Edmund Spencer

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    Edmund Spenser was probably born in East Smithfield,

    London, the son of John Spenser, who was possibly ajourneyman cloth maker.

    In 1561 he joined the Merchant Taylors School, whichwas then under the liberal regime of Richard Mulcaster,a man of original mind and a distinguished classicalscholar.

    It was probably here that he composed the ShepheardsCalender, which was printed in 1579 . He dedicated the

    poem to Sir Philip Sidney, who was the centre of aliterary group, which included Sir Edward Dyer,the Countess of Pembroke and Fulke Greville.

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    In 1579 was accepted into the employmentof Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and wasliving in Leicester House in the Strand.

    He also married Machabyas Chylde in the

    same year who he had two children

    In 1580 he was chosen secretary to Arthur,Lord Grey de Wilton, who was leaving

    England to take up office as Lord Deputy ofIreland.

    In 1606 he published A Discourse of CivillLife where he explains that he has alreadywritten a work intended to show in heroicalverse all the virtues.

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    As secretary to Lord Grey, Spenser probably travelledextensively in Ireland, most of which was still wild anddangerous country.

    It is said that during this time he started weaving the

    landscapes of the Faerie Queen,

    Around 1589 he made the acquaintance of Sir WalterRaleigh, who had a neighboring estate in Munster, andit was Raleigh who, after reading the Faerie Queen,persuaded him to visit London in 1590 , where hepresented Spenser and his poem to the Queen.

    In June 159 he married Elizabeth Boyle, an eventwhich he celebrated in the sonnet sequence Amorettiand Epithalamium.

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    In 1596 Spenser returned to London to arrange thepublication of the second part of the FaerieQueen (Books IV to VI), but though he stayed foralmost a year he failed to secure a position at court,and again returned to Ireland.

    In September 1598 he was appointed Sheriff of Cork,but his tenure was short-lived.

    Spenser returned home because of the defeat ofQueens Army so, he went to London with letters for theQueen and it was here that he died in January 1599.

    He was buried in Westminster Abbey, his tomb close tothat of Geoffrey Chaucer.

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    An allegory is an extended metaphor,especially a story in which fictionalcharacters and actions are used tounderstand and express aspects ofconcepts relating to human existence.

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    1

    The FaerieQueene is anallegoricalromancedesigned toglorify Queen

    Elizabeth I

    2

    It is consideredas one of thegreatest andmost important

    works in Englishverse.

    3

    Spenser tried towrite 12 bookshowever, he just

    wrote 6. Eachone is based ona differentvirtue.

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    4

    As a result ofthis poem,

    Spenser inventeda verse formcalledSpenserianstanza.

    5

    The Faerie

    Qeene is alsoconsidered anallegorical tale,including manysubplots.

    6

    This Spenserswork isconcerned withrepresentationsof gender and

    power.

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    MAJOR CHARACTERS

    The Red

    Cross Knight:The Hero of

    book 1

    Prince

    Artthur: thecentralcharacter inall twelve

    books

    QueenGloriana: and

    allegorical

    figure forElizabeth I

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    MAJOR CHARACTERS

    Britomart: Afemale knight

    who is thehereine ofbook III

    Guyon: thehero of book

    II

    Una: a youngwoman whoasks for the

    FaerieQueene for

    help.

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    MAJOR CHARACTERS

    Calidore:the hero of

    book VI

    Artegal:The hero of

    book V

    Cambel andTrieamond:

    main

    charactersof book IV

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    MAJOR THEMESAND THEIR ALLEGORICALMEANINGS

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    Themes

    throughthe sixbooks

    Holiness

    Temperance

    Chastity

    Friendship

    Justice

    Courtesy

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    Book 1

    This book isinterpreted as an areligious allegoryconcerning thesplit the CatholicChurch and theCrurch of England

    Book 2

    It is also seen as areligious allegory

    where the heromust learn toovercome thetemptations ofsensual pleasure.

    Book 3This one refers tochastity but not inmodern terms,chastity has a moregeneral purity as asocial and religiousvirtue.

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    Book 4

    This one isaboutfriendship as

    part of theindividual

    Book 5

    In this book theallgory is basedon the fate ofMary Stuartunder the ruleof Elizabeth I

    Book 6 The allegory of

    this book is themaliciousnessof falseapperances andpublic slander.

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