Spenser and The Faery Queene

Eventhough the letter was difficult to read, I can say that Spenser wrote about King Arthur because he represented the twelve virtues, thus he was an example of a strong power.

Spenser through his letter wanted to emphasise the twelve virtues, however he mentioned Holiness, Temperance, Friendship,Justice, Courtesy and Chastity showing them in different books. He used different characters in the letter to represent the virtues, such as Red Cross Knight (Holiness), Gloriana, Britomartis (Chastity), Una, Sir Guyon, Prince Arthur, Arthegall and Calidore.


As the letter was an allegory, it means that it had some hidden messages. Spenser wanted to be “protected” by someone else if the Queen didn’t understant the letter very well. As King Arthur, was the man in love of the Faery Queene and also a respectful man, Spenser could show his messages through him.