The entire episode of Duessa s decent into Hades makes for interesting reading. There is really no allegorical significance to the verses. Her trip downward in search of healing will parallel with Red Crosse s trip upward in search of help in a later Canto. While Duessa is on her mission, the dwarf very wisely searches the magnificent castle where he and Red Crosse are guests. He discovers a deep, dark dungeon beneath the House of Pride filled with men and women who have fallen victims to the Seven Deadly Sins. They are in constant agony. He quickly informs his master. Although Red Crosse has serious wounds he knows he must escape before he too falls victim to Lucifera. He and the dwarf leave immediately and as they are departing he spies mounds of dead bodies. They are the corpses of the many who lost their souls to the House of Pride. Duessa returns from her hellish trip and finds her lover gone. Canto Six Una is about to be ravaged by Sansloy in the forest. Hearing her pitiful screams, creatures of the wood, the fauns and the satyrs come to her rescue. Sansloy has never before encountered such a monstrous, misshapen group and makes his escape. The rescuers are so taken with Una s beauty and purity that they want to worship her a god. She refuses their adorations so they turn their attentions to her white ass. Here again Una represents the truth and purity. She will not allow herself to be idolized because there is only one true God. Also, nature plays an important role again. The woodland creatures come to the rescue of the damsel in distress. The fauns and the satyrs also represent man the pre-Christian state (Spenser, 596) Visiting the satyrs is a warrior, Satyrane, who is half-animal and half-human. He has been away fighting wars and has returned to visit his family. He meets the beautiful Una and befriends her. She tells him of her many sad adventures and of the quest she and her true love were sent on. He helps her escape her adoring but overly zealous woodland creatures. Even though Satyrane falls in love with Una he knows her heart belongs to another and he vows to help her. Una has remained steadfast. On a religious level, Una represents the one true church. She never wavers and is true to her course. As they are traveling across the plain, they meet up with an old, dusty pilgrim. They ask him if he has seen the red cross knight. He sadly tells them that indeed he has. He relates the story of the fight between Red Crosse and Sansjoy. He claims he saw both knights fall and that Red Crosse died. Una is overcome with emotion. The pilgrim goes on to say that the pagan knight is now at a nearby fountain washing the blood from his wounds. Satyrane immediately leaves upon hearing this. He wants to confront the pagan knight and challenge him to battle. Satyrane finds the knight and of course thinks it is Sansjoy. Actually it is Sansloy who had fought with the disguised Archimago. Sansloy tells Satyrane that he did not kill Red Crosse but wants to. Regardless of the mix-up of the brothers, Satyrane and the pagan fight. Una is left with the old pilgrim who is in fact the deceitful Archimago in yet another disguise. As she walks away from the fearful fight, the evil magician follows. Here again, Archimago weaves his stories of deceit and lies. He stirs up trouble wherever he goes and the truth is not in him. On the political level he represents the pope. People listen to his rhetoric and are misled. On a moral level he is deceitful and hypocritical. On the religious level, he represents Satan leading man father away from his once perfect world. Canto Seven Duessa searches for Red Crosse. She finds him lying beside a well. He has unwisely taken his armor off and without its charmed protection he has put himself in grave danger. Red Crosse s action of taking his armor off is significant in that it represents he has shed the whole armor of God. He is now vulnerable to the wickedness of the world. He has also been drinking water from the fountain that had a curse put upon it by Diana. Whoever drank from the water would loose his strength. Duessa takes advantage of Red Crosse s weakness and they wantonly embrace. Red Crosse has now turned his back completely on truth and purity represented by Una and partaken of fleshly delights represented by Duessa. He is no longer an innocent knight. The giant Orgoglio finds them and attacks. Due to his weakened state, Red Crosse is no match for the strong foe. Just as the giant is about to kill the knight, Duessa intervenes and suggests that the giant make Red Crosse a slave. This will add farther to the fallen Christian knight s humiliation. She in turn promises to become the giant s lover. Orgoglio agrees to this and throws Red Crosse in the dungeon at his castle. He makes Duessa his queen. He clothes her in vulgar richness and gives her a beast to ride upon. Orgoglio represents Satan on the religious level. Man has to constantly battle against him at all times or he will win. On the moral level he represents pride. Rather than a fleshly, worldly pride as exhibited with Lucifera he symbolizes spiritual pride. All the spirit has gone out of Red Crosse. He is more or less defeated. Orgoglio has taken the very last of his pride away. There is nothing left. On the political level Orgoglio represents the Catholic Church trying to win out over the Protestant Church. There were many people during the medieval era that wanted to see Catholicism as the national religion in England once again. Duessa represents the Whore of Babylon. The description that Spenser gives of the evil witch in his poem is almost identical to the one given of the sinful woman in Revelations. She is sinful to the core and represents false religion. The dwarf watches the one-sided battle between Red Crosse and Orgoglio. He witnesses the complete defeat of his master. He gathers the fallen knight s armor and goes in search of help. The dwarf meets up with Una and relates the sorrowful story. Una is overcome once more with grief about her fallen hero. Not only has Red Crosse abandoned her but he has also sought the favors of another woman. The dwarf ever vigilant supports her through her grief and they leave for the castle of Orgoglio. Una is still determined to find the man she loves and free him if possible. As the two journey along they are met by a brave and gallant knight dressed in splendor and his squire. He carries a magical diamond shield given to him by Merlin the magician. He keeps it covered because of its brilliance and power. Any mortal that looks upon it is turned to stone, the stone to dust, and the dust to nothing. Monsters that behold its awesome powers are defeated. Everything about him exudes light and goodness. He sees that the gentle lady is distressed and asks why. At first Una is reluctant to tell what has happened. Eventually she explains the situation to him after much coaxing on his part. When she finishes the story she starts to faint. The knight comforts her and vows to rescue her hero. They all leave together with the wise dwarf leading the way. Even though Una has been abandoned, misjudged, and betrayed by the man she loves she remains steadfast. She still loves him and wants to free him from his bondage by the giant. On a moral level here she still represents purity and truth. She has never wavered from either although her errant lover certainly has. On the religious level she represents the true church. She is forgiving and welcomes home the worst of sinners. On the historical level she is the Protestant Church. She is the one true religion and all who come to her will be forgiven and find peace. The shining knight represents the perfect gentleman. He seemingly has all the virtues needed to be a good and faithful knight. Perhaps he has already been tried before. Obviously he has won all his battles because now he is bathed in light, goodness, and virtuousness. Canto Eight The four brave travelers arrive at Orgoglio s castle. With Una safely out of way, the knight and the squire approach the gates only to find them securely locked. No one will answer their calls so the squire takes a magical horn he carries at his side and blows upon it. The sound is so shrill that it blasts the door open. Orgoglio who is trysting with Duessa rushes out in a rage. Duessa follows riding upon her beast. The knight and Orgoglio begin a fierce battle. The giant miscalculates a blow and falls to the ground burying his club in the earth. The knight takes advantage of the situation and chops off the giant s left arm. Blood gushes forth from the wound and Orgoglio bellows in pain. Hearing her lover s scream, Duessa takes out her wrath on the squire. From a golden cup, she sprinkles a secret poison on him and he is immediately overcome and looses all his strength. Her beast then jumps upon the poor defenseless squire. The knight sees what is happening, leaves the giant, and goes to help his friend. He attacks the beast and cuts one of its seven heads off. The beast writhes in pain and almost unseats Duessa. Orgoglio comes to her rescue. He once again swings his club at the knight and hits instead his shield knocking the warrior to the ground. As he falls, the shield is uncovered. The brilliance from the magical weapon blinds the beast and it falls helpless to the ground. Duessa also falls and calls out to Orgoglio for help but he too has succumbed to the magic of the shield. The knight severs the giant s head and nothing is left of the beast except an empty bladder. Duessa tries to escape but she is captured. Una is overjoyed and praises both the brave knight and the dwarf for their wondrous deeds. She vows her service to them forever more. The Bible is alluded to in these verses with the battle between the giant and the knight. One is reminded of the battle that David and the giant, Goliath, fought. Goliath was very sure he would win an easy victory over the boy. His pride was very great. Orgoglio s pride was just a great. He was a mighty and feared fiend and felt sure that he would win the battle over the mere knight. On the moral level the fight between the two foes represents good fighting evil once more. On the religious level, Orgoglio is Satan fighting a Christian defender for the lives of innocent victims. On the political level, Orgoglio represents the Catholic Church fighting the Protestant Church represented by the knight. Duessa again represents the Whore of Babylon. The way she dresses, the beast she rides upon, and even the golden cup she carries identify her as the biblical harlot. She symbolizes lies, deceit, and wantonness as well. Una hears her true love pitifully calling out from somewhere inside the castle. The knight enters the palace in search of Red Crosse. He first encounters an old, blind man named Ignaro. The man carries with him a bunch of unused, rusted keys. He is misshapen, as his head is backward on his shoulders. The knight questions him about Red Crosse but the old man is ignorant as well as mute and is no help. The knight continues his search through the lavishly appointed castle. There is splendor everywhere, but the floors are filthy with the blood and ashes of innocent victims the giant has murdered. He finds an altar where true Christian blood has been spilt. Underneath the rock their voices cry out for vengeance. As last, the knight finds the door to the dungeon. He tears it open and finds the emaciated body of Red Crosse. He is barely alive. Aided by the knight, Red Crosse leaves the castle. Upon seeing him, Una runs to him and gathers him close in her arms. She is thankful he has finally been found and rescued. As for Duessa, it is decided she is to be stripped of all her finery and clothes and exposed for what she really is. Underneath the rich garb, she is hideously ugly and deformed. Her appearance is so uncouth that the knights are amazed. They let Duessa go and she flies away to hide her shame. The five friends remain at the castle for a while to rest themselves. The last verses are full of symbolism as well. Ignaro represents ignorance. His head is on backwards because he turns away from all the wrong he sees going on. After being questioned by the knight, he does not answer because he is mute. He does not want to be involved. Another interesting parallel is that he is the last of the trio see no evil (Corceca), hear no evil (Abessa), and speak no evil . The blood and the ashes are representative of the innocent victims killed for their beliefs in the one true church. The voices crying out from the stones are the martyrs of the true faith pleading for vengeance. The character of Una still represents truth and purity. She has remained steadfast to her true love. She lovingly gathers him into her arms when he is finally found and comforts him. This alludes to the return of the prodigal son. He too was welcomed back home when he returned a broken, hopeless man. Una represents the true church on the politcal level. She welcomes back to her fold all those who have been misled by the false church. Lastly, Duessa is exposed for the deceitful woman she is. Without the embellishments of all her finery she is an ugly, deformed hag. Falsehood is also ugly when it is finally exposed for what it is. Canto Nine Red Crosse thanks the knight for rescuing him. However, it is pointed out that anyone in need deserves help. Nor aid envy him in need that stands, (Canto IX, book I, page 126). Una, then knight, and Red Cross become linked in a golden chain of friendship. Each swears loyalty to the other. Una then asks the knight about his family. He replies that he does not know who his parents are but he does know that he is son to a king. The magician Merlin has told him that much. The wizard also told him that someday all would be revealed. When he was a baby, he was taken away from his parents and given to an old knight named Timon who brought him up to be a knight. Merlin came later to take charge of his education. Una then declares he is Prince Authur. Authur goes on to say that one day while he was riding his horse, he happened to feel tired so he chose a nice spot on the grass to lie down. He fell asleep and started to dream. In his dream a beautiful woman came to him and lay down beside him. She asked him to love her and he gladly did. Before she parted she told him that she was the Faerie Queene. When Authur awoke he found the grass beside him empty but the impression of a body had been left where his ladylove had been. He is now searching for her as he has fallen in love and had made her his quest in life. He has searched for her for the last nine months but all to no avail. Red Crosse tells the love-stricken knight that he knows of the queen and that she is a good woman. He suggests to Arthur that he serves the queen loyally and that she may in turn love him. The sun is setting so the friends part. Arthur goes on his way to find his true love. These verses confirm that the shining knight is really Prince Arthur. The history of the fabled man is told in brief but poetic form. The only variation from the usual history associated with the fabled king is that he is in love with the Faerie Queene. Arthur represents the perfect gentleman. He has all the virtues that Spenser thought necessary to achieve this goal. The Faerie Queene again represents Queen Elizabeth I. Only she would be virtuous enough to deserve a man like Arthur and only Arthur would be good enough to deserve a woman like the queen. Una and Red Crosse are together again after many trials and tribulations. They travel along peaceably until they see a man fleeing as if for his life. His face is white with fear and he has a rope around his neck. Red Crosse stops him and asks him what his troubles are. The terrified man stops but says that he fears that death might catch up to him. He explains that his name is Sir Tervisan and that he and his friend, Sir Terwin, had been traveling together when they happened upon a cave. They both enter into it and meet a ghastly old man named Despair. He starts talking to them and convinces both of them that ending their lives would be better. He points out that they are just going to keep making mistakes all through their miserable lives which will make their judgements much worse in the end. Despair hits Sir Terwin at his weakest point. He mentions the fact that Terwin cannot even win the woman he loves. Sir Terwin takes the rusted knife that Despair offers him and kills himself. Sir Trevisan was given a rope to end his life. He was about to kill himself when he realized what he was about to do and ran. Red Crosse becomes very angry and decides to punish the evil Despair. He convinces Trevisan to show he and Una the cave. When they get there, they see the dead bodies of victims lying about who have fallen victims to Despair. Red Crosse enters the cave and confronts the old man. He angrily asks him why he convinces people to do harm to themselves. Despair answers that he actually is doing them a favor. He says if they did not already feel guilty about their misdeeds then they would not feel the need to end their lives. Despair then turns his deadly attention to Red Crosse. He reminds him of all the sins he has only recently committed. He recounts how Red Crosse abandoned his true love for a false one who turned out to be a witch. Why should Red Crosse condemn him, when he is the one guilty of so many sins? Despair tells him that God kills all sinners so why not save Him the trouble by killing himself? Red Crosse is upset by this speech. It affects him so greatly that he starts to draw a dagger on himself. Una cries out in fright and snatches the dagger away. She scolds him and tells him that God will forgive those that forgive themselves. Red Crosse regains his composure and leaves with Una. Depair is so upset that he failed in his attempt to make Red Crosse commit suicide that he kills himself. This part of the poem is fairly easy to interpret. Despair represents man s conscience. Red Crosse is fully aware of his many sins. He has been prideful and unfaithful. He has committed wanton acts with a sinful woman. He almost gave in to the feeling despair when confronted with his misdeeds but Una reminded him that forgiveness comes from the Heavenly Father. God grants grace to those who seek it. Acknowledging one s sins is the first step toward forgiveness and salvation. Giving up because of one s sins leads the person into despair and hopelessness. Una, representing truth, helps Red Crosse find the right path once again. Canto 10 Una sees that Red Crosse is in no shape to fight the dragon holding her parents captive. He is physically drained and mentally beaten. Until he can revive his faith in himself, hope is lost. Una takes the knight to the House of Holiness where his wounds can be treated and the Holy Spirit returned to him. The door is locked to the beautiful house but as soon as they knock a porter lets them in. The house is run by an old woman named Coelia. She has raised three wonderful daughters who live with her. They are named Fidelia, Speranza, and Charissa. Red Crosse is instructed by each of the daughters and from them he learns faith, hope, and charity just as their names signify. A doctor named Patience cares for the knight s diseased soul. He helps cure Red Crosse s conscience. The knight fasts and his sins are plucked out of his skin by pinchers. After this painful treatment, he was wrapped in sackcloth and ashes and left to fast and pray. However, some of the wounds remain so bitter Penance is called in. He whips and disciplines the knight every day. Remorse follows. He pricks at the knight s heart. Then Repentance adds his remedies. He washes the filthy blots of sin away by using salt water. Red Crosse endures much pain during the healing process because his spirit is so low. Often times he tears at his own flesh because of the guilt he feels. Una wants to go to him but very wisely and patiently lets him go through the healing on his own. It is the only way he can be saved. Eventually, with his conscience now clear, Red Crosse comes to Una and embraces her. Then an ancient Matron instructs him in the ways of Mercy. The elderly lady takes the knight to a holy hospital where he is introduced to seven beadsmen. They are all in service to the high heaven king. They spend their days doing good deeds for others. They provide food, clothing, and shelter for those in need. They visit with prisoners and the sick. They take care of both orphans and the dead. After visiting these goodly men, Red Crosse is introduced to an old holy man named Contemplation. His home is up on a high hill where he spends his days and nights in meditation. The old man shows Red Crosse a wondrous and beautiful place that provides peace, rest, and bliss after one s life is done on earth. The road to the distant heavenly city was steep and long. The walls to the city were strong and high and built of precious gems and stone. Angels were going to and fro from the haven. Great joy surrounded the city. Contemplation tells the knight it is the New Jerusalem, which God has built. He chooses those who will dwell in the city. Those He chooses will be purged from guilt by the precious blood of the unspotted Lamb. Red Crosse declares it is the most beautiful place he has ever seen and that he hopes to go there. Contemplation assures him that some day he will enter the city and that he will be known as St. George, the patron saint of England. Red Crosse finds that hard to believe because he considers himself to be such an unworthy wretch. The old man tells him that the others who have attained the place have gone through similar circumstances such as he. Red Crosse want to go to the city then but Contemplation reminds him of his mission and vow to Una. The knight agrees he must see his promise through but that he will look forward to returning to the beautiful city of joy and peace. Red Crosse returns to Una and they leave to complete the quest the Faerie Queene sent them on. Interpretations of this Canto are easy to comprehend. Red Crosse is brought to the House of Holiness so he can receive forgiveness for all his many sins. He can only do this through total purification of his sinful soul. He suffers through the cleansing process and finds redemption and salvation in the end. Red Crosse has found his way back to the true church and the one true religion. His faithful and true lady has led him back to the right path. Canto Eleven Feeling completely healed in both body and spirit; Red Crosse leaves the House of Holiness along with Una and the dwarf. They travel onward to Una s homeland. As they approach the castle where her parent s are kept imprisoned by the dragon, the monster comes rushing out to meet them. Red Crosse tells Una to run for safety on a nearby hill. The dragon is a terrible sight. His wings are like sail, his scales are made of brass, and his tail has long sharp deadly spikes. His claws are even sharper and deadlier. His jaws have three rows of iron teeth and sulphurous smoke pours from his mouth. Red Crosse lifts his spear and boldly rides toward the advancing menace. Man and beast fight the entire day. Neither will back down. Finally, the knight wounds the dragon under his left wing. The beast roars with pain and manages to unseat Red Crosse from his horse. As the warrior tries to fight the dragon again, the monster breathes fire at him. The flames turned the knight s armor into an oven and he is grievously burned. As Red Crosse stumbles backward in his torment, he luckily falls into an ancient well which turns out to be the well of life . The waters are healing and he lies in them throughout the night. As it is the end of the first day and the dragon thinks he has killed his foe, he rests. Una spends the night praying for her hero as she saw him fall in battle and does not know if he is dead or alive. The next day Red Crosse is fully restored to health. The dragon thinks he is facing a new foe and another fight begins. The knight immediately strikes a blow to the monster s head. The dragon flies over the knight s head and manages to sting him with his tail. Red Crosse, suffering greatly from his wound, cannot remove the stinger and eventually cuts off five joints of the beast s tail. In a rage, the dragon snatches at the knight s shield and both hold on to it with determination. Red Crosse severs the fiend s paw. Once again, the dragon breathes deadly flames at the hero. The exhausted knight backs away from the lethal flames and once more slips in a mire. This time he falls into a blessed tree that God had planted years before. It is none other than the tree of life and from it flows a balm that heals all wounds. The knight is bathed in the healing sap all night and wakes up ready to fight for the third day in a row. With his awful mouth gaping open and intending to swallow the hero, the dragon rushes toward Red Crosse. The knight raises his weapon and sticks it down the beast s throat. The dragon crashes to the ground and dies. Thanking God, Una runs to meet her hero and bestows praises on him for his heroic victory. Red Crosse has freed the kingdom of Eden. On the moral level good battled evil in this canto and won. On the religious level, the dragon represents Satan. He has held the land of Eden captive. Red Crosse represents a Christian saint. He fights Satan, wins the battle, and frees fallen man once more. On the historical level, the true Church of England if restored to its rightful place over the false church, the Roman Catholic Church. Red Crosse being bathed in the well and the sap represents baptism. Each time he is healed and revived when this happens. Canto Twelve A watchman on one of the castle walls runs to tell the king that the dragon is dead. The king ventures forth to see if what he has been told is true and rejoices when it turns to be so. He orders the gates that have been locked for so long to opened. Soon a huge crowd is gathers around the hero, Red Crosse. Girls dance and sing all about him. When the merrymakers spy Una they dance around her too. The King praises the valiant knight for his heroic deed. Villagers gather around to stare at the dead fearsome beast that had terrorized them so. Some still worry that he might come back to life. Others are too afraid to touch it. A huge feast is held to honor Red Crosse and to celebrate the return of Una. Her parents are very thankful to see her again after being separated for so long. Una and Red Crosse become betrothed. Suddenly a messenger disrupts the merriment to give the king a letter. It states that Red Crosse is already pledged to Fidessa. The king asks the knight if this is true. He admits that he knew the Fidessa and at one time had loved her but that he had never pledged himself to her. Una supports what Red Crosse says and tells her father the true story concerning Fidessa. She tells him that the maiden was really the evil hag Duessa and that she had deceived the knight. Una also rightly accuses the messenger of being Archimago in yet another disguise. It turns out she is right. He was sent by Duessa to spoil the banquet. The arch-magician tries to escape but he is caught by guards and thrown into a dungeon. The celebration continues. Even though they are now pledged, Red Crosse will have to leave Una for a while because he has vowed he would return to the Faerie Queene to carry out his service. Red Crosse has obtained his goal and achieved the virtue of holiness. He also found friendship and love along the way. The reappearance of Archimago is a warning to all Christians to be ever on their guards because Satan can appear at any time. Also the point is made that no one s work on this earth is ever done. There are moments of merriment and joy but there is work to be done as well. There will always be another problem to face. There will always be another foe to conquer. On the moral level, good always triumphs over evil but one has to be ready to battle evil again. On the political level, the Protestant Church triumphed over the Catholic Church but there would be more confrontations. On the religious level, fallen man found salvation and redemption, but Satan is ever vigilant. One can read The Faerie Queene as a simple fairy tale and enjoy the story as such. However, Spenser meant for his masterpiece to have a deeper meaning. He was quite adept at using the allegory. Each Canto with its archaic words offers the reader a challenge. His use and skill with ancient language coupled with his creation, the Spenserian stanza presents the reader with a delightful look at Medieval England. The monumental task of penning over 36,000 lines of perfectly rhymed prose is an amazing accomplishment for any writer. Spenser truly was a poet s poet. Work Cited Beckson, Karl and Arthur Ganz. Literary Terms. HarperCollins : New York, 1989. Brookes-Davies, Douglas. The Fairy Queen. Everyman : Vermont, 1996.A. C. Hamilton. The Faerie Queene. 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