The Faerie Queene

by Edmund Spenser

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Questions and Answers: Book VI, Cantos vii-xii

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Last Updated on May 6, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. Word Count: 250

Questions
1. Why does Turpine lie to the two Knights about Prince Arthur?

2. Why can’t Timias, Enias, or even Prince Arthur free Mirabella from her tormenters?

3. How does Meliboe’s wisdom possibly lead Calidore astray?

4. Why do the slave-traders demand to see Pastorell? Why does the captain resist?

5. What happens to the Blatant Beast?

Answers
1. Turpine feels humiliated by Prince Arthur, but he is afraid that he will be defeated again if he engages in combat with him. By lying to the two Knights, he can send proxies to defeat his enemy.

2. Mirabella’s punishment was decreed by the gods. She must endure it until she has completed two nearly impossible tasks, and if her tormenters die then she will suffer eternally.

3. Meliboe says that the secret to happiness is to be happy with one’s lot. Because Calidore becomes content and secure in the village, by doing exactly what Meliboe has advised, Calidore does not continue his quest to kill the Blatant Beast. This error leads many more to suffer from the Blatant Beast’s rampages.

4. The slave-traders remember Pastorell’s beauty and want to witness it again. The captain resists because he is in love with her and does not want to sell her or let others lustfully gaze upon her. 5. Calidore captures the Blatant Beast and muzzles it. He leads it around to villages to increase his own glory and fame. After a time, the Beast is released into England, where it continues to wreak havoc today.

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Questions and Answers Book VI, Proem-Canto vi