Category: Posts Fall 2022

In Canto 9 of Book One in Edmund Spenser’s “The Faerie Queen” seems, at first glance, to be an ode to linking Queen Elizabeth to the glory of King Arthur’s kingdom in medevial times, but slowly transitions into something more sinister after the introduction of Despaire. Despaire is described as a hellish, old-man who uses… Read more Mental Health and the Patriarchy

My question is whether the fox was an extension of Gawain or his mother. It makes sense that it would be a symbol for Gawain, he needs to be clever and quick on his journey. The fox growls at the giants hand, there’s a tapestry in the castle of a fox hunt, which could symbolize… Read more The Green Knight Question 9/27

I think The Green Knight is a contemporary take of the original poem that strips away the ideas of chivalric romance. There are a lot of layers to this story and a lot is left to interpretation, but I think some main themes that have this modern twist are courage, what it means to be… Read more The Green Knight Reflection

This text was quite a difficult read, as expected. One thing I did notice about the text was the consistent themes present that we have seen in the other pieces we have read. Such as, mythical creatures, Christianity, the misogynistic view that paints women as evil. Therewith she spewd out of her filthy maw A… Read more Question for 9/29

My question for this class was during the movie “The Green Knight” why did they portray Gawain as such an unknightly knight? In the poem he was not the most chivalrous knight but he was a more classic example of a knight. When he asks what he would get out of helping the dead lady… Read more Late Post 9/22/2022

The first section of The Faerie Queene is a relatively straightforward “knight vs. dragon” scene, in which the dragon is described with various exclamations of her wretchedness, then killed by the knight. What is included in the stanza after the dragon’s death, however, threw me off a little: “Her scattred brood, soone as their Parent… Read more The Faerie Queene, Book 1, Canto 1: on the Dragon’s Brood

The latter half of Canto 1 appears to depict Archimago, a sorcerer or wizard, who “seekes out mighty charmes, to trouble sleepy minds” (36), or otherwise aims to disturb and torture his guests. There’s a remarkable stretch that describes a spright, summoned by Archimago, travelling through some sort of dreamworld or underworld to… speak with… Read more Why go backe?

What happened in the hermit’s house? I think I understand correctly that the hermit sorcerer conjured a sprite that looked like the lady that the knight was traveling with, and that he was talking to the sprite at the end of the first canto, but what happened to the real lady? Did the knight leave… Read more Question for Book 1, Canto 1 of “The Faerie Queene”