Lecture Notes, Tuesday, July 8: Faerie Queene Book 1 Cantos 4-6

8 July 2008
English 3I06 / The Age of Elizabeth


Faerie Queene Book 1 cantos 4-6

Lecture Outline
*the house of Pride
*light imagery and evil
*the seven deadly sins
*journey into hell
*Una and Satyrane


The house of Pride
*bright 4.4
*construction, 4.5
*sucking people in, 4.3
* “spitting” them out, 5.46-end, esp. 49 and 52, 53.

Light imagery and evil
*obvious that deception is a strong part of FQ’s narrative strategy
*Lucifera, stanzas 4.8-4.12, and the image of light
*note Redcrosse’s sense of pride, stanza 15
*Duessa and “griesly Night”, canto 5.20-21

The seven deadly sins
*stanzas 18-35
*followed by Satan

Journey into hell
*5.32-34 - Night’s power over heaven and hell, Cerberus encounter 34
*hell in parallel to Pride’s castle: why this doubling?
*story of Aesculapius and Hippoytus, 5.37-40

Una and Satyrane
*Sansloy’s attempted rape, 6.3-6
*rescue by fauns and satyrs, 6.7-11
*story of Satyrane, 6.20-30
*why can’t Satyrane have Una’s love? (allegorical reason?): 6.31, 32
*ends on a cliffhanger – Satyrane fighting Sansloy; Archimago pursuing Una.