Frye and the Queene:

A Study in the Romantic Quest

Everyone has heard of the term “summer of romance.” Romance seems to blossom when the sun is shining and warm, the grass is green, the birds are chirping – it’s the perfect time for a quest, right? After all, centuries of literature can’t be wrong. For hundreds upon hundreds of years, since writing and plot evolved, authors have been sending brave heroes out into lush forests, beautiful landscapes, and across enchanting seas in pursuit of distressed damsels, lost trinkets, stolen treasure, and missing magical mystics. And although love or romantic intentions are often involved, the real romantic element is more for the benefit of the reader, in that the reader is romanced by the idea of the Quest. Go-to critic – as well as one of the most well known – Northrop Frye will argue that the Quest is the focus of any plot. What makes a Quest fall into the Romantic category is not that the characters fall in love with each other (although that is sometimes the case) and Harlequin-esque plots ensue.(Frye 200, Smith) Rather, what makes a Quest Romantic is that the hero is a figure that the reader looks up to – there’s some attribute that makes him greater than the rest of the people in the real world, be that virtue valor, chastity, prudence, temperance, patience, etc. – that “normal” people don’t have.(Frye 200, Smith) Not only is this hero somehow better than John Q. Everyman, the hero is also able to complete a quest with elements with elements that the Everyman would succumb to within an instant.(Frye 200, Smith) To further illustrate Frye’s idea of the Romantic Quest is Edmund Spenser’s epic “The Faerie Queene.”

The very basic overview of Spenser’s epic is that a knight who is only called Redcrosse in the tale (who many say is based off of St. George the Dragon Slayer) must save Una (who is the personification of the only true religion) from various perils and complete or defeat various inglorious obstacles in his search for Glorianna (who is the characterization of Queen Elizabeth I).(Spenser Book I) Nor is the only knight in this epic Redcrosse, for there are five other knights that take quests at the urging of Glorianna, Queene of Faeland, that span out across five other books of this epic.() Spenser never finished this epic, for only six books out of twelve were completed; Glorianna sent out twelve knights to partake in epic quests, yet only six of these tales were written down(). For the sake of time – and the fact that to tackle all six books of “The Faerie Queene” would be herculean and therefore a Romantic Quest in and of itself – hither and so-forth will use only the first book of the six dealing with Redcrosse and Una.

Frye perhaps classified “The Faerie Queene” as a Romantic Quest because Spenser uses a base idea of Arthurian Legends reminiscent of tales like “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, “Mort D’Arthur”; yarns of Sir Lancelot Du Luc and Guinevere, Sir Tristan and Isolde, Sir Kay, and Sir Galahad the Pure. To pick a knight that Redcrosse would be most like in this book of Spenser’s saga would be Sir Galahad the Pure(Spenser Can I). Although Redcrosse is naïve in the beginning of the story, as it goes along, he becomes more and more holy, and Sir Galahad is very often compared to Christ in his selflessness and piety.

It would also be fair to argue that “The Faerie Queene” is purely a quest on the Romantic level. In all aspects Redcrosse completes every obstacle that is placed in front of him in a successful manor. Take, for example, the passage of Canto I where Redcrosse and Una along with the dwarf get lost in the woods during a storm and take shelter in a cave(Spenser Can I). However, unbeknownst to them, the cave was home to Errorurs, a hybrid monster whose lower half was serpent and whose upper was that of a human female, suckling her numerous babies on black bile and poison(Spenser Can I). This is the first time the reader sees the small gang, and they are told that Una is beautiful in ways that words cannot possibly describe, Redcrosse is a greenhorn knight whose armor and shield bare a red cross for Jesus Christ and the Holy Lady and that the armor is dented and old and perhaps not his at all.(Spenser Can I) This is where readers are also introduced to Redcrosse’s boyish headstrong determination to be like those knights of yore, for Spenser writes, “But full of fire and greedy hardiment,/ The youthfull knight could not for ought be staide, {120}/ But forth unto the darksome hole he went,/”(Spenser Can I). Redcrosse, against both Una and the dwarf’s warnings, goes into the den of Errorurs, desire to prove himself greater than his ability to listen to Truth (Una) and Common Sense (the Dwarfe).

Once inside the den, when he’s alone and Una and the dwarf are looking on, Errorurs is able to overpower Redcrosse and wrap her serpent tail around him (Spenser Can I)). Once, however, Redcrosse listens to the urgings of Una and the dwarf, he’s able to lop off the head of the hybrid beast whereupon,

Therewith she spewed out of her filthy maw
A floud of poison horrible and blacke,
Full of great lumpes of flesh and gobbets raw {175}
Which stunck so vildy, that it forst him to slacke
His grasping hold, and from her turne him backe:
Her vomit full of bookes and papers was,
With loathly frogs and toades, which eyes did lacke,
And creeping sought the way in the weedy gras {180}
Her filthy parbreake all the place defiled has. (Spenser Can I)

It is Redcrosse’s first great victory in his knighthood – borrowed armor and all – against a monster “whom God and man does hate:” (Spenser Can I). Here, where Redcrosse defeats Errorurs, is very reminiscent of St. George and the Dragon Slayer in that here Redcrosse kills this demon that terrorizes the surrounding area, much like the dragon in the legend. It is here that Redcrosse proves his chivalry and begins to earn his place among the other knights. This victory, when Redcrosse learns to listen to two of several elements that really matter that he was elevated to the status of being greater than everyday people.

Likewise, “The Faerie Queene” is also heavily toned towards the anagogic and ethical. Every single character in the epic can be construed to fit some historical figure or some religious idea. Take, for example, the Queene herself, Glorianna. She is the characterization of Queen Elizabeth I, as aforementioned, so that would satisfy the historical and/or figurehead. Also, take the name of the Queene – Glorianna; to break it down, the reader will have Glori – or Glory, and that would satisfy the moral element to that character (mostly the fact that under Elizabeth’s rule, England prospered and won over the Spanish Armada), and lastly, also using Glory, the reader has the spiritual component of deep and/or profound spiritual beauty.

Also, take the character of Redcrosse; his historical figurehead is St. George the Dragon Slayer. However, notice that his armor is painted with the red crosses (thus his name as well) which once symbolized Christ dying on the Cross as well as Redcrosse’s servitude to everything that that symbol meant under Una (Spenser Can I). Also remember that if one were to compare Redcrosse to the Arthurian Knights of lore, it would be Sir Galahad the Pure that he would be most like. Therefore his moral element would be that of Holiness, which, with the help of Una, he is able to achieve by the end of the first book.

Finally, take the character of Una. In real life, she has no historical figurehead per se, and yet to give her one it would undoubtedly be the Protestant religion or reformed religion – which would also satisfy the religious aspect of her character. Spenser, because of some of the events of the time with Mary, Queen of Scots and the Church of Rome , was heavily focused on the idea that the Protestant religion was the one true religion, so Una in this book, is Truth and True Religion.

Now the battle with Errour wasn’t the culmination of his Quest. This battle was only the beginning of his Quest to protect Una. Redcrosse faces several other trials in his Quest – of which include his confrontation with Orgoglio, a giant who holds Una captive in his castle (Spenser Can VII – IX). It’s possible that Orgoglio represents carnality or pride in committing carnal sins. Likewise, it’s equally possible that this is one of Redcrosse’s toughest battles.

To break Orgoglio down into the different forms of representation is just a little more difficult than either Redcrosse or Una, mostly because, aside from carnality, there’s also a chance that the giant could be – to an extent – the antichrist. Mostly the reason for that comparison is that Spenser believed that the Pope of the Catholic Church was full of hot air – a slob and an ugly creature that would be hypercritical when it comes to intimacy and sexual relations. Comparing Orgoglio to the antichrist, however, seems a bit of a stretch. While it makes sense that, from Spenser’s point of view, the Pope was leading the people away from the right and true religion, most legends of the antichrist portray him as a handsome man who would persuade his followers with a suave tongue rather than using brute force.

Because Orgoglio captured and held Una away from Redcrosse, he faltered slightly in his abilities to slay Orgoglio. But, just when the hero was about to give up, out from the mists came Prince Arthur to help Redcrosse defeat the giant and rescue Una from the lecherous depths of the monster’s castle (Spenser Can VIII-IX).

In this story, Arthur’s three allegories include Magnificence (the moral), Protestantism (the religious), and Lord Leicester (the person and/or the political). Prince Arthur is the best of the best, the crème de la crème. He’s what every man should be, according to Spenser. In terms of “hero”, Arthur would be perfection incarnate. While Redcrosse, for example, only stands for one moral virtue, Arthur is the combination and the culmination of all virtues. Arthur is what Redcrosse is striving towards in his Romantic Quest.

It is only with Arthur’s help – and a bit of magick – that Redcrosse is able to defeat Orgoglio and save Una (Spenser Can IX).

Probably, however, the deciding test in the Redcrosse Knight’s tale is when he is tempted by and follows Duessa to the kingdom of Lucifera where he comes into contact with all of the Seven Cardinal Sins in a parade of blasphemy, the climax of which being Lucifera herself (Spenser Can VI).

There are several reasons why this confrontation is the most important factor for Redcrosse – one being because he was led away from the right path by Duessa. Judging by her name, Duessa would be all manner of falseness – including false religion. Likewise, to put a person to this character, Spenser was probably landing a blow to Mary, Queen of Scots – also known in some circles as Bloody Mary for her ruthless beheading of countless Protestants to convert to Catholicism.

Lucifera, in Spenser’s eyes, would be the worst of the Seven Cardinal Sins in that her sin is Pride, and in Spenser’s eyes, Pride went hand in hand with the Catholic Church (also sometimes called the Church of Rome or the Vatican).

Because there is no Una at first to stand by him, Redcrosse must face these two great obstacles alone – thanks mostly to a glamour cast on the poor knight by Duessa to lure him away from Una (Spenser Can VI). There is no Glorianna, there is no Prince Arthur, there is only Redcrosse to choose the right path that this junction. Therefore, it is this test that’s the climax for Redcrosse – this is his time to prove himself and really be a hero – be one step closer to Prince Arthur.

It would seem to fully understand Spenser’s intentions, the reader need must only break the names of the characters down and read them carefully. Once that is done, they will be able to understand how the supporting characters aide Redcrosse so much in his greatness that helps to qualify this part of the epic series as a Romantic Quest.

Therefore, because of the heavy religious and political overtones, some would say that it is difficult to see “The Faerie Queene” as any type of romance. But it’s not so much the content that slips a literal work into any one slot. Neither is it the idea that love occurs in the story – although that does happen in some cases. There needn’t be any Harlequin-esque plot lines with bawdy bodice-rippers to qualify a text into the Romantic Quest category. More, it’s along the lines of what the hero does in the story – Redcrosse is successful in his quest and his trials, hence, he’s better than any Everyman that anyone would ever encounter. Redcrosse is able to defeat the monster Errorurs and all other obstacles that are place in front of him with the help of Una and the other virtues. It’s what makes him great. It’s also what gives him his Holiness and satisfies the criteria needed to be considered one of the great Knights of Arthurian lore. It’s also because he’s able to be better than Everyman and complete these quests, the reader looks up to this hero, and that’s what qualifies Spenser’s epic “The Faerie Queene” as a Romantic Quest.

Works Cited

1 – Frye, Northrop. “Anatomy of Criticism” Princeton University Press. New Jersey Fifteenth printing 2000.

2 – Spenser, Edmund. “The Faerie Queene”

3 – Smith, Prof. “Class Notes and Handouts” Spring Quarter 2010.