... his romantic epic The Faerie Queene, he intended for it to be an allegory. An allegory is a literary device used to give a literary work two different meanings. One meaning is easily understood, but the second meaning is expressed through a more subtle approach. In a letter to Sir Walter Raleigh, Edmund Spenser wrote, "Sir knowing how doubtfully all Allegories may be construed, and this booke ... meaning to objects in his epic. Later in the letter, Spenser went on to tell that each of the twelve books that he intended to write would symbolize one virtue. Then combined as a whole, they w...

• Word Count: 433
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Female were never given important roles during Edmund Spenser's time. Usually portrayed as helpless and fragile, the females were hidden in the background and only provided humorous relief. In "The Faerie Queene" there are few female characters, the males take the lead. Within the first canto it is evident that the lead ... his self and his faith to aid him in his battles. Una's innocence saves her from terrible beasts and wicked men. In Canto iii of Book I Spenser displays how truth's innocence holds power over natural law, (Richard Jordan, Una Among the Satyrs, 123-132). "A ramping Lyon rus...

• Word Count: 1233
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School