Overview. Edmund Spenser's
The Faerie Queene is an epic poem of the English Renaissance that features knights and their adventures. In this unit, you will read about the adventures of a virtuous lady knight, Britomart, who has seen the face of her destined lover in Merlin's mirror and sets out on a quest to find him, all the while disguised as a man. Although Spenser's poetry is very beautiful, I have used a prose version for this unit —
Stories from the Faerie Queene by Mary Macleod — so that you can enjoy Britomart's adventure as a story in its own right. You will find magical weapons here, like Britomart's own enchanted spear, and mysterious settings, such as the "Castle Joyous of the Lady of Delight" or the even more weird "Castle of the Enchanter." Britomart's male disguise leads to several gender-bending dilemmas and, to add to the confusion, her beloved Artegall has disguised himself beyond recognition as a wild man called the "Savage Knight." If you are a fan of Arthurian romance and/or Shakespearean comedies of mistaken identity, I think you will enjoy Britomart's story!
Language. This is a prose adaptation of Spenser's Renaissance poetry, and it should not be too difficult to read.
Story Length. This unit consists of one continuous story, divided into different episodes.
Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on a single page:
Britomart.
- Sir Guyon
- How Britomart Fought with Six Knights
- Britomart in Castle Joyous
- The Magic Mirror
- The Cave of the Magician Merlin
- Britomart's Quest
- The Castle of the Churl Malbecco
- How Britomart Walked through Fire
READING B:
- The Enchanted Chamber
- A Wicked Enchanter
- Strange Meetings
- The Golden Girdle
- The False Florimell
- The House of Care
- Two Knights
- How Britomart Ended her Quest
