The faerie queene: notes

263 Pages·1968·0.77 MB·English

by  Harold Martin Priest

title: The Faerie Queene : Notes ...
author: Priest, Harold Martin.
publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (US)
isbn10 | asin:
print isbn13: 9780822004523
ebook isbn13: 9780764521164
language: English
Spenser, Edmund,--1552?-1599.--Faerie
subject
queene.
publication date: 1968
lcc:
ddc: 821.309
Spenser, Edmund,--1552?-1599.--Faerie
subject:
queene.

Page 1
The Faerie Queene
Notes
by
Harold M. Priest, Ph.D.
Department of English
University of Denver
including
Introduction and Life of Spenser
Historical and Literary Background
Language and Prosody
Plan of the Poem; Allegory
Synopsis
Summaries and Commentaries
List of Characters
Review Questions and Essay Topics
Selected Bibliography
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA 68501
Page 2
Editor
Gary Carey, M.A.
University of Colorado
Consulting Editor
James L. Roberts, Ph.D.
Department of English
University of Nebraska
ISBN 0-8220-0452-6
© Copyright 1968
by Cliffs Notes, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Printed in U.S.A.
1999 Printing
The Cliffs Notes logo, the names "Cliffs" and "Cliffs Notes," and the
black and yellow diagonal-stripe cover design are all registered
trademarks belonging to Cliffs Notes, Inc., and may not be used in
whole or in part without written permission.
Cliffs Notes, Inc. Lincoln, Nebraska
Page 3
Contents
Introduction 5
Life of Spenser 6
The Faerie Queene
Historical Background 8
Literary Background 9
Language 10
Prosody 11
Plan of the Poem 12
Allegory 13
A Brief Synopsis 15
Summaries and Commentaries
Book 1 22
Book 2 39
Book 3 56
Book 4 75
Book 5 91
Book 6 109
Book 7 123
List of Characters 127
Review Questions and Essay Topics 133
Selected Bibliography 136
Page 5
Introduction
Diverse admirers have applied various well-meaning labels to
Spenser. To some he is the poet-painter, to some the poet-musician, to
some the poet's poet. The first two epithets point up aspects of his
genius which deserve attention. The last term, "poet's poet," ought to
suggest that he deserves serious attention, even though on short
acquaintance he impresses one as difficult to read and foreign to our
customary literary diet.
Several uncommon aspects of Spenser's poem present obstacles to the
uninitiated reader. His vocabulary and his system of spelling are
quaintly archaic, even for his time, and require becoming accustomed
to. His story treats of fantastic adventures of knights and dragons in
Fairy Land. The significance of the adventures is loaded with a
complicated system of allegorical interpretations. And he introduces a
myriad of episodes which are imitations of famous earlier works of
literature.
It is perfectly possible to read The Faerie Queene for its colorful
romantic action and for the sheer delight of its imagery and
harmonious verse, paying no attention to the allegorical undercurrents
or to the mosaic of literary adaptations; but to follow this procedure is
to deprive oneself of important dimensions of the poem. It is like
studying great paintings by viewing black-and-white reproductions.
For this reason, explanatory notes and commentaries are indispensable
to the modern reader of The Faerie Queene.
Page 6
Life of Spenser
Spenser's life span is almost identical with the Elizabethan Age, one
of the most brilliant periods in the history of England. Born in 1552,
he died in 1599. Son of a poor London family, he nevertheless
received the best education England had to offer, thanks to the
patronage of Robert Nowell, a wealthy Londoner. After preparing at
the Merchant Taylors' School under the famous humanist educator
Richard Mulcaster, he studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge,
156976, where he earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees. Among the
friendships he formed at the university, that of Gabriel Harvey was
most influential and enduring.
Leaving Cambridge with a good record and a few published poems
and translations to his credit, he entered the great world with high
hopes of advancement through a public appointment. After a brief
period as secretary to the Bishop of Rochester, he entered the service
of the Earl of Leicester, one of the most powerful figures at
Elizabeth's court. His friendship with Leicester's nephew, Sir Philip
Sidney, sprang from a mutual enthusiasm for literature. Sidney and
Spenser, together with a small group of friends, formed an informal
association called the Areopagus, for experimenting and elevating
English poetry.
Spenser's political alignment with the Leicester-Sidney party, opposed
to Lord Burghley's faction, was to influence his personal life as well
as his political thinking and his writings. The Duc d'Alencon affairthe
proposed wedding of the Frenchman to Queen Elizabeth, which
Burghley supported and Leicester opposedwas to figure in several of
Spenser's works.
In 1579 Spenser published The Shepheardes Calender, a small volume
of twelve pastoral poems, which immediately established his
reputation as an important poet. It was perhaps the best poetry to
appear in English since the death of Chaucer.
In 1580 Spenser accepted a post as secretary to Arthur Lord Grey of
Wilton, who was being sent to Ireland as Lord Deputy. This move was
decisive, for Spenser was to remain a resident of Ireland during the
rest of his life. Lord Grey's tenure was brief and violent, but the poet
held him in admiration and affection, giving him prominent
recognition in The Faerie Queene. Spenser held several official posts
in Ireland,
Page 7
including Clerk of the Council of Munster and Sheriff of Cork. In
1586 he was granted the property of Kilcolman Castle and 3,000 acres
of land between Limerick and Cork.
Sir Walter Raleigh visited Spenser while traveling in Ireland, and
Spenser accompanied him to London in 1589. There Spenser
supervised the publication of the first three books of The Faerie
Queene, issued in 1590. The following year several other works were
published, collected in a volume entitled Complaints Containing
Sundry Small Poemes of the World's Vanitie. The most famous of
these poems are: Prosopopoia, or Mother Hubberd's Tale and
Muiopotmos, or the Fate of the Butterfly, both fanciful fables with
undercurrents of political satire.
After nearly two years in London, he returned to Ireland. His journey
and experiences at court were recorded in a poem, Colin Clout's Come
Home Again. The poet's courtship and marriage to Elizabeth Boyle
(1594) inspired the famous sonnet sequence Amoretti and his marriage
hymn Epithalamion, which were published together in 1595. Also
1595 marked a second visit to London. In 1596 he published Four
Hymns, Daphnaïda, and Prothalamion in addition to a second edition
of The Faerie Queene, containing the first six books.
A fierce Irish rebellion in 1598 led by Tyrone O'Neill forced Spenser
to abandon Kilcolman Castle, which was sacked, and to take refuge in
the walled city of Cork. He journeyed to London in December, 1598,
with messages from the beleaguered English officials. There he died
early in 1599 and was buried in Westminster Abbey close by the grave
of Chaucer.