Spensers Faerie Queene and Societys Views of Elizabeth I - Essay Example

Spenser’s Faerie Queene and Society’s Views of Elizabeth I, Especially With Regard to Her Chastity. Introduction Spenser’s allegorical epic poem ‘Faerie Queene’ was a product of its time. Wauchope ( 2005) describes in his introduction to the text for the Gutenburg Project how there was a revival of ideas about chivalry and the rise of new ideas about national identity. The queen was closely linked to both of these. In the Gutenburg Project text of the poem on the first page Spenser’s epic poem of 1589 onwards is dedicated to Queen Elizabeth I The most High, Mightie and Magnificent Empresses renowned for pietie, vertue and all gratious government Elizabeth by the Grace of God Queene of England Fraunce and Ireland and of Virginia, Defendour of the Faith, etc, Her most humble servaunt Edmund Spenser doth all humilite dedicate, present and consecrate these his labours to live with the eternite of her fame. Among the poem’s many characters are several personages mean to represent England and especially the queen herself. These avatars reflect various aspects and expectations of the queen as seen by Elizabethan society. Each section of the poem is dedicated to a particular virtue. Book III is entitled the Book of Chastity. Chastity according to the English dictionary, is a situation in which a person does not have sex with anyone other than their spouse, or a situation in which a person does not have sex at all. In Spenser, there is a rather different sort of definition implied. ‘Chastity….is not the vowed celibacy of the medieval ascetic, but is synonymous with conjugal love in its purest form’ according to McMurphy ( 1924, page 133) Spenser views heterosexuality as a violent relationship and as the possession of a female’s body by a male. Queen Elizabeth, as far as can be proved, remained chaste through her reign, although there were lots of rumors to the contrary. This and other ideas about Elizabeth are included by Spenser, especially in the form of female protagonists in his convoluted tale. Thesis and the Reasoning Behind It Spenser’s depiction of Elizabeth, especially in Book III of ‘The Faerie Queene,’ reflects popular ideas about her held by her subjects, in particular with regard to her chastity. The Method Used to Prove the Thesis Various ideas about Elizabeth held by her subjects will be discussed, analyzed, and related to Spenser’s poem, in particular to book III, the book of Chastity, and especially with relation to the female characters included, their actions and motivations. This will be done by looking at the work itself, but also the comments of various scholars. Tudor Perceptions of Elizabeth Elizabeth obviously encouraged certain ideas about herself, as when she allowed painters to depict her in certain roles. ‘Most portraits of Elizabeth as queen are concerned with conveying an image rather than the truth of her appearance or character’ according to the web site ‘Portraits of Elizabeth 1’ Spenser represents these popular ideas about the monarch in his different characters with whom he directly connects Queen Elizabeth. Exploring these ideas will show how much the poem is a product of its time and how Spenser was writing in response to many influences, and in particular ideas then current about chastity. The Queen was viewed by her subjects along the same lines as the following female figures, in particular those who practiced chastity as in the examples below : The first female figure is The Virgin Mary – which idea served to transform her image from that of an illegitimate Protestant into a Catholic icon according to Sinclair ( 2009) Elizabeth encouraged this idea of perpetual purity by artificially whitening her skin and by wearing pearls, which are symbols of purity. Portraits of Elizabeth show her as a young woman and a virgin as in a miniature by Nicolas Hilliard, which depicts her with flowing hair of a maiden. . Throughout her reign, even into old age, she continued to dress like a young girl, a virgin, and also refused to name any successor, thus keeping open the idea that she might yet produce an heir. She would only indicate James as her heir on her death bed according to “Death of Elizabeth 1”( undated). The draft of a proclamation made in 1563 shows how Elizabeth sought to control the making of her portrait. 'Some special person that shall be by her allowed' would produce an authorised 'pattern' which would then be followed by other licensed artists as described by Coombs ( 2011). This explains many very similar portraits. There were, however, a number of unofficial portraits created, so much so that in1596 the Privy Council authorised the destruction of 'unseemly' pictures, i.e. those that did not fit these authorized patterns, again according to Coombs (2011). The link with the Virgin Mary was encouraged because it expressed, enhanced, and served to justify the queen's right to reign, and to justify her authority and her relations with the church as Defender of the Faith, a title bestowed on her father by the pope as described in the Encyclopedia Brittanica. Elliot (1999) states that she was born on the eve of the traditional birth date of Mary and also quotes evidence that after the queen’s death, there was prayer to her, asking for her intercession, an action strongly linked to the Virgin. The second figure is Gloriana – the glory of England. In Spenser’s poem, she is queen of of the imaginary county Faerieland. Sir Roy Strong said (1977, page 16): The cult of Gloriana was skilfully created to buttress public order and, even more, deliberately to replace the pre-Reformation externals of religion, the cult of the Virgin and saints with their attendant images, processions, ceremonies and secular rejoicing. The other figure is Diana, the beautiful goddess, as in her portrait by Cornelius Vroom. In the poem, Book III, Canto 5, Belphoebe represents Diana as an unattainable being. In addition to the above mentioned female figures, as a Vestal Virgin, Tuccia, one of these virgins, is supposed to have proved her purity by being able to carry water in a sieve. Elizabeth was portrayed on several occasions holding such a sieve such as that by Gower in 1579. Tuccia is said to have carried water in a sieve as proof of her purity and chastity. The last figure is Astrea. She is legendary Queen of Urania, and muse in Greek myth, and associated with ideal love according to Wilson (2006, page 151) The perception of her as being almost semi –divine would have enshrined her chastity as being almost divine and magical. In addition to these figures, Queen Elizabeth was also seen by her subjects as a wife, if an unusual one, as in her famous speech as quoted by Culbertson ( undated) , To satisfie you, I have already joyned myself in marriage to an Husband, namely, the Kingdom of England...And to me it shall be a Full satisfaction, both for the memorial of my Name, and for my Glory also, if when I shall let my last breath, it be ingraven upon my Marble Tomb, Here lieth Elizabeth, which Reigned a Virgin, and died a Virgin. Queen Elizabeth I was likened to the various above-mentioned figures shows that she was linked to ideas about purity because of her chastity. She was also known for her eloquence and rhetoric and her command of various foreign languages. This brought out the idea that intellect could be found in female form. Spenser Alludes to Several of These Ideas. According to Spenser and his Book 3 of ‘The Faerie Queene’, Chastity helps people avoid to inappropriate sexual relations; it may be as a result of differences in social class; it may be due to a person still waiting for a beloved; it may be due to unrequited love; or it may be a form of purity. It is associated with maidens; is susceptible to lust; transcends beauty; and, finally, is supported by holiness. In January 1589, Spenser wrote to Sir Walter Raleigh and entitled “A Letter of the Authors describing his whole intention in the course of this work; which, for that it giveth great light to the reader, for the better understanding is hereunto annexed” (as quoted in Hamilton 714) The letter contains mentions of how characters such as Glory (Gloriana) are allegorical representations of Elizabeth. Belphoebe (another name for the goddess Diana, described as virtuous, is mentioned. Britomatis (Britomart, the heroine of Book III) is also described as the picture of chastity. In the actual poem, specifically in Book III, there are other allusions. For example, Britomart, a virgin, is a female knight. This can be seen perhaps as an allusion to Elizabeth wearing armor as when she addressed her troops at the time the Armada threatened in 1588 ( Jokinen 2003). However, there are problems with Britomart’s allusion as Elizabeth in that Britomart eventually had a child, one from whom Elizabeth is supposedly descended. This means that Britomart’s virginity, although not her chastity, was only of a temporary nature. Is Spenser hinting to the queen that her own virginity could be also of a temporary character? This seems rather stranger in view of the queen’s age by the time he wrote. She was about in her late 50’s and despite the images she put forward, she was obviously past the age at which she could be expected to produce an heir. Was he rather urging her to marry because the question of a suitable successor grew ever more important as the queen got closer to the end of her life? Her reign was seen as a golden age and the majority of people did not want the country to descend into chaos, and perhaps even have a Roman Catholic sovereign once again after a period of Anglican stability. ( Elizabeth I and the Church , undated) Chastity as a Major Topic in Book III of the Faerie Queene. Spenser explores various reasons for chastity. Some of these reasons are unreturned love, falling to lust, differences in social class, beauty, holiness, or association with maiden and youth. However, some of these reasons can be expressed by Spenser to encourage his queen to get married, such as the reason attached with maiden. Chastity and Unreturned love Book III focuses on unreturned and/or unreciprocated love and the part taken by Fortune in human beings. For example, Britomart ‘ the flowre of chastity’ (3 Canto XI v 6) starts the section by regretting that her she has still to meet her beloved, a man who is a figment of her desire. Arthur too tries his utmost, but his love for Gloriana remains unreciprocated (Book 3 Canto 1, v 7 ) . :- Ah gentlest knight, that euer armour bore,   Let not thee grieue dismounted to haue beene,   And brought to ground, that neuer wast before;   For not thy fault, but secret powre vnseeneI In the same canto, Britomart is not influenced by superficial beauty, but instead continues in her search for the man who had become her true love – yet as that time he was only an image in a mirror. Is Spenser describing Elizabeth’s long quest for true love so prefer to stay chaste? Chastity and Falling to Lust Another aspect of chastity is that it can fall to lust. In Book III, Canto’s iii, iv, and v, Florimell keeps escaping from lustful men in order to keep her chastity. For example, she escapes from the son of the witch who lusts after her. The witch’s son’s lustful nature shows how fragile a woman’s body is against a lustful male. Although there were lots of rumors about Elizabeth’s virginity and chastity, there seems to be no real evidence that she ever succumbed – she had too much to lose, primarily her independence, and ability to make her own decisions. On the other hand, it is likely that Spenser was aware of such rumors and also of what had happened between her and her step-mothers husband Thomas Seymour. As the web page ‘Elizabethan Era: Teenage Scandal of Elizabeth I’ ( undated) reveals Seymour was executed for high treason and Elizabeth altered her frivolous behavior to something more befitting a Protestant virgin. Chastity and Differences in Social Class A third reason for chastity could be differences in social positions. The queen’s cousin Margaret Douglas had got engaged to someone of a lower class and as a result Henry VIII had imprisoned them both and her betrothed died while there according to the web page Margaret Douglas, C. Lennox,( undated) At this period in time it was almost impossible to marry out of one’s class and so chastity might be forced upon those who do fall in love with the wrong person. In the poem Timias takes the spotlight as his chase for Florimell as would be rapist points him towards Belphoebe, who is another female warrior figure and, as mentioned above, representing the goddess Diana. Timias’ falls in love with Belphoebe at first sight; however, he views her as someone who is too high in the social hierarchy for him and, therefore, unattainable (book 3, Canto 5 ). Spenser here is reflecting the norms of his society. Chastity and Beauty Almost all portraits of Elizabeth show a beautiful woman, despite the fact that over time she must have gradually shown signs of aging in real life. Spenser shows however that chastity is not necessarily dependent upon beauty. The fake Florimell is made out of wax and snow, both being images of impermanence, and become one of the central figures in the epic. Her way of life hints that Florimell’s allure is not evil, but her nature as a fake beauty shows the emptiness of surface beauty. Spenser is telling his readers that both the good looking and not-so-good looking can be chaste, and that beauty is not necessarily a vice. Florimell’s real attraction for Proteus; the sea god shows us that her beauty is a significant part of the world and is as such not a vice. The conclusion that the reaction others have to particular beauty depicts it as either vice or virtue. This can be linked to Elizabeth’s life - Thomas Seymour’s reaction to the then Princess’s teenage beauty became a vice. Chastity and Holiness As queen Elizabeth had a religious role and well as a political one. She was ‘Defender of the Faith’, a title given by the pope to her father Henry and still held by the monarchy despite the split with Rome and the birth of the Anglican church as described above. Spenser describes chastity as supported by holiness, as when Britomart is helped by The Red Crosse knight, this helps an individual avoid lechery. She rescues Redcrosse who is under attack. He represents England and victory. “Thou Saint George shalt called bee, Saint George of mery England, the signe of victoree” (Canto X v 51). Her strength in battle shows that Holiness requires chastity to remain healthy. On the other hand, Malecasta, whose name implies being “unchaste,” and who represent the lack of chastity, is the exact opposite of Britomart. Britomart is a character who seeks adventure during her quest for her beloved. On the other hand, it is shown that Malecasta enjoys her luxury while she seeks to impose lusts on any knight who embraces her hospitality. Malecasta faints when she learns that Britomart is actually a woman. Her six knights, who represent lechery’s six stages, try to take advantage of her, but the Redcrosse knight, representative of England as St George, comes to her aid. He supports her in her chastity. Is Spenser linking the virgin queen with piety and with her title, Defender of the Faith? Chastity, Maiden and Youth These two aspects have been shown in the poem to encourage Queen Elizabeth to get married. Chastity is associated with maidens. Belphoebe is described in terms of a goddess , “So faire, and thousand thousand times more faire/ She seemd, when she presented was to sight.’ Her story shows the two principal roles of women: her mother is Chrysogonee ( Book III Canto vi, vi) and she herself is the virgin (Belphoebe). Queen Elizabeth I, as stated above, took the throne as a single woman, a virgin. She portrayed herself as a virgin as in her many portraits with the sieve already mentioned yet she also entertained many suitors, some of them with intensity and for extended periods as happened with both Leicester and Essex according to the web pages Elizabethan Era, the Earl of Essex and Robert Dudley , Earl of Leicester. However, her chaste status began to be thought of in negative ways as she got older. Spenser, through his Book III, tries to encourage his Queen to get married and therefore fit into the usual mores of society. Chastity is related to age and is positively associated with the young, those who have not yet had sexual relations, but as a person got older gradually became linked to more negative concepts. Another point is that chastity is linked most strongly to youth – something Britomart still had, whereas Elizabeth , despite the way she dressed as a girl with flowing hair, was definitely in late middle age. Elizabeth was being encouraged to get married because being a maid, a virgin, at her age was not considered to be appropriate. So, Edmund Spenser, I believe, wrote ‘The Faerie Queene’ to encourage and support his queen into getting married, even though he praised her chastity and being a virgin. Elizabeth and Herself Imposed Chastity Elizabeth had come to the throne as a young single woman. Single she remained despite many suitors. As mentioned above, Spenser shows some possible reasons for chastity in Book III of The Faerie Queene, however, there are some other factors or reasons that have not been state or hinted at in the poem. These reasons can have a significant role in Elizabeth I’s chastity. So, the question is: What are these reasons? One reason was that it was also a useful political tool - as long as various European states were negotiating marriage with her they were unlikely to declare war. On a national basis, she was perceived to be trying to find a husband, without actually doing so. According to Culbertson ( undated) negotiations for a possible marriage with the Duke of Alencon continued until the queen was over 50 years old and he was only one of several such suitors. Only on her death bed did she give the smallest indication of what was to happen, according to the web page ‘Death of Queen Elizabeth I’ On a more personal basis according to the social mores of the time Elizabeth was defying convention, but being single gave her independence. Once she got married her husband would be in charge and, although he would supposedly care for her, he would expect obedience. She would no longer be the decision maker. Both males and females generally believed that women were inferior to men and that was the natural order of things. John Knox , quoted in Elizabethan Women ( 2005) said ‘Woman in her greatest perfection was made to serve and obey man," but others would have felt the same. Also, the queen’s would have been very aware of how unhappy Mary, her sister, who had married but with a result of no-live children. Elizabeth would be also aware of the marriages that went wrong in her society or the societies before her. Another obvious reason is that her mother’s fate would have weighed heavily with Elizabeth. Her step mothers Jane Seymour and Katherine Parr had died as a result of complications following childbirth. Also, her step uncle and husband of her step mother Catherine Parr, had made sexual advances to Elizabeth when she was only 14 , and was executed as a result, according to the web page Teenage Scandel of Elizabeth I, Elizabeth Era ( undated) , and her aunt Margaret Douglas’s betrothed had died as a result of a love considered to be inappropriate as mentioned earlier. So for Elizabeth sex was strongly linked to death. Conclusion Elizabeth’s continued celibacy resulted in a lot of concern by her subjects who were terrified of the possible repercussions if no heir was agreed. They may also have thought that she was lonely and not fulfilling her God given role of being a mother. Society had trouble accepting that their Queen was living a celibate life. Although the first part of the poem was written in 1590, when Elizabeth was 57 years old and already obviously long past childbearing, it seems Spenser believed it was not too late to encourage her into marriage. For this reason Spenser portrays strong and chaste women in order to reflect what he saw as the real life of Queen Elizabeth. He shows how chastity can be maintained for many reasons. Spenser identifies Belphoebe who is a lifelong virgin. He also identifies Gloriana who is a central fairy queen with Queen Elizabeth I. According to Spenser, Queen Elizabeth I is the epitome of chastity which he describes as a signature virtue that originates in a warrior’s force and goes on to develop into the fruitfulness of a wife. There is of course an obvious problem with this in that Elizabeth was far beyond her fruitful years. Spenser is perhaps idealizing the situation. Chastity was obviously an important subject both to Spenser and the wider society of Elizabethan England. Elizabethans saw their queen as someone in pursuit of peace, a negotiator for peace in Europe, rather than as a warrior leader as in the case of the chaste Britomart. However, I believe that society of that time, considered that for her life to be complete, a woman must both marry and have children, something that is not necessarily considered to be so in modern times. Ideas about chastity are also considerably altered for many in modern society. Works Cited Camden, Wallace , The History of the Most Renowned and Victorious Princess Elizabeth Late Queen of England., Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1970 Coombs, Catherine Portrait Miniature of Elizabeth I , BBC History, 2011, 14th April 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/elizabeth_portrait_01.shtml Culbertson, Katherine. Elizabeth I: the Most Elusive Bride in History.11th April 2011. http://history.hanover.edu/hhr/94/hhr94_2.html Death of Queen Elizabeth 1.12th April 2011. http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/death-of-queen-elizabeth-i.htm Defender of the Faith, Encyclopedia Britannica, ( undated) 15th April 2011, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/155661/defender-of-the-faith Elizabeth I and the Church, undated, http://www.elizabethi.org/us/elizabethanchurch/queenandchurch.html Elliot, E. “Eliza’s Works, Wars and Praise”: Representations of Elizabeth I in Diane Primrose and Anne Bradstreet, 1999, 14th April 2011 http://www.womenwriters.net/editorials/elliott.htm Earl of Essex, Elizabethan Era, ( undated ) 15th April 2011, http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/earl-of-essex.htm Gower, George., The Plimpton ‘Sieve’ Portrait of Elizabeth I, 11th April 2011. http://www.folger.edu/html/exhibitions/elizabeth_I/sieve.asp Hilliard, Nicolas, Portrait of Elizabeth I, circa 1600, 14th April 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/elizabeth_portrait_01.shtml Jokinen,A. Speech to the troops at Tilbury , 2003, 15th April 2011, http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/tilbury.htm Knox, John, quoted in Elizabethan Women, William Shakespeare Site Map, 2005. 15th April 2011. http://www.william-shakespeare.info/elizabethan-women.htm McMurphy, S., Spenser’s Use of Aristo for Allegory, University of Washington Publications in Language and Literature, 1924 Margaret Douglas, (C.Lennox) ( undated) 15th April 2011 http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Bios/MargaretDouglas.htm Portraits of Queen Elizabeth 1, ( undated) 15th April 2011 http://www.marileecody.com/eliz1-images.html Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester ( undated) 15th April 2011 http://www.elizabethi.org/us/queensmen/robertdudley.htm Sinclair, Alexia, Elizabeth I- the Virgin Queen (from ‘My Regal Twelve’ Art Series, Encyclopedia Britannica Blog, 2009. 12th April 2011 http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2009/03/elizabeth-i-%E2%80%93-the-virgin-queen-from-my-%E2%80%9Cregal-twelve%E2%80%9D-art-series/ Spenser, Edmund. 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