- Jul 2019
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earlybritishlit.pressbooks.com earlybritishlit.pressbooks.com
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edifyde
built
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forwearied
utterly wearied
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Now (sayd the Lady) draweth toward night, And well I wote, that of your later fight Ye all forwearied be: for what so strong, But wanting rest will also want of might?
Her words are ironic--night doesn't bring rest but only his fight from her.
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weare
spend
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mell
concern himself
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sits not
isn't fitting
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straunge
out of the country
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louting
bowing humbly
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malice
wickedness
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in shew
in appearance
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his booke
probably his Bible
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Allegories
An allegory is a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
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An aged Sire
identified as Hypocrisie
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to frend
as a friend
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vnkindly Impes
unnatural offspring
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amazde,
stunned
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remorse
pity
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raft
struck off
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lin
cease
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ill bestedd
in bad plight
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blacke as inke
This is linked with the books and papers in Errour's poisonous vomit.
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sinke
her womb
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seed
semen
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outwell
pour forth
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auale
abate
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parbreake
vomit
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His Ladie seeing all, that chaunst, from farre Approcht in hast to greet his victorie, And said, Faire knight, borne vnder happy starre, Who see your vanquisht foes before you lye: Well worthy be you of that Armorie,
The Lady sees everything and says to the Knight that he has shown himself to be worthy of armor.
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Deuoure their dam; on whom while so he gazd, Hauing all satisfide their bloudy thurst, Their bellies swolne he saw with fulnesse burst, And bowels gushing forth: well worthy end Of such as drunke her life, the which them nurst; Now needeth him no lenger labour spend, His foes haue slaine themselues, with whom he should contend.
These little monsters kill themselves without his help and he is happy to see them die.
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That detestable sight him much amazde,
Even the Red Cross Knight feels grossed out by this scene.
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And sucked vp their dying mothers blood, Making her death their life, and eke her hurt their good
Ugh! Seeing their mother dies, the monster babies sucking up her blood... Do they actually kill their mom by doing that?
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gobbets raw
chunks of undigested food
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paine
his effort leads to her pain
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griefe
anger
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gall
the source of anger
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Cride out, Now now Sir knight, shew what ye bee,
That's Vna, the lady's cry.
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constraint
distress
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God helpe the man so wrapt in Errours endlesse traine.
Only God can help the knight!
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traine
treachery, deceit
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Tho
then
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traine
tail, suggesting all that follows Errour
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gathered round
coiled
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dazd
bewildered
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dint
blow
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daunted
subdued; stupefied
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enhaunst
raised up
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dismay
defeat
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trenchand
sharp
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Elfe
fairy
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Ay wont
ever accustomed
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deadly bale
deadly injured
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Armed to point
fully armed
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entraile
coiling
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displaid
extended
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effraide
alarmed
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vpstart
started up
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glistring
shining with its own light
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hardiment
boldness
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His forces faile, ne can no longer fight.
Oh no. The Red Cross Knight loses his strength! Probably because of the bad smell of the poisonous vomit?
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And knitting all his force got one hand free, Wherewith he grypt her gorge with so great paine, That soone to loose her wicked bands did her constraine.
The Red Cross Knight manages to free one of his arms and grabs the monster by the throat.
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And with his trenchand blade her boldly kept From turning backe, and forced her to stay: Therewith enrag’d she loudly gan to bray, And turning fierce, her speckled taile aduaunst, Threatning her angry sting, him to dismay: Who nought aghast, his mightie hand enhaunst: The stroke down fro[m]; her head vnto her shoulder glaunst.
She's dazed by the blow, but then becomes even angrier, rushes on top of Red Cross Knight and wraps him up with her tail.
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Their dam vpstart, out of her den effraide, And rushed forth, hurling her hideous taile About her cursed head, whose folds displaid Were stretcht now forth at length without entraile. She lookt about, and seeing one in mayle Armed to point, sought backe to turne againe; For light she hated as the deadly bale,
She hates light so is put off by the shine of his armor.
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Of her there bred A thousand yong ones, which she dayly fed,
Oh gosh she has thousands of little monster babies!
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So pure and innocent, as that same lambe, She was in life and euery vertuous lore, And by descent from Royall lynage came Of ancient Kings and Queenes,
The lady is just as virtuous as the lamb, and she's from a formerly great and powerful royal family.
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For an Historiographer discourseth of affaires orderly as they were done, accounting as well the times as the actions; but a Poet thrusteth into the middest, even where it most concerneth him, and there recoursing to the things forepast, and divining of things to come, maketh a pleasing analysis of all.
He is explaining the differences between poet and historian.
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the image of a brave knight
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Her vomit full of bookes and papers was, With loathly frogs and toades, which eyes did lacke,
Her vomit is filled with books, papers, frogs, and toads. This is quite comical.
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And euer as he rode, his hart did earne To proue his puissance in battell braue Vpon his foe, and his new force to learne; Vpon his foe, a Dragon horrible and stearne.
The Red Cross Knight slaying the dragon, illustration to the 1596 edition of The Faerie Queene
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.
Spenser establishes that Red Cross Knight is a symbol for Holiness in this stanza.
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But forth vnto the darksome hole he went, And looked in: his glistring armor made A litle glooming light, much like a shade, By which he saw the vgly monster plaine, Halfe like a serpent horribly displaide, But th’other halfe did womans shape retaine, Most lothsom, filthie, foule, and full of vile disdaine.
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Fly fly (quoth then The fearefull Dwarfe:) this is no place for liuing men.
The dwarf suggests that they must leave immediately.
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So many pathes, so many turnings seene, That which of them to take, in diuerse doubt they been.
They've gotten lost
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Be well aware, quoth then that Ladie milde, Least suddaine mischiefe ye too rash prouoke: The danger hid, the place vnknowne and wilde,
The lady warns him to be careful, reminding them that they have no idea where they are and that danger can lurk anywhere.
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Sir knight with-hold, till further triall made. Ah Ladie (said he) shame were to reuoke
He says it would be cowardly not to investigate.
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gate
way, applied here to the entrance of the cave
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wot
know
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Vertue
has the primary sense of "manly force", proves insufficient until faith is added
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reuoke
draw back
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mischiefe
misfortune
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milde
gentle; gracious
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braue
excellent
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stout
brave; undaunted
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Phoebus
"(also known as Apollo) is one of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology." When they talk about his lamp, maybe they're talking about the sun?
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diuerse
distracting
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doubt
repetition of the word "doubt" implies fears
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KNIGHT OF THE RED CROSSE,
The Redcrosse knight is said to represent a Christian fighting against evil or a Protestant fighting the Catholic church.
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weening
intending
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of forlorne Paramours
by forsaken lovers
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weepeth still
exudes resin continually
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Cedar proud and tall
the biblical "cedres of Lebanon, that are hie and exalted" (Isa. 2.13); a symbol of pride
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harbour
an earlier form of "arbour": a bower or shady retreat
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footing
footprints
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couert
a dense thicket of woods that marks a place of peril and deceit
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fain
obliged; glad
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Lemans
beloved's
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an hideous storme of raine
anticipates Errour's "hideous taile" to which the storm leads
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Forwasted
utterly laid waste
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from East to Westerne shore
seerts Vna's claim to be the holy Catholic Church
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vertuous lore
in her knowledge of, and obedience to, moral doctrine
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innocent
sinless
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Heben
made of ebony whose blackness suggests sinister properties
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deadly
because loves's wounds last until death
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glorious fire
symbolizes his love for Gloriana and also his desire for glory
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roue
shoot
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cunningly
skilfully
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impe
offspring
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Briton Prince
Arthur
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Orgoglio
Orgoglio's name is derived from the root of "pride."
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A louely Ladie rode him faire beside, Vpon a lowly Asse more white then snow, Yet she much whiter
The lady's ass is whiter than snow, yet she is much whiter.
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So with the Squire, th’admirer of his might,
One of the sprites obtains a false dream from Morpheus, the god of sleep; the other takes the shape of Una, the lady accompanying Redcrosse. These sprites go to the knight; one gives him the dream of love and lust. When Redcrosse wakes up in a passion, the other sprite (appearing to be Una) is lying beside him, offering a kiss. The knight, however, resists her temptations and returns to sleep. Archimago then tries a new deception; he puts the sprite disguised as Una in a bed and turns the other sprite into a young man, who lies with the false Una. Archimago then wakes Redcrosse and shows him the two lovers in bed. Redcrosse is furious that "Una" would spoil her virtue with another man, and so in the morning he leaves without her. When the real Una wakes, she sees her knight is gone, and in sorrow rides off to look for him. Archimago, enjoying the fruits of his scheme, now disguises himself as Redcrosse and follows after Una.
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She falling before the Queene of Faeries, complayned that her father and mother, an ancient King and Queene, had bene by an huge dragon many yeers shut up in a brazen Castle
She complains that her father and mother are shut up in a castle by a dragon.
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Faery Queene kept her annuall feast twelve daies
The Faerie Queene is holding her annual twelve-day feast.
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In that Faery Queene I mean Glory
Faerie Queene herself represents Glory (hence her name, Gloriana).
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Soone after entred a faire Ladie in mourning weedes, riding on a white Asse, with a dwarfe behind her leading a warlike steed, that bore the Armes of a knight, and his speare in the dwarfes hand.
The fair lady comes riding on a white ass, accompanied by a dwarf. (Asse = ass, an animal which is related to a horse but which is smaller and has long ears.)
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But forth vnto the darksome hole he went, And looked in: his glistring armor made A litle glooming light, much like a shade, By which he saw the vgly monster plaine, Halfe like a serpent horribly displaide, But th’other halfe did womans shape retaine, Most lothsom, filthie, foule, and full of vile disdaine.
In a cave the Red Cross Knight encounters a horrible creature, half serpent, half woman.
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The day with cloudes was suddeine ouercast, And angry Ioue an hideous storme of raine Did poure into his Lemans lap so fast, That euery wight to shrowd it did constrain, And this faire couple eke to shroud the[m]selues were fain.
Rain falls so heavily and they need to find cover.
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er i
Reflection: From what I understood, Faerie Queene represents Queen Elizabeth.This all sounds sort of like mythical stories, especially with the knights. There is so much action, romance and battles. It's like a kids fairy tale story just made a little longer. I believe the author has great imagination and he did an amazing job writing this.
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And to my foe betrayd, when least I feared ill.
He was betrayed and he didn't think it would happen to him.
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fickle
Fickle means not constant or loyal in affections.
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wast wordes
Wast is the singular word for "be", but I feel like in this case it means past maybe? "his past words" Am I understanding this correctly?
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eftesoones
Eftesoones is an "obsolete or archaic way of saying " soon afterward", from Old English eftsona " a second time, repeatedly, soon after, again, or see you soon."
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beareth
Wait. I am a little confused with this word. It is a third person singular simple present indicative form of bear, but then it also has something to do with the bible?
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intermedled
meaning intermingled?
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dragon
haha, how many stories we've read involve a dragon?
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twaine
two
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betwixt
between
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fall of that great beast,
I thinks there's a huge parallel and irony in the fact that the queen helped his recover from his own personal "fall", so he could make the dragon have a literal fall to defeat him.
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iourneyes end:
Her journey had ended-she saved the town and her people.
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Neptune
The god of the sea (Poseidon in Greek mythology), its really interssting to see the different religious beliefs all combined together.
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vermilion
A red or scarlet color. Does this parallel with the red blood? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermilion
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All night she watcht, ne once adowne would lay   Her daintie limbs in her sad dreriment, But praying still did wake, and waking did lament.
Are we going to see her "give him strength" a final time?
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.
Redcrose pierces the dragons wing- I;m wondering if he can't fly now.
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But stings and sharpest steele did far exceed   The sharpnesse of his cruell rending clawes;   Dead was it sure, as sure as death in deed,
The author always makes a point to vividly describe the deadliest part of the monster the knight is facing.
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Mars
The god of War.
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captiue Parents deare, Â Â And their forwasted kingdome to repaire:
Una needs to repair her kingdom and help her parents (again a women is in charge).
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Georgos
A form of Zeus. He was the god of croplands and farms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeus_Georgos
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Hierusalem
H has the J sound here.
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With burning starres, and euerliuing fir
Powerful imagery.
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chiefest
The person of highest authority (interesting that it's a women).
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 In that sad house of Penaunce, where his spright Had past the paines of hell, and long enduring night.
This reinforces the Christian idea at the time that you can always be forgiven for your sins.
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In which his torment often was so great, Â Â That like a Lyon he would cry and rore, Â Â And rend his flesh, and his owne synewes eat.
This reminds me of Julian of Norwhich. Where she inflicted pain on herself to be pure.
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Made him forget all that Fidelia told.   In this distressed doubtfull agonie,
They helped rid him of his guilty conscious from all of his sins that he believed would condemn him to hell.
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  A booke, that was both signd and seald with blood, Wherein darke things were writ, hard to be vnderstood.
Is this the book of the damned?
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happie earth,
The contrast of earth in this story is interesting. It mentions earlier you can't fully trust earth, yet it also brings them happiness to be alive on it.
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Through long enprisonment, and hard constraint, Â Â Which he endured in his late restraint, Â Â That yet he was vnfit for bloudie fight: Â Â Therefore to cherish him with diets daint, Â Â She cast to bring him, where he chearen might, Till he recouered had his late decayed plight.
Redcrosee is a broken knight.
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Holinesse
What Redcrosse it suppose to represent.
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But death he could not worke himselfe thereby;
So everyone will die, and fate controls when you die, but you can't speed up death that it out of control.
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 And bad him choose, what death he would desire: For death was due to him, that had prouokt Gods ire.
While fate controls death, you can choose how you want to die.
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Are written sure, and haue their certaine date.
Everyone seems to have their death date written down in a book. Does this mean that God can see accidental death or intentional ones but can't overrule fate?
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Is not his deed, what euer thing is donne,   In heauen and earth? did not he all create   To die againe?
Referencing God and Jesus with the Christian belief of how the world was created.
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And all about old stockes and stubs of trees, Â Â Whereon nor fruit, nor leafe was euer seene, Â Â Did hang vpon the ragged rocky knees; Â Â On which had many wretches hanged beene, Â Â Whose carcases were scattered on the greene, Â Â And throwne about the cliffs.
A very detailed scene, that's grotesque and a wasteland.
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.
So Arthur gives a medicine that can cure common illnesses in exchange for a book that contains all of the knights knowledge.
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Prince Arthur
Is someone else currently King right now? Is he referred to as Prince Arthur because he is still young and has not yet acquired the throne?
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respire
Recover faith/hope after a hard time. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/respire
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 From mothers pap I taken was vnfit:   And streight deliuered to a Faery knight, To be vpbrought in gentle thewes and martiall might.
He was taken from his mother and raised his entire life to be a knight.
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So as she bad, that witch they disaraid, Â Â And robd of royall robes, and purple pall, Â Â And ornaments that richly were displaid; Â Â Ne spared they to strip her naked all. Â Â Then when they had despoild her tire and call, Â Â Such as she was, their eyes might her behold, Â Â That her misshaped parts did them appall, Â Â A loathly, wrinckled hag, ill fauoured, old, Whose secret filth good manners biddeth not be told.
They punish the witch by undressing her and discovers her true form, not the form she's masked herself with.
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His sad dull eyes deepe sunck in hollow pits,   Could not endure th’vnwonted sunne to view;   His bare thin cheekes for want of better bits,
Physically he seems almost close to death.
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 On which true Christians bloud was often spilt,   And holy Martyrs often doen to dye,   With cruell malice and strong tyranny:
This time we see a very harsh and violent image connected to Christianity.
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Her golden cup
= The holy grail.
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forst the knight retyre.
The knight retired first? Couldn't this be seen as a cowardice move.
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soveraine
Same as sovereign?
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He smote off his left arme
The giants arm gets-cut off reminds me of Beowulf.
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His boystrous club, so buried in the ground, Â Â He could not rearen vp againe so light, Â Â But that the knight him at auantage found,
The giants club gets stuck so the knight finally has advantage.
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clowdily
What does this mean? I can't seem to find its meaning.
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  And euery dore of freewill open flew.
Does the horns contain some kind of magical power that causes all of the doors to open? Or the idea that the force of the horns were so loud.
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historie of king Arthure, as most fit for the excellencie
The way this story is written is pretty interesting. Now i wonder how or why language gets updated from "historie" to "history"
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 So oft as he through his owne foolish pride,   Or weaknesse is to sinfull bands made thrall
He's blaming himself.
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Arthu
I wonder how King Arthur will be portrayed in this story compared to others that includes him.
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t.
This is my favorite part so far, it's the lowest we've seen Redcrosse and a lot of people come to his aid.
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Merlin
A wizard-like figure who often can predict the future, and he often advises King Arthur (I had a feeling he was going to show up in this story).
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booke
old fashioned way of writing book?
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Hesperus
The evening star.
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 She fell to ground for sorrowfull regret,
She realizes a knight has no armor and realizes that something is wrong. I think empty armor was usually used to symbolize death.
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wofull
Expressing of sorrow or misery ( woeful in present English).
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Duessa was his deare
This story has re-occurring themes of the women being in power/ control.
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Disarmd, disgrast, and inwardly dismayde,
Redcrose seems to face more and more challenges in each story. This scene here is the exact opposite of what you'd typically picture of a knight.
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bowelles
The intestines.
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monstrous masse of earthly slime,
This reminds me of what the serpent in canto 1 spewed out.
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Till at the last he heard a dreadfull sownd
Is the terrible sound his ladies screams, and does this parallel with different perspectives in canto 6?
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Disarmed all of yron-coted Plate,
Disarmed of any iron coated plates; armor.
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king Arthure,
Spenser sees King Arthur as the hero of heroes who possesses all twelve virtues of a perfect gentleman.
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erfected in the twelve private morall vertues, as Aristotle hath devised
He declares in the letter that his intention is to present the example of a perfect gentleman and noble person in virtuous and gentle discipline. He speaks of the twelve virtues of a private gentleman, according to Aristotle.
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weene
expect; suppose
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weedes
garments
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sith
since
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mote
may; must
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liefe
dear
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hight
called
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yfere
united
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fere
companion
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eyen
eyes
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doome
judgment
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anon
at once
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And eke this battels end, will need another place.
so the end of the battle is never described
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Holinesse
state or condition of being holy
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Temperance
Temperance is defined as moderation or voluntary self-restraint. It is typically described in terms of what an individual voluntarily refrains from doing. This includes restraint from retaliation in the form of non-violence and forgiveness, restraint from arrogance in the form of humility and modesty, restraint from excesses such as extravagant luxury or splurging now in the form of prudence, and restraint from excessive anger or craving for something in the form of calmness and self-control.
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Britomartis
Britomartis was a Greek goddess of mountains and hunting, who was primarily worshipped on the island of Crete. She was sometimes believed to be an oread, or a mountain nymph, but she was often conflated or syncretized with Artemis and Aphaea, the "invisible" patroness of Aegina.
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Historiographer
a historian, especially one appointed to write an official history of a group, period, or institution.
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hewe
sign, track
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carke
full of care, anxious or sorrowfull
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Pagan
We see the clashing of beliefs, the Christian God, the Greek Gods, and now the Pagan old religious beliefs.
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