Good vs. Evil in Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser

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Good vs. Evil in Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser

Good versus evil is one of the most commonly used themes in literature. Edmund Spenser’s “Faerie Queene” is no exception to this theme. The story consists of a knight who must save the day and win the hand of his true love. This plot in itself is really common in story plots. The “Faerie Queene,” however, adds a little life to this old tradition. Allegory is placed in this story and really makes up the theme and brings it to life. Allegory is a literary device where a metaphor is extended throughout the narrative and the characters in the story symbolize a type of virtue. The “Faerie Queene” is full of allegory, as a matter of fact; every character symbolizes some type of virtue or person in history. Without the use of this literary device, this story would be as common as all the other good versus evil themed stories are, but instead, it has become a classic in literary history.

The main character of the narrative is Redcrosse Knight who is the typical “hero” of the story. He symbolizes the virtue of holiness and also is seen depicting Saint George who is the patron saint of England. Redcrosse is used in this manner to illustrate Spenser’s thoughts on the battle going on in England at the time between the Catholic Church, the old church, and the new Protestant church. What had happened in history at the time of the writing of the story was that of course, Catholicism had beat out the old church and become the...

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