Many times we're given rhythms that are quite unsing-able...

The word usage in Spenser's Faerie Queene is difficult to get around, and I have come to the conclusion that he made up words so that everything would fit his rhyme scheme (288 returnees- Monty Python's "Knights of the Round Table"?).

The Faerie Queene is dripping with religious metaphors some of which, in turn, have metaphors. Taking the story at face value for its adventure, the reader sees a classic Arthur's Knights of the Round Table tale. Knights rushing to the rescue of fair maidens, witches who turn out to be disgusting old hags (props to Robynn for seeing Morgan La Fay in that), and hideous monsters that are ultimately overcome by the forces for "good".

"So th' one for wrong, the other strives for right:
As when a Gryfon seized of his pray,
A Dragon fiers encountreth in his flight,
Through widest ayre making his ydle way,
That would his rightfull ravine rend away;
With hideous horror both together smight,
With source so sore, that they the heavens affary;
The wise Southsayer seeing so sad sight,
Th' amazed vulgar tels of warres and mortall fight (Canto 5, stanza 8, 64-72)."

The line "So th' one for wrong, the other strives for right" is repeated again in the next line, emphasizing for Spenser a point. Just as when the Gryfon steals the life from its prey, it is viewed as the "evil force", yet when the Gryfon itself is overcome by the Dragon, the tables are turned and the Gryfon is to be pitied as striving for good while the Dragon is evil.

In war, a side rarely views themself as representing "wrong." Each man fights for his own cause, each soldier takes up their swords for what they personally believe is right. According to Spenser, however, whether or not the Sarazin viewed himself as the party at error, he fought for ill, and Redcrosse fought for right.


On another topic, the footnotes of Canto 7, stanza 16 tell us that Duessa becomes a representation of the Roman Catholic church. We see Spenser's feelings towards Catholicism as her description continues. "Then for to make her dreaded more of men,/And peoples harts with awfull terrour tye, (141-142)" To the Protestants, the Catholic church was a force seducing people with lies and with terror. Their allegiance was held by the church through promises of eternal life in exchange for money and repentance. The alternative was Hell.