spenser regularly uses. With alliteration, the poet creates a rhythm by placing together words that start with the same letter or that sound similar. As with the rhyme scheme and the meter, the alliteration brings a smooth melody to the rocky quests and fraught situations. Amoret needlessly wonders if Arthur’s “burning lust should breake into excesse” (8.9.18.9). The two “b” words and the similar sounds of “lust” and “excess” inject a pleasant sound into this horrible hypothetical. The speaker reminds the reader that, while Amoret’s with Arthur, “[s]he was as safe as in a Sanctuary” (8.9.19.6)—there are three words that start with “s” and three words that begin with “a.”

The frequency of alliteration arguably links to allegory and hyperbole—all three are rather stylized, theatrical literary devices that give the poem flare. As the poem is for Queen Elizabeth, Spenser seems determined to create a magnificent costume for his work, and alliteration is central to the glorious outfit. It’s unlikely the reader will go more than a few lines without stumbling across an instance of alliteration.