Vincent Darlage’s Reviews > The Faerie Queene > Status Update

Book II Canto XII, wherein Sir Guyon and the Palmer travel to the Bower of Bliss, encountering many of the obstacles of the Odyssey. They find Acrasia and bind her, and destroy the sinful Bower. As they leave, they turn the monsters back into humans, and one does not want to be changed back, and it is said that virtuous people always strive for virtue, and wicked, immoral people aren't likely to change either.

Book II Canto XI, where Arthur must defend Alma's castle (the human body) against Maleger's forces (the seven sins that hit the heart and the five vices that overpower the five senses). Maleger is aided by two hags, Impotence (makes the body weak) and Impatience (makes the heart more willing to take shortcuts and sin). Like Hercules with Antaeus, Arthur must lift Maleger from the earth and cast him into a lake.

Book II Canto X, wherein Prince Arthur reads the legendary history of Britain, ending with Uther Pendragon, and Sir Guyon reads the legendary history of Fairyland, ending with the rule of Gloriana. Even though it draws on Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronology, I enjoyed the mythos of it. They were legendary ancestors, moral exemplars, cautionary tales, and symbols of Britain's destiny.

Book II Canto IX, wherein Arthur and Guyon go to Alma's castle, which is the body, and explore the wonders of the human body and how it harmoniously functions when governed by temperance. Also, Alma's castle is Protestant & British, and the wild attackers without are Catholic & Irish.

Book II Canto XIII, Sir Guyon, like Jesus after his temptations, gets the benefit of an angel watching over him as he recovers until the Palmer arrives. Then Pyrochles and Cymochles arrive to steal Guyon's armor and shield. Fortunately Arthur arrives and kills both Saracens. Guyon is restored to life. Excellent battle sequence here.

Book II Canto VI: Guyon pursues Cymochles but is ferried by Phaedria to her pleasure island, leaving the Palmer behind. Phaedria tries to distract both knights with ease and delight, but Guyon remains focused on his quest. When Guyon and Cymochles begin to fight, Phaedria intervenes and temporarily halts the conflict.

Book II Canto IV: Guyon and the Palmer find Furor, driven by Occasion, savagely tormenting Phedon. Realizing Furor cannot be subdued while Occasion incites him, Guyon restrains Occasion first, then chains Furor. Phedon recounts how a false friend deceived him into killing his innocent bride, and Atin arrives to warn that Pyrochles is approaching.

In Book II Canto III, the boastful coward Braggadochio and his scheming servant Trompart wander the forest, surviving through bluff and deception. Their antics are contrasted with the appearance of the noble huntress Belphœbe, whose beauty, virtue, and skill embody an ideal of chastity and natural excellence.

Book II Canto II: Guyon comes to Medina’s castle, where she represents the temperate middle between her extreme sisters, Elissa and Perissa. Their knights, Huddibras and Sansloy, quarrel violently; Guyon intervenes, and Medina restores peace, modeling moderation against excess and deficiency.

In Book 1 Canto 1, Sir Guyon, the Knight of Temperance, sees through the deceptions of Archimago, then encounters the dying Amavia and learns how uncontrolled passion destroyed her husband, Mordant, through the temptress Acrasia. Guyon vows to oppose such corruption and continues his quest with the wise Palmer as his guide.