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Amber Morgan Freeland English 534 Dr. Katherine Jacobs December 13, 2010

Protestant Propaganda in Spensers The Faerie Queene When Edmund Spenser first penned The Faerie Queene in 1590, England had already suffered through the worst legacy of the Tudor dynasty the Protestant Reformation and the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation. Thanks to the ever-changing mind of a lustful Henry VIII, centuries of traditional Catholic ideals were suddenly swept away when he declared himself the supreme head of the church so that he could break from his wife of 24 years, Catherine of Aragon, to marry her lady-in-waiting and his pregnant mistress, Anne Boleyn. Just three unhappy years later, heads began to roll and England was in the throes of civil strife as Catholics fought fiercely to retain their role as the one true faith and Protestants revolted against what they saw as false doctrines and ecclesiastical malpractice. After Henry VIIIs death in 1547 his only legitimate son, nineyear old Edward VI (with the help of his advisors), was quick to establish the doctrine of the Church of England thereby officially making the Protestant faith the countrys official religion. His short time as sovereign was followed by his sister, Mary, a fervent Catholic whose five year reign of terror and bloodshed are still remembered today around the

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world. But it was Elizabeth, the last of the Tudor dynasty, who was able to reach across both sides and garner an uneasy compromise for the benefit of the people. This, along with her myriad accomplishments during her 60-year reign is just one of the many reasons that authors such as Edmund Spenser have memorialized her in art and literature for the entire world to remember. With all that in mind, one cannot look at Spensers Faerie Queene as simply an allegorical epic homage to his illustrious Gloriana. Instead we must look deeper into the allegory, specifically the characters of Redcrosse, Una, and Duessa, and examine its true purpose to serve as a cleverly disguised piece of Protestant propaganda designed to win over the very soul of England, just as Elizabeth won over its heart. The most obvious way to see how this piece functions as part of Spensers Protestant agenda is to look at how certain characters function within the allegory. Book 1 begins by explaining the legend of the Red Cross Knight (Redcrosse) as a way of highlighting the importance of holiness and morality in ones life, in addition to serving as the symbol for Saint George. As the patron saint of England, George has been venerated throughout Christendom as an example of bravery in defense of the poor and defenseless and of Christian faith (Collins). Georges banner, a red cross on a white background, was adopted for the uniform of the English soldiers during the reign of Richard I and later became part of the Union Jack, Englands official flag (Collins). It is because of this easily recognizable symbol that his representation as the Knight of Holiness and protector of the Virgin can also be seen as a symbol of the Anglican Church upholding the monarchy of Elizabeth I:

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But on his breast a bloody Cross he bore The dear remembrance of his dying Lord, For whose sweet sake that glorious badge we wore And dead (as living) ever he adored (Book I, canto i). Because of his battle with the terrible monster, Error, many scholars have also argued that Redcrosse is designed to show Spensers believe in the errors of Catholicism and the truth of Protestantism. While there is certainly evidence for both sides of that argument, it is important to remember that Catholics and Protestants share the same bible and with that the same theme of Christian warfare as procured by Paul the apostle in the book of Ephesians Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (New International Version Eph. 6:13-15). As Erasmus explained in his Handbook of the Militant Christian, Spiritual living requires continual warfare against our vices, our armored enemies and against the devil, world, and flesh, enemies that attack us unceasingly with endless deceptions and secret

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contrivances (Litwiller). Because of this commonality between the two faiths, Redcrosse really falls more in-line with John Bunyons Christian or Everyman who simply does what he does because it is his Christian duty to do so. That being said, Spenser clearly adds to this a Protestant emphasis by demonstrating that faith is the most critical part of the Christian suit of armor as opposed to the Catholic emphasis on obedience. As Redcross and the lady Una approach the monstor, Error, Spenser once again alludes to another common theme in the bible, the path of temptation. Una warns him of the dangers of venturing into the cave ahead, this Errours den [where] a monster vile, whom God and man does hate awaits for them in the dark. But Spenser writes that his glistering armor made a little glooming like, much like shade by which he saw the ugly monster plaine. At this, the monster hides from him because she cannot stand the light and does not want to be seen by men. This corresponds directly with biblical metaphors of light as goodness and virtue and darkness as wickedness and temptation. Once the battle begins, Redcrosse quickly realizes that he cannot fight the monster with anger and physical prowess alone, just as Paul wrote in the fourth chapter of Ephesians, In your anger do not sin and do not give the devil a foothold. That is when Una calls out to him to shew what ye bee and add faith until yourforce and be not faint. It is only when Redcrosse relies on his faith that he is able to overcome the evils of temptation (as represented by Error) just as Paul wrote in the second chapter of Ephesians, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves. It is the gift of God, so that no one can boast. This reliance on faith to battle a fierce monster is a

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marked difference from older stories, such as Beowulf, where the hero only requires physical strength and belief in their own overly inflated ego to win the battle. Where the anti-Catholic agenda does come into play is no more obvious than when Redcrosse defeats the monster. Once he slays Error, the monster vomits books and papers representative of the Catholic propaganda against the Protestants as distribution of pamphlets that clarified their doctrines and denounced what they saw as heresy were commonplace in that time. Therefore, by killing this monster Redcrosse achieves his first victory over the Roman Catholic Church. It is with the introduction of this character that we are also introduced to the primary female roles of Una and Duessa who represent the Protestant faith and the Catholic faith, respectively. Una is portrayed as pure and virtuous and throughout the book as she provides Redcrosse with the mental/moral guidance he needs to overcome the obstacles ahead of him. One of the most obvious facts that highlight her role in the allegory lies within her name. Unas name derives from the Latin root for one as it suggests that she represents the one true faith. It was, and is, a common Irish name and Spenser no doubt picked it up during his time in exile in Ireland when he was writing The Faerie Queene. But there are other ways that demonstrate that Una symbolizes the one Truth, such as the fact that her appearance is veiled throughout the story except on only two occasions when she is farre from all mens sight in Book I, canto xii. This is because truth is a valuable prize and therefore subject to exploitation as epitomized in the image of Unas virginity. That stubborn forte (I.xii.3.4) must remain closed and

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protected from characters such as Sans Loy, which means without law, and Archimago the shape-changing magician. It is only when Redcrosse proves himself a true and worthy knight in book II that she finally appears to him without her veil and cloak. It is then that her true beauty is revealed as the blazing brightnesse of her beauties beame (II.xii.2.18), the alliteration of which suggests how overwhelming her beauty is just as Truth is beautiful to all who deserve to bask in its glory. The uncovering of Truth/Una is done in such a way that one must draw a parallel to the biblical parables that Jesus uses. He says in NIV John 14:6, I am the way, the truth, and the life yet spends most of his time speaking in parables as a way of conveying the truth because it is too profound and too overwhelming on its own. In this same way, Spenser has revealed the truth through Una so as to make the idea easier to grasp for the people of England. Of course all of this was clearly established in the beginning when Una enters the scene just as Jesus did in Jerusalem upon a lowly asse (I.iv) and under a vele that wimpled was full low. And when Una tames the lion, her benevolent truth is once again revealed in nature as suggested by Carol V. Kaske when she says: Unas kinship with animals and nature, while a charming and indeed a mythic touch, remains a mystery. Una can be deceived, at least temporarily byArchimago; she needs to be counseled out of her despair by Arthur; despire being borne of hevenly berth, she has human parents Adam and Eve. These three human touches force us to identify her, at least in her

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public role, as a human organization, a church, not truth or wisdom in the abstract. Her liability to deception (though not to sin) illustrates Christs warning that false Christs shall rise, and false prophets, to deceive if it were possible the very elect (Mark 13.22). Thus Spenser elevated the love interest of romance, portrayed a good, redemptive and symbolic damsel [and] added a biblical symmetry by balancing her with a dark damsel [to] symbolize the false church (xix). All of this is in sharp contrast to Duessa whose name immediately suggests a duplicity as it seems to come from the Latin root duo. In Ireland however, the name has connotations to wicked customs, or evil usages. Perhaps because of this in conjunction with her role as the antagonist in The Faerie Queene where Spenser often referred to her malitious use (IV.i.31), the wicked driftes of trayterous desynes (V.ix.42), her mischievous arts (I.ii.34), and her wicked will (I.xii.32) that the name has not been in use in Ireland for nearly two centuries (Smith). Duessa prefers to cloth herself in scarlet red, purfled with gold and pearl of rich assay, in addition to wearing crowns and riches as she rode on her wanton palfrey as opposed to the lowly asse and humble white clothing that Una chooses. Just as Unas attire and mode of transportation are meant to suggest humility and purity, Duessas bring to mind the whore of Babylon: And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication (NIV Revelations 17.4). She is presented as a beautiful and tempting woman and Redcrosse is quick to be deceived by her, just as most men are

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easily deceived by beautiful and tempting women. But what her clothing really brings to mind is the Catholic churchs tendency to hoard riches and dress their clergy in rich embroidered fabrics and jeweled adornments. Often times the clergy, specifically the cardinals who were also clad in scarlot red, were some of the wealthiest members of English society and this misuse of church funds bred resentment amongst the churchgoers who shouldve been the recipients of good Christian charity. It was this blatant abuse of power that helped give life to the Protestant Reformation in the first place and was one of the first problems that Henry VIII sought to put a stop to (although his reasons were more about refilling his own coffers than concern for his people). This is why Duessa, in all her richly garb, serves as a cover for the greed and corruption of the Catholic church. Redcross finds it difficult to fight off Duessas temptations in his first encounters with her where her doutfull words made that redoubted knight suspect her truth. But once he defeats Sans Foy (which means without faith in Latin), he also defeats the deceit and corruption of the faithless people of the church. But it is not only Duessas clothing that signifies her corruption as we see in her physical description in the scene where Fradubio watches her as she bathes. This scene is fraught with tension as he struggles to see her as her true self while Duessa maintains control by masking her most vital parts (Jeyathurai). The fact that her genitals are hidden by the water lends a murkiness to her power that Fradubio is incapable of fathoming. The unmasking of her body on Unas command reveals a blatantly grotesque description of her breasts, skin, and genitals:

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Her dried dugs, lyke bladders lacking wind, Hong down, and filthy matter from them weld; Her wrizled skin as rough, as maple rind, So scabby was, that would haue loathd all womankind (I.viii.47) The visually shocking comparisons between her breasts and a bladder, an excretory organ, help to exemplify that she is filthy through and through and no amount of embellished garb or jewels can possibly hide the disgusting corruption underneath. This is one of Spensers most powerful images that demonstrates the depth of disgust that the Protestants had for the Catholics. But the fact that she is so disgusting underneath also does something else interesting it takes her attractiveness which in turn negates her role as the seductress, and it robs her of her ability to reproduce thereby negating her role as a mother. Even in her allegorical position as the false bride or the Catholic Church, Duessa is denied the ability to birth false knowledge (Jayathurai). Just like the thousand venomous children of the monster Error, Duessas offspring also die prematurely such as her courtship to Redcrosse under the name of Fidessa. Once she has been fully robbed of her role as mother, whore and virgin, Duessa is lopped off from the narrative like a diseased limb in what can be seen almost as a backhanded compliment to Elizabeth who fulfills all three roles (Jaythurai). In the end, readers of The Faerie Queene must be able to see through the outer layer of the allegory and into the deeper layers of politics and religion that reside with the

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framework of this allegorical epic. While it can still be predominately viewed as a work designed by a sycophant to praise Queen Elizabeth I, it doesnt take much to see beyond to the political and religious implications buried within the text. Edmund Spenser was clearly a strong supporter of the Protestant Reformation and through his allegory, he hoped to support his queens agenda by subtly highlighting the evils of Catholicism through characters such as Redcrosse, our Everyman/Christian and protector of Una who represents Protestantism as the one True faith from the false seductress of Duessa/Catholicism. In the end, it is only Redcrosses hard-won faith that allows him to discern between the Truth and the lies before him and in that way, Spenser hopes that his readers will also make the same choice for themselves when tempted by the deceptive leaders of the Catholic Counter-Reformation.

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Works Cited Collins, Michael. "St. George - England's Patron Saint." Britannia: British History and Travel. 2007. Web. 15 Dec. 2010. <http://www.britannia.com/history/stgeorge.html>. Jeyathurai, Dashini Ann. "Exorcizing Female Power in The Faerie Queene." Lethbridge Undergraduate Research Journal. Carleton College. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. <http://www.lurj.org/article.php/vol3n2/duessa.xml>. Kirsch, Johann Peter. "The Reformation." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 13 Dec. 2010 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12700b.htm>. Lewis, C.S., ed. Major British Writers. Enlarged ed. New York: Hartcourt, Brace & World, 1959. 96-103. Print. Litwiller, Sara. "Spiritual Warfare and The Faerie Queene." History Department, Hanover College. Web. 15 Dec. 2010. <http://history.hanover.edu/hhr/00/hhr00_3.html>. Smith, Roland M. "Una and Duessa." PMLA 50.3 (1935): 917-19. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/458228>. Spenser, Edmund, and Carol V. Kaske. The Faerie Queene. Indianapolis (Ind.): Hackett, 2006. Print. Sommerville, J. P. "Elizabethan Catholics." History Department, University of Wisconsin. Web. 15 Dec. 2010. <http://history.wisc.edu/sommerville/361/36118.htm>.