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| Quqeen Elizabeth 1 |
The Elizabethan Age
In the age of the Renaissance there was a great revival of ancient learning, and scholars, like Spenser, dived deep into treasures of classical learning which were then being brought to light. No one hope to understand and enjoy the poetry of Spenser who is not familiar with classical mythology and classical literature. Matters become still more difficult as Spenser mixes and blends classical mythology with medieval superstitions. In order to appreciate Spenser there fore, one must also be familiar with the medieval institution of chivalry and with the various poultices beliefs of the age In other words, Spenser is not for the common man, he is for the learned few. He is not a poet for the layman but for poets and scholars. He is truly a poets’ poet and not a poet for all and sundry. The Fairy Queen is the great work upon which the poet’s fame chiefly rests. The original plan of the poem included twenty- four books, each of which was to recount the adventure and triumph of a knight who represented a moral virtue. Spenser purpose, as indicated in a letter to Raleigh which introduces the poem. From the introductory letter we learn that the here visits the queens court in Fairy land, while she is holding a twelve – days festival. On each day some distressed person appears unexpectedly, tells a woeful story of dragons, of enchantresses, or of distressed beauty or virtue and asks for a champion to right the wrong and to let the oppressed go free. Sometimes a Knight volunteers or begs for the dangerous mission, again the duty is assigned by the queen and the journeys and adventures of there knight are the subject of the several books .Though the poet designed twenty-four books for the poem it ultimately his age. Though he did not break with traditions, it is a wonder how within the Elizabethan framework he developed certain traits that account for his timelessness. Published in twelve books. As ‘The Fairy Queen’ keeps her annual feast for twelve successive days and on each of there days a certain knight at her command undertakes a particular adventure, each such adventure finishes the subject of one book. Meanwhile, Prince Arthur who is the central figure of the epic, having dreamed of the Fairy queen, goes out in quest of her. He meets the various knights, who were engaged in their adventures, on the way. The appearance of Arthur at a critical juncture in each of the stories was specially devised as a link between one part and another of the great epic. (continue)