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Teachers' Resource Web Summary of The Faerie Queene, Book One Al Drake, UCI (adapted from Richard Kroll) Proem (First four stanzas): Spenser turns from pastoral (The Shepheardes Calendar) to romance ("knights and ladies gentle deeds"). He invokes Elisabeth (as Tanaquil), Prince Arthur, Venus, Cupid, and other VIP's. Canto I: The narrator introduces Red Crosse, Una, and the dwarf. They enter a wood (the poet provides a catalog of the trees in the wood) and find Error, whom RCK fights and kills. They meet a hermit--Archimago, in fact--and take refuge with him as night falls. Archimago calls up spirits; one is sent to Morpheus for a dream while the other is fashioned as a wanton, false Una whose task is to seduce RCK. This "Duessa" fails, at least so far. Canto 2: As dawn breaks, Archimago summons RCK to find the false Una in bed with what appears to be another knight. In torment, RCK (along with the dwarf) leaves without the real Una, who rises and sets off in search of him. Archimago disguises himself as RCK, but the true RCK encounters the saracen Sans Foy and his overdressed lady, Fidessa/Duessa. RCK slays Sans Foy, and Fidessa spins a hard-luck story about Sans Foy's treatment of her. Setting out together, she and RCK take shelter from the sun under a tree which turns out to be Fradubio. Nearby is his old love Fraelissa, whom he deserted for Duessa only to discover afterwards that Duessa was a witch. Because she found this out, Duessa turned him into a tree. RCK finds that Fidessa/Duessa has fainted and revives her with a kiss. Canto 3: Wandering Una is attacked by a lion, who is overcome by her beauty and becomes her guardian. Searching for shelter, Una follows Abessa to the place where her blind mother Corceca lives. At night, Kirkrapine brings his ill-gotten gains to Abessa his whore, but the lion slays him. Setting out again, Una meets Archimago disguised as RCK. After a while, they encounter Sans Loy, who attacks the false RCK but soon recognizes him as Archimago. Sans Loy then seizes Una, and the lion tries to save her but is killed by the paynim Sans Loy, who rides off with Una, the ass trailing after them. Canto 4: Fidessa/Duessa brings RCK to a town and to an apparently stately palace ruled over by the proud maiden queen Lucifera ("Pride") and her evil "counsellours" Idleness, Gluttony, Lechery, Avarice, Envy, and Wrath. The reader is treated to a pageant of these Deadly Sins from stanzas 18-36. In the House of Pride, RCK meets Sans Joy, who, after a brief skirmish, challenges him to a tournament. Duessa visits Sans Joy at night and promises him her secret support. Canto 5: Dawn comes and the tournament begins. RCK is winning when a dark cloud hides Sans Joy so that RCK cannot slay him. In the evening, Duessa visits Night, aunt of the evil saracens, and descends to Avernus to win from the physician Aesculapius a cure for Sans Joy. (A digression on Phaedra occurs at this point.) Sans Joy is left in Aesculapius' cave. Meanwhile, the dwarf has discovered the terrible dungeon at the back of the palace, filled with the great, all slaves to Pride. RCK and the dwarf escape. Canto 6: RCK was sorry to leave Duessa, and even sorry about Una. Una is in the clutches of Sans Loy, but is rescued by Eternal Providence (stanza 7) in the shape of the Fauns and Satyrs. They worship her, and so does Sylvanus, but when she tries to teach them the true faith, they begin to worship the ass. The knight Satyrane, son of a lady and a satyr, at last finds Una and helps her to escape. They meet a hermit (Archimago, actually), who tells them that RCK has been slain by a saracen. Soon, they meet Sans Loy, and while he and Satyrane fight, Una escapes, pursued by Archimago. Canto 7: Duessa, having lost RCK, searches for him and finds him unarmed in the shade. He drinks of an enfeebling fountain, and makes love to Duessa. The giant Orgoglio arrives, defeats and imprisons RCK, and crowns Duessa, mounting her upon a seven-headed monster. The dwarf finds Una fleeing from the fight (in Canto 6, that is) and tells her all. She faints and laments. She then meets Arthur, who is described in detail, and his squire. Now Una tells of her parents' imprisonment and of the dragon that ravaged their land. She explains that she resorted to Gloriana in Cleopolis for redress. She also tells of RCK's imprisonment by the giant. Canto 8: Heavenly Grace--i.e. Arthur--challenges Orgoglio and gets on well, but Duessa and her monster intervene. Timias tries to help and is enchanted. Arthur strikes off one of the monster's heads. His naked shield strikes terror into all, and he kills the giant. Ignaro, the porter, fails to be useful, so Arthur and Una search for RCK and find him much enfeebled. The canto ends with the disrobing of the hag Duessa, who thereupon flees, leaving them in the castle. Canto 9: Prince Arthur declares his lineage and describes his vision of Gloriana and his quest for her. Prince Arthur gives RCK a diamond box of healing drops; RCK gives him a book (the New Testament). Arthur leaves to pursue his quest. Traveling on, RCK and Una meet Trevisan, who is senseless with fear. He describes his encounter with Despair, and recounts the death of Sir Terwin. They go back to find Despair. After an argument with Despair, the weakened RCK is on the point of suicide when Una saves him. Despair then hangs himself. Canto 10: Una takes RCK to the House of Holiness of Dame Caelia and her three daughters Fidelia, Speranza, and Charissa. He meets the first two, but Charissa is in childbirth. Fidelia and Speranza instruct him in faith and hope, but RCK once again comes close to suicidal despair. The leach Patience is called and prescribes punishing the flesh--scourging and purging. Penance, remorse, and repentance are necessary. Then, reborn, RCK meets Charissa and the dear matron, Mercy, and her seven beadsmen, the seven corporal works of mercy. RCK ascends a hill to the hermitage of Contemplation, who shows him the New Jerusalem and gives him his true name, Saint George. Contemplation tells RCK that he must now save Una. Canto 11: Red Crosse and Una find the latter's imprisoned parents, and the knight must fight the dragon. The dragon burns through RCK's armor as night falls, but luckily, RCK falls into a spring, or rather into the Well of Life. Una prays, and by morning Red Crosse is restored for a second round. The dragon stings him with his tail, but RCK falls under the Tree of Life as night falls. As dawn breaks the next day, the dragon opens his mouth, and RCK spears him, killing him. Canto 12: The poet uses a simile in which a boat is brought to shore.
Una's parents, Adam and Eve, are overjoyed and give RCK, now Saint
George, her hand. They feast, and Saint George explains his obligation
to defeat the Paynim King attacking the Faerie Queene. Una appears
unveiled, and a messenger arrives from Fidessa asserting her right
to Saint George. Una explains all, and the messenger (Archimago,
of course) is imprisoned. The marriage is celebrated. Later, Saint
George must set out on his quest again. (The ship must land. . .)
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