Observe the
dramatic
way in
which Duessa saves Sansjoy.
which Duessa saves Sansjoy.
Spenser - Faerie Queene - 1
Joylessness when crushed by Holiness is
restored by Pagan Philosophy. The backsliding Christian is warned in time
by Prudence of the fearful consequences of sin, and hastens to turn his
back on Pride and the other sins. The soul is led to dread Pride, not by
Truth, but by its sufferings and other inferior motives.
25. THEIR TIMELY VOYCES, their voices keeping time with their harps.
27. OLD LOVES, famous love-affairs, the subject of the Minnesangers.
29. IN WOVEN MAILE, in chain armor.
32. ARABY, probably here the Orient in general.
33. FROM FURTHEST YND, from farthest India.
39. UNTO A PALED GREENE, a green inclosure (lists for a tournament)
surrounded by a palisade.
44. HIS. An old method of forming the possessive, based on a
misapprehension of the original Anglo-Saxon suffix _-es_, which was
shortened in middle English to _-is_, and finally to _s_.
45. BOTH THOSE, etc. Both Duessa and the shield are to go to the victor.
65. A GRYFON, a fabulous animal, part lion and part eagle. _Gryfon_ is
subject of _encountereth_ with _Dragon_ as object.
89. AND SLUGGISH GERMAN, etc. , and sluggish brother dost relax thy strength
to send his (Sansfoy's) foe after him, that he may overtake him. In ll.
86-88 Sansjoy addresses his brother, in ll. 89-90 himself. _German_ is any
blood relation.
100. The Knight supposed that Duessa's encouraging words were addressed to
him.
114. Spenser here, with fine dramatic effect, imitates Homer, who saves
Paris and AEneas by a similar device. _Iliad_, iii, 380, and v, 345.
159. TEARES. This mention of the man-eating crocodile's tears is based on
an old Latin proverb. Sir John Mandeville repeats the story.
172. GRIESLY NIGHT. According to mythology (Hesiod's _Theog_. , 123), one of
the first things created, the daughter of Chaos, and mother of AEther (sky)
and Hemera (day); also of Deceit, Strife, Old Age, and Vengeance. See xxii
and xxvii.
202. ON GRONING BEARE, on a bier with groaning friends around.
204. O WHAT OF GODS, etc. , O what is it to be born of gods, if old
Aveugle's (the father of the three Saracens) sons are so ill treated.
219. AND GOOD SUCCESSES, etc. , and good results which follow their foes.
221. OR BREAKE THE CHAYNE, refers to Jove's proposition to fasten a golden
chain to the earth by which to test his strength. Homer's _Iliad_, viii,
19. Cf. Milton's _Paradise Lost_, ii, 1051.
225. BAD EXCHEAT, bad gain by exchange. _Escheat_ is an old legal term,
meaning any lands or goods which fall to the lord of a fief by forfeiture.
Cf. "rob Peter to pay Paul. "
229. SHALL WITH HIS OWNE BLOUD, etc. , shall pay the price of the blood that
he has spilt with his own.
263. Here Spenser imitates Homer's _Odyssey_, xvi, 163.
267. THE GHASTLY OWLE. The poet follows the Latin rather than the Greek
poets, who regard the owl as the bird of wisdom.
273. OF DEEP AVERNUS HOLE. Avernus in the poets is a cavern (in an ancient
crater), supposed to be the entrance to the infernal regions. Cf. Vergil's
_AEneid_, vi, 237. In Strabo's Geography it is a lake in Campania.
298. CERBERUS, the dog which guarded the lower regions. This stanza is an
imitation of Vergil's _AEneid_, vi, 417 _seq_. In Dante's _Inferno_ Vergil
appeases him by casting handfuls of earth into his maw.
xxxv. In this stanza we see the influence of Homer and Vergil. Ixion, the
king of Lapithae, was chained by order of Zeus to a fiery-winged wheel for
aspiring to the love of the goddess Hera (Juno). Sisyphus had to roll a
huge stone forever up a hill for betraying the designs of the gods.
Tantalus, for divulging the secrets of Zeus, was condemned to stand
tormented by thirst in a lake. Tityus, for an assault on Artemis, was
pinioned to the ground with two vultures plucking at his vitals. Typhoeus,
a hundred-headed giant, was slain by Zeus' thunderbolt, and buried under
AEtna. The gin on which he was tortured was probably the rack of the Middle
Ages. Cf. the bed of Procrustes. Theseus, for attempting to carry off
Persephone, was fixed to a rock in Tartarus. The "fifty sisters" are the
fifty Danaides, who, for slaying their husbands, were condemned to pour
water forever into a vessel full of holes.
322. SAD AESCULAPIUS, the god of medicine, slain by Zeus for arresting
death and diseases.
354. AND FATES EXPIRED, and the threads of life which the fates (Parcae) had
severed.
387. GREAT PAINES, AND GREATER PRAISE, etc. His praise, like his pain, is
to be eternal.
xlvii. This list of the thralls of Pride is in imitation of a similar one
in Chaucer's _Monk's Tale_, which was based on Boccaccio's _De Casibus
Illustrium Virorum_.
415. PROUD KING OF BABYLON, Nebuchadnezzar. See _Daniel_, iii and iv.
420. KING CROESUS, the last king of Lydia, who was overthrown by Cyrus in
B. C. 646. _Herodotus_, i, 26.
422. PROUD ANTIOCHUS, Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria, who captured
Jerusalem twice, and defiled God's altar. He died raving mad B. C. 164.
Josephus, _Antiquities of the Jews_, xiii, 5-9.
424. GREAT NIMROD, "the mighty hunter" (_Genesis_, x, 8), whose game,
according to Spenser, was man. Josephus tells us that through pride he
built the tower of Babel.
426. OLD NINUS, the legendary founder of Nineveh, and put to death by his
wife, Semiramis.
428. THAT MIGHTY MONARCH, Alexander the Great (B. C. 366-323), king of
Macedon. While consulting the oracle of Jupiter Ammon in the Libyan desert
he was saluted by the priests as "Ammons Sonne. " He died either of poison
(Plutarch) or of excessive drink (Diodorus).
437. GREAT ROMULUS, legendary founder of Rome (B. C. 753). See Livy, i, 16.
438. PROUD TARQUIN, Tarquinius Superbus, the last king of Rome. He was
banished B. C. 510.
438. TOO LORDLY LENTULUS, surnamed Sura, member of a haughty patrician
family, who conspired with Catiline, and was strangled B. C. 62.
439. STOUT SCIPIO, Cornelius Scipio Africanus (B. C. 287? -183? ), the
conqueror of Hannibal, and self-exiled from Rome. Livy speaks of his
inordinate pride, xxxviii, 50.
439. STUBBORNE HANNIBALL (B. C. 247-183), the great Carthaginian general,
who died by poison to avoid falling into the hands of the Romans.
440. AMBITIOUS SYLLA (B. C. 138-78), Cornelius Sulla, the Dictator, who died
a loathsome death.
440. STERNE MARIUS (B. C. 157-86), after being seven times consul, he was
obliged to take refuge from his rival Sulla amid the ruins of Carthage.
441. HIGH CAESAR, Caius Julius Caesar (B. C. 100-44), who was murdered by
Brutus and other conspirators.
441. GREAT POMPEY. Cn. Pompeius Magnus (B. C. 106-48). After his defeat at
Pharsalia, he fled to Egypt, where he was murdered.
441. FIERCE ANTONIUS, Marcus (B. C. 83-30), the great triumvir, who after
his defeat at Actium killed himself in Egypt.
444. THE BOLD SEMIRAMIS, the legendary queen of Assyria.
446. FAIRE STHENOBOEA, the wife of Proteus, who on account of her
unrequited love for Bellerophon, died by hemlock. Aristophanes' _Frogs_,
1049 _seq_.
448. HIGH MINDED CLEOPATRA (B. C. 69-30), the beautiful queen of Egypt, who
is said by Plutarch to have died in the manner mentioned.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
(Canto V)
1. How did Redcross spend the night before the fight with Sansjoy?
2. Study in detail the fine description of Duessa's descent to Erebus.
3. What elements of beauty are seen in the description of dawn and sunrise
in ii? and compare _Psalms_, xix, 5. 4. What arbitrary classification of
musicians does Spenser make in iii? 5. Who is the _far renowmed Queene_ in
v? 6. Describe the joust between the Knight and Sansjoy. 7. Where do you
learn of the laws governing such contests? 8.
Observe the dramatic way in
which Duessa saves Sansjoy. 9. What dramatic stroke in xxvii? 10. Describe
Night and her team. 11. Give an account of her descent to Erebus with
Sansjoy. 12. What were some of the tortures of the damned? 13. What effect
is produced in xxx and how? 14. Point out some instances in which Spenser
has imitated Homer--Vergil.
15. Where does he follow the Latin rather than the Greek poets?
16. Why did AEsculapius hesitate to heal Sansjoy? 17. Whom did the dwarf see
in the dungeons of Pride? 18. Why did the Knight flee from the House of
Pride?
19. Examine the following grammatical forms: _maken_, l. 22; _woundes_, l.
400. 20. What _figure of speech_ is employed in xviii? 21. What
illustration is used in viii? 22. Find example of _balanced structure_ in
vii; _alliteration_ in viii, xv, xviii. 23. Scan l. 23. 24. Note nom. abs.
construction in xlv.
25. Paraphrase the involved constructions in xlii, xix, viii, xxxvi.
CANTO VI
I. _The Plot_: (Continuation of Canto III). Una is delivered from Sansloy
by a band of Satyrs. She remains with them as their teacher. There a knight
of the wild-wood, Sir Satyrane, discovers her, and by his assistance, Una
succeeds in making her way out of the forest to the plain. On the way they
meet Archimago, disguised as a pilgrim, and he deceives them and leads them
to Sansloy. While Sir Satyrane and Sansloy are engaged in a bloody battle,
Una flees. She is pursued by Archimago but makes her escape.
II. _The Allegory_: 1. Truth is saved from destruction by Lawless Violence
(Sansloy) by the aid of Barbarism or Savage Instinct, which terrorizes
Lawlessness but offers natural homage to Truth. Truth finds a temporary
home among Ignorant and Rude Folk (Satyrs) and in return imparts divine
truth to their unregenerate minds. Natural Heroism or Manly Courage (Sir
Satyrane) sides with Truth and defends it against Lawlessness.
2. The religious allegory signifies the extension of Protestantism through
the outlying rural districts of England and in Ireland. Upton thinks that
Sir Satyrane represents "Sir John Perrot, whose behaviour, though honest,
was too coarse and rude for a court. 'Twas well known that he was a son of
Henry VIII. " Holinshed says that as Lord President of Munster, Sir John
secured such peace and security that a man might travel in Ireland with a
white stick only in his hand.
16. FROM ONE TO OTHER YND, from the East to the West Indies.
61. A TROUPE OF FAUNES AND SATYRES. The Fauns were the wood-gods of the
Romans, the Satyrs the wood-gods of the Greeks. They were half human, half
goat, and represented the luxuriant powers of nature.
63. OLD SYLVANUS, the Roman god of fields and woods, young and fond of
animal pleasures. Spenser represents him as a feeble but sensuous old man.
90. WITH CHAUNGE OF FEARE, from the wolf to the lion.
96. RUSTICK HORROR, bristling hair.
99. THEIR BACKWARD BENT KNEES, like the hinder legs of a goat.
101. THEIR BARBAROUS TRUTH, their savage honor.
103. LATE LEARND, having been recently taught. She had shown too "hasty
trust" in Archimago.
112. WITHOUT SUSPECT OF CRIME, without suspicion of blame.
117. The olive is the emblem of peace, as the ivy (l. 126) is of
sensuousness.
120. WITH THEIR HORNED FEET, with their hoofs.
128. OR BACCHUS MERRY FRUIT, etc. , whether they did discover grapes.
129. OR CYBELES FRANTICKE RITES, the wild dances of the Corybantes,
priestesses of Cybele, or Rhea, the wife of Chronos and mother of the gods.
132. THAT MIRRHOUR RARE, that model of beauty. So Sidney was called "the
mirror of chivalry. "
134. FAIRE DRYOPE, a princess of AEchalia, who became a forest nymph.
Pholoe, mentioned in l. 135, is probably a fictitious creation of the
author's.
146. DEAREST CYPARISSE, a youth of Cea, who accidentally killed his
favorite stag and dying of grief was changed into a cypress. He was beloved
by Apollo and Sylvanus.
148. NOT FAIRE TO THIS, i. e. compared to this.
152. N'OULD AFTER JOY, would not afterwards be cheerful.
153. SELFE-WILD ANNOY, self-willed distress.
154. FAIRE HAMADRYADES, the nymphs who dwelt in the forest trees and died
with them.
156. LIGHT-FOOT NAIADES, the fresh water nymphs, companions of the fauns
and satyrs.
161. THEIR WOODY KIND, the wood-born creatures of their own kind, e. g.
nymphs or satyrs.
163. Una was "luckelesse" in having lost her knights, but "lucky" in the
friendship of the Satyrs. Note the Euphuistic phrasing.
169. IDOLATRYES. The allegory has reference to the idolatrous practices of
the ignorant primitive Christians, such as the worship of images of the
Saints, the pageant of the wooden ass during Lent (see _Matthew_, xxi, and
Brand's _Popular Antiquities_, i, 124), and the Feast of the Ass (see
_Matthew_, ii, 14).
172. A NOBLE WARLIKE KNIGHT, Sir Satyrane, in whom are united rude untaught
chivalry and woodland savagery. He represents natural heroism and
instinctive love of truth.
173. BY JUST OCCASION, just at the right moment.
184. THYAMIS is the symbol of Animal Passion; LABRYDE of the lower
appetites; THERION, the human wild beast, who deserts his wife.
xxiv. This account of Sir Satyrane's education is based on that of Rogero
by his uncle Atlante in Ariosto's _Orlando Furioso_, vii, 5, 7.
213. MAISTER OF HIS GUISE, his instructor.
214. AT HIS HORRID VEW, his shaggy, uncouth appearance.
256. HIS FAMOUS WORTH WAS BLOWN, i. e. blazoned by Fame's trumpet.
308. A JACOBS STAFFE. According to Nares, "A pilgrim's staff; either from
the frequent pilgrimages to St. James of Comfortella (in Galicia), or
because the apostle St. James is usually represented with one. "
371. See Canto III, xxxviii, where Archimago was disguised as St. George.
372. TH' ENCHAUNTER VAINE, etc. , the foolish enchanter (Archimago) would
not have rued his (St. George's) crime (i. e. slaying Sansfoy).
373. BUT THEM HIS ERROUR SHALT, etc. , thou shalt by thy death pay the
penalty of his crime and thus prove that he was really guilty. A very
obscure passage. Look up the original meaning of _shall_.
386. This simile is found frequently in the old romances. Cf. Malory's
_Morte d'Arthur_, ii, 104, and Chaucer's _Knight's Tale_, l. 1160.
416. According to a usage of chivalry, the lover wore a glove, sleeve,
kerchief, or other token of his lady-love on his helmet. By "lover's token"
Sansloy ironically means a blow.
425. TO HER LAST DECAY, to her utter ruin.
426. Spenser leaves the fight between Sansloy and Sir Satyrane unfinished.
Both warriors appear in later books of the _Faerie Queene_.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
(Canto VI)
1. Who rescued Una from Sansloy? 2. How does Una repay their kindness? 3.
How was she treated by them? 4. Explain the references to the various
classes of nymphs. 5. Look up the classical references in xvi and xviii. 6.
Why is Una described as "luckelesse lucky"? 7. What customs of the early
Christians are referred to in xix? 8. What does Sir Satyrane symbolize in
the allegory? 9. What was his character and education? 10. Note the
Elizabethan conception of the goddess Fortune in xxxi. 11. Did Una act
ungratefully in leaving the Satyrs as she did? 12. Who is the _weary wight_
in xxxiv? 13. What news of St. George did he give? Was it true? 14. Who is
the Paynim mentioned in xl?
restored by Pagan Philosophy. The backsliding Christian is warned in time
by Prudence of the fearful consequences of sin, and hastens to turn his
back on Pride and the other sins. The soul is led to dread Pride, not by
Truth, but by its sufferings and other inferior motives.
25. THEIR TIMELY VOYCES, their voices keeping time with their harps.
27. OLD LOVES, famous love-affairs, the subject of the Minnesangers.
29. IN WOVEN MAILE, in chain armor.
32. ARABY, probably here the Orient in general.
33. FROM FURTHEST YND, from farthest India.
39. UNTO A PALED GREENE, a green inclosure (lists for a tournament)
surrounded by a palisade.
44. HIS. An old method of forming the possessive, based on a
misapprehension of the original Anglo-Saxon suffix _-es_, which was
shortened in middle English to _-is_, and finally to _s_.
45. BOTH THOSE, etc. Both Duessa and the shield are to go to the victor.
65. A GRYFON, a fabulous animal, part lion and part eagle. _Gryfon_ is
subject of _encountereth_ with _Dragon_ as object.
89. AND SLUGGISH GERMAN, etc. , and sluggish brother dost relax thy strength
to send his (Sansfoy's) foe after him, that he may overtake him. In ll.
86-88 Sansjoy addresses his brother, in ll. 89-90 himself. _German_ is any
blood relation.
100. The Knight supposed that Duessa's encouraging words were addressed to
him.
114. Spenser here, with fine dramatic effect, imitates Homer, who saves
Paris and AEneas by a similar device. _Iliad_, iii, 380, and v, 345.
159. TEARES. This mention of the man-eating crocodile's tears is based on
an old Latin proverb. Sir John Mandeville repeats the story.
172. GRIESLY NIGHT. According to mythology (Hesiod's _Theog_. , 123), one of
the first things created, the daughter of Chaos, and mother of AEther (sky)
and Hemera (day); also of Deceit, Strife, Old Age, and Vengeance. See xxii
and xxvii.
202. ON GRONING BEARE, on a bier with groaning friends around.
204. O WHAT OF GODS, etc. , O what is it to be born of gods, if old
Aveugle's (the father of the three Saracens) sons are so ill treated.
219. AND GOOD SUCCESSES, etc. , and good results which follow their foes.
221. OR BREAKE THE CHAYNE, refers to Jove's proposition to fasten a golden
chain to the earth by which to test his strength. Homer's _Iliad_, viii,
19. Cf. Milton's _Paradise Lost_, ii, 1051.
225. BAD EXCHEAT, bad gain by exchange. _Escheat_ is an old legal term,
meaning any lands or goods which fall to the lord of a fief by forfeiture.
Cf. "rob Peter to pay Paul. "
229. SHALL WITH HIS OWNE BLOUD, etc. , shall pay the price of the blood that
he has spilt with his own.
263. Here Spenser imitates Homer's _Odyssey_, xvi, 163.
267. THE GHASTLY OWLE. The poet follows the Latin rather than the Greek
poets, who regard the owl as the bird of wisdom.
273. OF DEEP AVERNUS HOLE. Avernus in the poets is a cavern (in an ancient
crater), supposed to be the entrance to the infernal regions. Cf. Vergil's
_AEneid_, vi, 237. In Strabo's Geography it is a lake in Campania.
298. CERBERUS, the dog which guarded the lower regions. This stanza is an
imitation of Vergil's _AEneid_, vi, 417 _seq_. In Dante's _Inferno_ Vergil
appeases him by casting handfuls of earth into his maw.
xxxv. In this stanza we see the influence of Homer and Vergil. Ixion, the
king of Lapithae, was chained by order of Zeus to a fiery-winged wheel for
aspiring to the love of the goddess Hera (Juno). Sisyphus had to roll a
huge stone forever up a hill for betraying the designs of the gods.
Tantalus, for divulging the secrets of Zeus, was condemned to stand
tormented by thirst in a lake. Tityus, for an assault on Artemis, was
pinioned to the ground with two vultures plucking at his vitals. Typhoeus,
a hundred-headed giant, was slain by Zeus' thunderbolt, and buried under
AEtna. The gin on which he was tortured was probably the rack of the Middle
Ages. Cf. the bed of Procrustes. Theseus, for attempting to carry off
Persephone, was fixed to a rock in Tartarus. The "fifty sisters" are the
fifty Danaides, who, for slaying their husbands, were condemned to pour
water forever into a vessel full of holes.
322. SAD AESCULAPIUS, the god of medicine, slain by Zeus for arresting
death and diseases.
354. AND FATES EXPIRED, and the threads of life which the fates (Parcae) had
severed.
387. GREAT PAINES, AND GREATER PRAISE, etc. His praise, like his pain, is
to be eternal.
xlvii. This list of the thralls of Pride is in imitation of a similar one
in Chaucer's _Monk's Tale_, which was based on Boccaccio's _De Casibus
Illustrium Virorum_.
415. PROUD KING OF BABYLON, Nebuchadnezzar. See _Daniel_, iii and iv.
420. KING CROESUS, the last king of Lydia, who was overthrown by Cyrus in
B. C. 646. _Herodotus_, i, 26.
422. PROUD ANTIOCHUS, Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria, who captured
Jerusalem twice, and defiled God's altar. He died raving mad B. C. 164.
Josephus, _Antiquities of the Jews_, xiii, 5-9.
424. GREAT NIMROD, "the mighty hunter" (_Genesis_, x, 8), whose game,
according to Spenser, was man. Josephus tells us that through pride he
built the tower of Babel.
426. OLD NINUS, the legendary founder of Nineveh, and put to death by his
wife, Semiramis.
428. THAT MIGHTY MONARCH, Alexander the Great (B. C. 366-323), king of
Macedon. While consulting the oracle of Jupiter Ammon in the Libyan desert
he was saluted by the priests as "Ammons Sonne. " He died either of poison
(Plutarch) or of excessive drink (Diodorus).
437. GREAT ROMULUS, legendary founder of Rome (B. C. 753). See Livy, i, 16.
438. PROUD TARQUIN, Tarquinius Superbus, the last king of Rome. He was
banished B. C. 510.
438. TOO LORDLY LENTULUS, surnamed Sura, member of a haughty patrician
family, who conspired with Catiline, and was strangled B. C. 62.
439. STOUT SCIPIO, Cornelius Scipio Africanus (B. C. 287? -183? ), the
conqueror of Hannibal, and self-exiled from Rome. Livy speaks of his
inordinate pride, xxxviii, 50.
439. STUBBORNE HANNIBALL (B. C. 247-183), the great Carthaginian general,
who died by poison to avoid falling into the hands of the Romans.
440. AMBITIOUS SYLLA (B. C. 138-78), Cornelius Sulla, the Dictator, who died
a loathsome death.
440. STERNE MARIUS (B. C. 157-86), after being seven times consul, he was
obliged to take refuge from his rival Sulla amid the ruins of Carthage.
441. HIGH CAESAR, Caius Julius Caesar (B. C. 100-44), who was murdered by
Brutus and other conspirators.
441. GREAT POMPEY. Cn. Pompeius Magnus (B. C. 106-48). After his defeat at
Pharsalia, he fled to Egypt, where he was murdered.
441. FIERCE ANTONIUS, Marcus (B. C. 83-30), the great triumvir, who after
his defeat at Actium killed himself in Egypt.
444. THE BOLD SEMIRAMIS, the legendary queen of Assyria.
446. FAIRE STHENOBOEA, the wife of Proteus, who on account of her
unrequited love for Bellerophon, died by hemlock. Aristophanes' _Frogs_,
1049 _seq_.
448. HIGH MINDED CLEOPATRA (B. C. 69-30), the beautiful queen of Egypt, who
is said by Plutarch to have died in the manner mentioned.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
(Canto V)
1. How did Redcross spend the night before the fight with Sansjoy?
2. Study in detail the fine description of Duessa's descent to Erebus.
3. What elements of beauty are seen in the description of dawn and sunrise
in ii? and compare _Psalms_, xix, 5. 4. What arbitrary classification of
musicians does Spenser make in iii? 5. Who is the _far renowmed Queene_ in
v? 6. Describe the joust between the Knight and Sansjoy. 7. Where do you
learn of the laws governing such contests? 8.
Observe the dramatic way in
which Duessa saves Sansjoy. 9. What dramatic stroke in xxvii? 10. Describe
Night and her team. 11. Give an account of her descent to Erebus with
Sansjoy. 12. What were some of the tortures of the damned? 13. What effect
is produced in xxx and how? 14. Point out some instances in which Spenser
has imitated Homer--Vergil.
15. Where does he follow the Latin rather than the Greek poets?
16. Why did AEsculapius hesitate to heal Sansjoy? 17. Whom did the dwarf see
in the dungeons of Pride? 18. Why did the Knight flee from the House of
Pride?
19. Examine the following grammatical forms: _maken_, l. 22; _woundes_, l.
400. 20. What _figure of speech_ is employed in xviii? 21. What
illustration is used in viii? 22. Find example of _balanced structure_ in
vii; _alliteration_ in viii, xv, xviii. 23. Scan l. 23. 24. Note nom. abs.
construction in xlv.
25. Paraphrase the involved constructions in xlii, xix, viii, xxxvi.
CANTO VI
I. _The Plot_: (Continuation of Canto III). Una is delivered from Sansloy
by a band of Satyrs. She remains with them as their teacher. There a knight
of the wild-wood, Sir Satyrane, discovers her, and by his assistance, Una
succeeds in making her way out of the forest to the plain. On the way they
meet Archimago, disguised as a pilgrim, and he deceives them and leads them
to Sansloy. While Sir Satyrane and Sansloy are engaged in a bloody battle,
Una flees. She is pursued by Archimago but makes her escape.
II. _The Allegory_: 1. Truth is saved from destruction by Lawless Violence
(Sansloy) by the aid of Barbarism or Savage Instinct, which terrorizes
Lawlessness but offers natural homage to Truth. Truth finds a temporary
home among Ignorant and Rude Folk (Satyrs) and in return imparts divine
truth to their unregenerate minds. Natural Heroism or Manly Courage (Sir
Satyrane) sides with Truth and defends it against Lawlessness.
2. The religious allegory signifies the extension of Protestantism through
the outlying rural districts of England and in Ireland. Upton thinks that
Sir Satyrane represents "Sir John Perrot, whose behaviour, though honest,
was too coarse and rude for a court. 'Twas well known that he was a son of
Henry VIII. " Holinshed says that as Lord President of Munster, Sir John
secured such peace and security that a man might travel in Ireland with a
white stick only in his hand.
16. FROM ONE TO OTHER YND, from the East to the West Indies.
61. A TROUPE OF FAUNES AND SATYRES. The Fauns were the wood-gods of the
Romans, the Satyrs the wood-gods of the Greeks. They were half human, half
goat, and represented the luxuriant powers of nature.
63. OLD SYLVANUS, the Roman god of fields and woods, young and fond of
animal pleasures. Spenser represents him as a feeble but sensuous old man.
90. WITH CHAUNGE OF FEARE, from the wolf to the lion.
96. RUSTICK HORROR, bristling hair.
99. THEIR BACKWARD BENT KNEES, like the hinder legs of a goat.
101. THEIR BARBAROUS TRUTH, their savage honor.
103. LATE LEARND, having been recently taught. She had shown too "hasty
trust" in Archimago.
112. WITHOUT SUSPECT OF CRIME, without suspicion of blame.
117. The olive is the emblem of peace, as the ivy (l. 126) is of
sensuousness.
120. WITH THEIR HORNED FEET, with their hoofs.
128. OR BACCHUS MERRY FRUIT, etc. , whether they did discover grapes.
129. OR CYBELES FRANTICKE RITES, the wild dances of the Corybantes,
priestesses of Cybele, or Rhea, the wife of Chronos and mother of the gods.
132. THAT MIRRHOUR RARE, that model of beauty. So Sidney was called "the
mirror of chivalry. "
134. FAIRE DRYOPE, a princess of AEchalia, who became a forest nymph.
Pholoe, mentioned in l. 135, is probably a fictitious creation of the
author's.
146. DEAREST CYPARISSE, a youth of Cea, who accidentally killed his
favorite stag and dying of grief was changed into a cypress. He was beloved
by Apollo and Sylvanus.
148. NOT FAIRE TO THIS, i. e. compared to this.
152. N'OULD AFTER JOY, would not afterwards be cheerful.
153. SELFE-WILD ANNOY, self-willed distress.
154. FAIRE HAMADRYADES, the nymphs who dwelt in the forest trees and died
with them.
156. LIGHT-FOOT NAIADES, the fresh water nymphs, companions of the fauns
and satyrs.
161. THEIR WOODY KIND, the wood-born creatures of their own kind, e. g.
nymphs or satyrs.
163. Una was "luckelesse" in having lost her knights, but "lucky" in the
friendship of the Satyrs. Note the Euphuistic phrasing.
169. IDOLATRYES. The allegory has reference to the idolatrous practices of
the ignorant primitive Christians, such as the worship of images of the
Saints, the pageant of the wooden ass during Lent (see _Matthew_, xxi, and
Brand's _Popular Antiquities_, i, 124), and the Feast of the Ass (see
_Matthew_, ii, 14).
172. A NOBLE WARLIKE KNIGHT, Sir Satyrane, in whom are united rude untaught
chivalry and woodland savagery. He represents natural heroism and
instinctive love of truth.
173. BY JUST OCCASION, just at the right moment.
184. THYAMIS is the symbol of Animal Passion; LABRYDE of the lower
appetites; THERION, the human wild beast, who deserts his wife.
xxiv. This account of Sir Satyrane's education is based on that of Rogero
by his uncle Atlante in Ariosto's _Orlando Furioso_, vii, 5, 7.
213. MAISTER OF HIS GUISE, his instructor.
214. AT HIS HORRID VEW, his shaggy, uncouth appearance.
256. HIS FAMOUS WORTH WAS BLOWN, i. e. blazoned by Fame's trumpet.
308. A JACOBS STAFFE. According to Nares, "A pilgrim's staff; either from
the frequent pilgrimages to St. James of Comfortella (in Galicia), or
because the apostle St. James is usually represented with one. "
371. See Canto III, xxxviii, where Archimago was disguised as St. George.
372. TH' ENCHAUNTER VAINE, etc. , the foolish enchanter (Archimago) would
not have rued his (St. George's) crime (i. e. slaying Sansfoy).
373. BUT THEM HIS ERROUR SHALT, etc. , thou shalt by thy death pay the
penalty of his crime and thus prove that he was really guilty. A very
obscure passage. Look up the original meaning of _shall_.
386. This simile is found frequently in the old romances. Cf. Malory's
_Morte d'Arthur_, ii, 104, and Chaucer's _Knight's Tale_, l. 1160.
416. According to a usage of chivalry, the lover wore a glove, sleeve,
kerchief, or other token of his lady-love on his helmet. By "lover's token"
Sansloy ironically means a blow.
425. TO HER LAST DECAY, to her utter ruin.
426. Spenser leaves the fight between Sansloy and Sir Satyrane unfinished.
Both warriors appear in later books of the _Faerie Queene_.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
(Canto VI)
1. Who rescued Una from Sansloy? 2. How does Una repay their kindness? 3.
How was she treated by them? 4. Explain the references to the various
classes of nymphs. 5. Look up the classical references in xvi and xviii. 6.
Why is Una described as "luckelesse lucky"? 7. What customs of the early
Christians are referred to in xix? 8. What does Sir Satyrane symbolize in
the allegory? 9. What was his character and education? 10. Note the
Elizabethan conception of the goddess Fortune in xxxi. 11. Did Una act
ungratefully in leaving the Satyrs as she did? 12. Who is the _weary wight_
in xxxiv? 13. What news of St. George did he give? Was it true? 14. Who is
the Paynim mentioned in xl?
