I wanted to talk about the idea you said in class that the Red Cross and the dragon could have Pagan ties. The dragon is described as a large, red and black creature with fire in his eyes. “His body monstrous, horrible, and vast, which to increase his wondrous greatness more.”
It’s a symbol of evil in Christian tradition, a serpent that represents sin. Red Cross is only saved by divine healing until he finally defeats the dragon. I think the idea that the dragon has Pagan ties is a really interesting allegory. Christianity was trying to defeat Paganism, and the dragon represents natural elements. Similar to the Green Knight, a Pagan symbol that challenges Christianity and the modernizing world on Christmas, and the message from the movie that nature will inevitably outlast anything Christianity and in general people will build. I also read about dragons in some other cultures, and a lot of them are symbolic of nature and other good forces, far from the Christian view of evil and sin. Thinking of the dragon as a Pagan symbol of nature, and Red Cross as Christianity trying to dominate it is a really fitting allegory that fits with what was happening during that period.
One thought on “The Faerie Queene Canto 11 Reflection”