Julie's Spenser page

The Significance of Darkness and Light in Book I of The Faerie Queene

While on their quest to usurp the forces of evil and relinquish those of good, Red Crosse Knight and Una encounter some obstacles of the most heinous sort. In describing the forces of evil, Spenser's narrator consistently refers to darkness, but assigns qualities of light to the forces of good. The light represents everything that is pure and right in the allegory, while the darkness symbolizes everything that is sinful.

Part 1: The Darkness

But full of fire and greedy hardiment,
     The youthfull knight could not for ought be staide,
     But forth vnto the darksome hole he went,
     And looked in: his glistring armor made
     A litle glooming light, much like a shade,
     By which he saw the vgly monster plaine,
     Halfe like a serpent horribly displaide,
     But th'other halfe did womans shape retaine,
     Most lothsom, filthie, foule, and full of vile disdaine.

And to him said, Goe now proud Miscreant,

Thy selfe thy message doe to german deare,

Alone he wandring thee too long doth want:

Goe say, his foe thy shield with his doth beare.

Therewith his heauie hand he high gan reare,

Him to haue slaine; when loe a darkesome clowd

Vpon him fell: he no where doth appeare,

But vanisht is. The Elfe him cals alowd,

But answer none receiues: the darknes him does shrowd.

As when that diuelish yron Engin wrought

In deepest Hell, and framd by Furies skill,

With windy Nitre and quick Sulphur fraught,

And ramd with bullet round, ordaind to kill,

Conceiueth fire, the heauens it doth fill

With thundring noyse, and all the ayre doth choke,

That none can breath, nor see, nor heare at will,

Through smouldry cloud of duskish stincking smoke,

That th'onely breath him daunts, who hath escapt the stroke.

From that day forth Duessa was his deare,

And highly honourd in his haughtie eye,

He gaue her gold and purple pall to weare,

And triple crowne set on her head full hye,

And her endowd with royall maiestye:

Then for to make her dreaded more of men,

And peoples harts with awfull terrour tye,

A monstrous beast ybred in filthy fen

He chose, which he had kept long time in darksome den.

By this the dreadfull Beast drew nigh to hand,

Halfe flying, and halfe footing in his hast,

That with his largenesse measured much land,

And made wide shadow vnder his huge wast;

As mountaine doth the valley ouercast.

Approching nigh, he reared high afore

His body monstrous, horrible, and vast,

Which to increase his wondrous greatnesse more,

Was swolne with wrath, & poyson, & with bloudy gore.

Part 2: The Light

And with them eke, O Goddesse heauenly bright,
     Mirrour of grace and Maiestie diuine,
     Great Lady of the greatest Isle, whose light
     Like Phoebus lampe throughout the world doth shine,
     Shed thy faire beames into my feeble eyne,
     And raise my thoughts too humble and too vile,
     To thinke of that true glorious type of thine,
     The argument of mine afflicted stile:
     The which to heare, vouchsafe, O dearest dred a-while.

A louely Ladie rode him faire beside,

Vpon a lowly Asse more white then snow,

Yet she much whiter, but the same did hide

Vnder a vele, that wimpled was full low,

And ouer all a blacke stole she did throw,

As one that inly mournd: so was she sad,

And heauie sat vpon her palfrey slow:

Seemed in heart some hidden care she had,

And by her in a line a milke white lambe she lad.

At last she chaunced by good hap to meet

A goodly knight, faire marching by the way

Together with his Squire, arayed meet:

His glitterand armour shined farre away,

Like glauncing light of Phoebus brightest ray;

From top to toe no place appeared bare,

That deadly dint of steele endanger may:

Athwart his brest a bauldrick braue he ware,

That shynd, like twinkling stars, with stons most pretious rare.

And in his first encounter, gaping wide,

He thought attonce him to haue swallowd quight,

And rusht vpon him with outragious pride;

Who him r'encountring fierce, as hauke in flight,

Perforce rebutted backe. The weapon bright

Taking aduantage of his open iaw,

Ran through his mouth with so importune might,

That deepe emperst his darksome hollow maw,

And back retyrd, his life bloud forth with all did draw.

At the end of the first book of The Faerie Queene, the guidance of the light has allowed Red Crosse Knight to slay the dragon and restore peace and righteousness. The knight has overcome despair with strength from influential forces of good that come to him through favorable chance. All of the evil forces have been striped of their power and will be forced to retreat to their dark holes, "defeated quite." RCK has definitely earned the title of virtuous gentleman.