Gawain, he gripped the axe, and swung it up on high, And stretching forth his hand, as all men gaped at him, The while he gripped his head e'en by the flowing hair. He set himself as firm in saddle, so I ween, As naught had ailed him there, though headless he was seen He turned his steed about, Full many there had doubt Of how the pledge might fall! THE DEPARTURE OF THE GREEN KNIGHT The head, within his hand he held it up a space; In hall; The eyelids straight were raised, and looked with glance so clear, 5 10 15 20 25 5 10 15 The King and Gawain there A marvel unto men! SUGGESTIONS TO STUDENTS 20 1. Make a comparison between Sir Gawain, the hero of this metrical romance, who does valorous deeds with a desire for knightly fame, and the hero of the great epic, "Beowulf," who, prompted by the great desire to save a people, undertakes his perilous enterprises. 2. There are other interesting points of comparison which will bring out the differences between the great epic and the metrical romance. For instance, which poem shows a greater love for beauty and the refinements of life? Which one shows the more imagination? Which one represents the deeper human emotions? The nobler ideals? Which one deals with life on the larger scale? In which one is the moral of the story most evident? What is this moral? Is there a moral to be found in the other? If so, what is it? Which poem shows the love element to the greater degree? Which one has the grander theme? How many people are vitally interested in the deeds of Sir Gawain? In those of Beowulf? Which shows the greater love for color and pageantry? Notice the methods of warfare used in each poem. How did Beowulf's adversary compare with that of Sir Gawain? 1 The Faerie Queene.-The greatest English metrical romance, as well as poetic allegory, is Spenser's "Faerie Queene," which was written in the time of Queen Elizabeth and dedicated to her. According to the original plan, the author intended to write twentyfour books: the first twelve to portray the twelve moral virtues shown in Prince Arthur; and the other twelve books to set forth the twelve political virtues which Arthur possessed after he became king. Of this plan only six books were completed, and yet, abbreviated as the poem is, it is the longest one in our language. Each book of the "Faerie Queene" is complete in itself, since, for the most part, it tells the story of a set of characters not found in the other books. These books are bound into an organic whole, however, by the fact that the hero of each sets out on his mission from the same court, that of Gloriana, the Faerie Queene; and, furthermore, each knight is rescued from his worst peril by Prince Arthur, who, on his way to find his foreordained bride, the Faerie Queene, rides up at the most critical moment when the knight is unable to 1 Edmund Spenser, 1552-1599. of The Faerie Queene help himself. characters of the poem. The first book of the "Faerie Queene" is considered to be the It tells the story of the Red Cross Knight, or Holiness, who, accompanied by the lady Una, or Truth, goes to rescue Una's parents, who have been imprisoned by a terrible dragon. On the way they meet with many perilous adventures. The First Book They first are overtaken by a fearful storm, and, seeking refuge in a shady grove near by, they lose their way in a labyrinth, and encounter the dragon, Error, in her den in the thickest woods. The knight, by means of his spiritual armor and weapons, is able to kill the monster, and he and the lady at last regain the highway. Not long afterward they encounter Archimago, or Hypocrisy, who, in the guise of a venerable hermit, beguiles them to his cell with the promise of rest and food. The old man is a wicked magician, who succeeds in weaving such a spell about the young knight, that he thinks his lady Truth, is false, and he therefore forsakes her. He goes on alone for some time, but finally falls in with a Saracen, who is accompanied by a seemingly beautiful lady. The Red Cross Knight overcomes the Saracen, whereupon the lady throws herself upon his protection. Her story is so plausible that the knight is deceived. She is, in reality, a very wicked witch, Duessa, or Falsehood, and she is the cause of all of his subsequent misfortunes. She leads him to the House of Pride, and, later, persuades him to remove his heavenly armor and to drink of an enchanted fountain. He at once loses his strength, and falls an easy prey to a terrible giant, who takes him captive. Thus Prince Arthur and Gloriana are the unifying In the meanwhile the lady Una, who is seeking everywhere for the Red Cross Knight, has various experiences. She is followed by a lion, which becomes her protector for a time; she encounters many perils, but escapes; and, at last, meets the dwarf, her own servant, who had become separated from her at the house of Archimago. From him she learns of the imprisonment of the Red Cross Knight. She despairs at first of being able to help him, but finally comes upon Prince Arthur, who, when he has heard her story, goes at once with her to the giant's stronghold, and rescues the knight. The Red Cross Knight is, at first, very despondent because of his failures and sinfulness in the past; but Una leads him to the House of Religion, where he is ministered to by the three daughters of the house, Faith, Hope, and Charity, until he recovers his strength. He then is able to attack the fearful dragon, and, after a three days' fight, succeeds in rescuing Una's parents. The book properly ends with the marriage of the knight and his faithful Una. In the "Faerie Queene" we are interested not only in the story, but in the historical and, especially, the spiritual allegories that the poet has woven into this poem. In the story of the Red Cross Knight and his battles, Spenser has given us the allegory of the human soul, which struggles against the temptations and sins of the world, until, through God's grace, at last it triumphs gloriously because it is able to maintain the fight to the end. SUGGESTIONS TO STUDENTS 1. Read some of the pictures which Spenser has given and note the beauty and melody of the lines. The following are especially good: the description of the Red Cross Knight and Una, Canto I, stanzas 1-5; the house of Morpheus, stanzas 39-44; Una and the lion, Canto III, stanzas 4-6, 9; the house of Pride, Canto IV, stanzas 4-8. Also make a brief study of the life of Spenser, the man who wrote the "Faerie Queen." 2. Try to work out a little of Spenser's allegory. For instance, in the first few stanzas of Canto I (1-14), what is meant by the "mightie armes and silver shield" that the young knight has on? (See Ephesians VI. 13-17.) Why does the young knight have on an old armor? Why does the armor show many "dints of deep wounds"? What is meant by the steed's disdaining to yield to the curb? Why the cross on the knight's breast and shield? What is the dragon that he has started out to overcome? Who is the lady? Notice her attributes: humility, innocence, purity;-how shown? Why is she veiled? Why does she mourn? What does the dwarf stand for? What is meant by the storm? The labyrinth? Why is one path so much broader and easier to follow than the rest? Why is the monster's cave in the thickest part of the woods? What is the significance of the lady's warning the knight of danger? Account for the spirit of the knight here. Why does the monster hide in the darkest part of the cave? How is the knight able to see the monster? What is signified by the thousand young ones? Why of different shapes, yet all ill favored? This, perhaps, will be sufficient to give you an idea as to how the allegory is carried out. Later Metrical Romances.-The best metrical romances of later English literature are Scott's "Lady of the Lake," "Marmion," and "Lay of the Last Minstrel'; Moore's "Lalla Rookh"; and Tennyson's "The Princess." Tennyson's "Idylls of the King" are on the border-land between the metrical romance and the great 1 Chaucer's "Knight's Tale" is really a metrical romance, although classed by him as a tale. |