Spenser, Edmund
Spenser, Edmund (1552–99),English poet. Spenser's magnificent marriage poem, Epithalamion (1594), with its Greek nymphs, Christian angels, and English hobgoblins, foreshadows the multiple mythologies of his unfinished allegorical epic The Faerie Queene (1590–6), where Greek goddesses and satyrs share the forest with giants, dragons, and enchanted castles. Inspired by the epics of Ariosto and Tasso, Spenser planned a multi‐levelled 12‐book structure, its 12 heroes corresponding to the 12 virtues of the perfect Christian gentleman. Linking their interwoven adventures is Arthur, the King to be, and his quest for Gloriana, the Fairy Queen, who represents both true Glory and Queen Elizabeth I.
Suzanne Rahn
[The entire page is 110 words long]
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