That Glorious Fire it Kindled: Extremes of (Un)Righteous Sexuality in Books I and III of Spenser\u27s Faerie Queene

Edmund Spenser\u27s epic romance, The Faerie Queene (1590, 1596), claims to glorify Queen Elizabeth I, but the author hides an underlying critique of the queen throughout the poem. At the same time that Spenser openly praises the English monarch, he also reveals the faults and contradictions present in her image through how he presents the main characters in the story. In Faerie Queene, Spenser establishes a sexuality spectrum that features the lechery of Redcrosse Knight and the hypersensitive purity of Britomart; this demonstrates the various extremes of immoral sexuality. Studying both these characters reveals that the success of each knight\u27s mission relies heavily on his or her ability to navigate issues of temptation and purity. Through his presentation of Britomart\u27s inadequacies, Spenser censures Elizabeth\u27s choice to remain a virgin with no heirs