The Faerie Queene, Book Two

The Faerie Queene Books #2

by Edmund Spenser, Erik Gray (Editor), Abraham Stoll (Editor)

From its opening scenes--in which the hero refrains from fighting a duel, then discovers that his horse has been stolen--Book Two of The Faerie Queene redefines the nature of heroism and of chivalry. Its hero is Sir Guyon, the knight of Temperance, whose challenges frequently take the form of temptations. Accompanied by a holy Palmer in place of a squire, Guyon struggles to subdue himself as well as his enemies. His adventures lead up to a climactic encounter with the arch-temptress Acrasia in her Bower of Bliss, which provides the occasion for some of Spenser's most sensuous verse. With its mixture of chivalric romance, history, and moral allegory, Book Two succeeds in presenting an exuberant exploration of the virtue of self-restraint.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Renaissance, School, College

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1590

About the author

Edmund Spenser (c. 1552 - 1599) was an important English poet and Poet Laureate best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem celebrating, through fantastical allegory, the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I.

Though he is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy, Spenser is also a controversial figure due to his zeal for the destruction of Irish culture and colonisation of Ireland.

Reviews

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have spent many years planning on reading The Faerie Queene, maybe 40 years, and now to finally read it is very satisfying. So many of the scenes and stories take me back to other books I have read especially books by George McDonald and CS Lewis. Book Two is about how Guyon, the Knight of Temperence destroys the Bower of Bliss with help from the Palmer, a helper he desperately needs! Guyon faces many temptations along the way and he is not above feeling the pain of temptation but in the end they destroy the Bower and try to help those who have been ruined by it although most of them would rather not have help.

[Suzannah Rowntree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rebecca K. Reynolds is hard at work on a prose rendition of Spenser's great epic into modern English, and I've had the privilege of beta reading Book 2 for her. I love this project! I really wasn't sure whether a prose rendition would destroy the soul of the story, but Reynolds sticks close to Spenser's original in the best possible way - the rendition flows artistically on its own merits, but occasionally nudges a little closer to Spenser, capturing a burst of rhyme or rhythm from the original. Plus, the introductions and footnotes are super helpful, drawing on a formidable body of Spenserian scholarship. While I normally recommend encountering Spenser for the first time in audiobook form, this will become a great way of introducing contemporary readers who don't know their eke from their euer.

[Aria Maher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unfortunately when I read Fierce Wars and Faithful Loves (the first book of the Faerie Queen saga), I can't really say that I 'got it'. A lot of Spencer's insights into human nature, as well as the beauty of the story itself, was obscured by my frustration with the difficult 16th century poetic text. However, armed with my previous experience, and the knowledge that I had to put some work into getting at the gold nuggets buried in Spencer's books, I jumped at the chance to read The Elfin Knight this year. I'm not sure if I'm just a bit older and more mature (and thus less likely to be bored and frustrated by the difficult text), or maybe The Elfin Knight is actually more interesting and engaging than Fierce Wars. But I definitely enjoyed my time with Guyon and Co. much more than I did with the Redcross Knight.

In this book, Spencer portrays Sir Guyon, the titular Elfin Knight, as the Knight of Temperance. However, Guyon doesn't start out very temperate; the villainous Archimago tricks him into attacking the Redcross Knight in the first canto! The story is about Guyon's journey as he grows into a model of temperance by learning to practice it in various situations, and even at the end of the book he is still learning. This makes Guyon very human and relateable, and also casts him as a good role model without turning him into some infallible saint. Showing his struggles with the virtue of temperance, as well as his victories, underscores the fact that this is a real virtue that can be learned and practiced in real life, not just in the realms of Faerie.

[Hal]

yes…. YES 😭

[Tori Samar · Rating 5 out of 5]

“O pardon and vouchsafe with patient eare
The brave adventures of this faery knight
The good Sir Guyon gratiously to heare,
In whom great rule of Temp’raunce goodly doth appeare.”

I love Sir Guyon and his trusty guide, the Palmer! As I already said about Book One, this is great if you just stay at the level of Guyon’s adventures, but when you go beyond that to all the images of temperance and intemperance, wow. Spenser, you have blown my mind again. Special shoutout to Canto Three, the one about Braggadochio. It felt straight out of a Shakespearean comedy and was a delight to read.

[Mystie Winckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paperback (own). Well-Educated Mind Book Club. 5x5: Literature. I prefer Book One to Book Two because the Redcrosse Knight fails and is redeemed and transformed whereas Sir Guyon is incorruptible and, therefore, I thought, boring.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really thankful for these editions of Faerie Queene from Canon Press that modernize the spellings and give really helpful annotations. This one is Book 2 of Spenser's The Faerie Queene. I enjoyed it, though I'm not sure I liked it as much as Book 1.

I'd be happy to see Canon Press continue this series...

[Hannah Sames · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice

[sofi · Rating 1 out of 5]

i cant give no stars so i give you…A ONE

[Ruth Dahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Twas a hard slog, but Spenser more than made up for it with the themes and explorations of virtue he wove through.

I really appreciated the thought I could tell Spenser put in this, and the grasp of Biblical themes he had and chose to weave through the story.

Also, Spenser has Guyon go through temptations that mirror the ones Satan put Jesus through, all while in rhymed meter. Take that, YA literature!

Also, Toby Sumpter's commentary was the best, and kept me turning the pages.

And now I'm ready for the third book.

[Andrea Renfrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether or not Faerie Queene is a favorite is beside the point, because regardless of taste, it is essential reading. The Faerie Queene is so steeped with literary tradition before its time and so intertwined with everything that came after it, leaving it out of a literary education seems impossible.

So in our homeschool, little ones read the Hodges and Hyman picture books, middle grades read Enchantress From the Stars as well as the Mary MacLeod adaptation, and middle to highschoolers read one canto a week in one sitting of Spenser's original poem.

My oldest typically reads it aloud on car rides to choir rehearsal, so the littles hear that too. I plan to cycle through and repeat this practice forever with all the children.

I highly recommend tackling this with your students and though these editions aren't my favorite, they are manageable for life on the go.

[Ayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't pretend to understand everything I read in The Faerie Queene, but it helps to read it aloud. When I read it my head my mind wanders more and I have difficulty focusing. I read a little from a children's adaptation of the story to help keep track of what's going on. It's a fun read-aloud with my mother, but you have to be careful, if you read it too often you start adding e's to the ende ove everie worde.

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is the allegory of Temperance. It follows the standard medieval warrior pilgrimage. Sumpter has done a fine job of modernizing the spelling while retaining the exalted style. However, there are a few flaws with Sumpter's approach (I am not criticizing his work. It is literally one of a kind and preciously needed). Sumpter ignores (or doesn't notice) Spenser's Neo-Platonism. Without understanding Spenser's commitment to Neo-Platonism, parts of the story are incoherent. Here are some themes that will guide the reader.:

Neo-Platonic Themes

Reason masters passions: “Yet with strong reason mastered passions frail” (VI.40). But this isn’t standard Neo-Platonism of the monkish sort. Passions aren’t bad. They just need to be guided by reason.

*Mediating Spirits. Neo-Platonism of its various forms sees a chain of being connecting all of reality. The material is suspended by the spiritual. Transcendence, therefore, can be found in the lowest link of the chain. Along this chain are mediating spirits (powers, angels, fairies).

*Because of his Neo-Platonism, Spenser sees a greater role for angels than we do today (VIII:1-2). Angels actively engage and empower man and thwart the enemy.

*It seems that Spenser identifies “Temperance” as a “god” (IX.1). Granted, he isn’t using god in the crude polytheistic sense. Rather, temperance seems to be a “power” or even “Archetype.” True, this could be merely poetic license, but given Spenser’s Neo-Platonism, it fits neatly.

*In the Bower of Bliss the heroes (Guyon and Palmer) come across a “false Genius.” If we accept that these characters (Genius et al) are Archetypes, we can then add the standard (neo)Platonic insight that the Archetypes and Forms have causal power. But we have a problem. The “Genius” here is a false Genius, as Spenser clearly argues (XII.47). So clearly this Genius isn’t the real genius, but a shadow one.

EXCURSUS: ALMA'S CASTLE

Alma's Castle in Book X illustrates how thoroughly committed to Neo-Platonism (and how familiar with the occult) Spenser was. Sumpter isn't aware of these connections.

Sumpter misses the implication that Memory has hermetic overtones (Yates 2014). Memory mediates a society’s passing down of Absolute Spirit (Magee 87).
Speculative Philosophy holds up a mirror (speculum) to the Idea itself: it allows the Idea to comprehend itself (88). In fact, following the Kabbalist tradition, the “mirror” allows one to behold the deeper essence of Spirit (120).

This brings us back to the Hermetic Art of Memory. “Imagination” is to evoke from memory the Perennial Philosophy. In other words, to echo Jung, it draws out from within the unconscious.

This is rather speculative. Is this what Spenser really had in mind? I think so. Dame Frances Yates argues that Spenser “inherited much more than Neo-Platonism” (Yates 2001, 112). Spenser describes the man (representing memory) as “of infinite remembrance” (IX.52). Man is finite, not infinite--unless man himself was drawing upon a universal subsconcious. I suggest this is what Spenser had in mind. (Interestingly, Yates comments specifically on this very Canto; 114).

Yates further argues that the structure Spenser gives suggests that Man is a Microcosm of the universe. In Canto 22 we read of a “circle” and a “triangle” with a “quadrate” (cube) in between. The four-sided cube represents the four elements of the world, which is proportioned equally by “seven and nine.” Seven is the number of the planets and nine is the angelic hierarchy. If the cube is between seven and nine, then it is an eight, or an octave. This could also represent the Temple of Solomon.


Conclusion:

Spenser’s work is literally the standard by which all other poetry is compared. Even though (or perhaps because of!) he is a Neo-Platonist, Spenser floods the senses (and the soul) with beauty and creates in the reader a desire not only for the good, but for the Beautiful, for the Heroic--indeed, for the Temperate.

This isn’t accidental. If what we have said about Forms/Archetypes’ having causal power, then then we can expect “pullings” upon our soul when reading Spenser.

Spenser’s most memorable creation is the Bower of Bliss (as Lewis said, no prude can read Spenser). Guyon’s actions represent a neat twist in Neo-Platonism. The most temperate action is to go into a frenzy and destroy the Bower. This isn’t what we expect from a Neo-Platonist. Spenser doesn’t negate the passions--he calls them into Reasons’s service, but all the while they remain very, very passional. Spenser may have just squared the circle: he may have just redeemed Neo-Platonism. Guyon isn't an Anchorite who tries to transcend the realm of passions.

What about Sumpter’s annotations? They are a mixed bag. When Sumpter is explaining ethics, theology, or literary symbolism, his annotations are amazing. When he tries to be funny they are worse than awful. Remember the Ron Swanson style of humor? If you have to try hard to be funny, you aren’t. Hilarity should flow from your very being. You shouldn’t have to strain to be funny. I say that because some of the wannabe funny footnotes seriously distract from the story.

[Christine Cools Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to read, but worth it.

[Emma Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guyon + Palmer 4ever <333

[frankie lochhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

palmer was the actual hero of this wtf did guyon even do. genuinely so cool to read, took me forever but v much enjoyed, wanna read the rest of the books :D

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Temperance. So much more than I had thought it to be. Thank you, Sur Guyon (and Fanny Price of “Mansfield Park.”

[Timilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Confusing in places, but also the spiritual insights! Glad I'm taking a class & not blindly staggering around in the dark alone.

[Alec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant stuff, really.

Here's what the triumph of Temperaunce over hedonism looks like:

But all those pleasant bowres and Pallace braue,
Guyon broke downe, with rigour pittilesse;
Ne ought their goodly workmanship might saue
Them from the tempest of his wrathfulnesse,
But that their blisse he turn'd to balefulnesse:
Their groues he feld, their gardins did deface,
Their arbers spoyle, their Cabinets suppresse,
Their banket houses burne, their buildings race,
And of the fairest late, now made the fowlest place.

Only a knight who is exceedingly temperate and has good counsel could do this. Read Spenser to know how one such knight proved to be equal to the task and who advised him.

Truly spoke Robert Fripp: "To be happy with what you have you have to be happy with what you have to be happy with."

[lily &#x1fab4; · Rating 2 out of 5]

never release this shit again ‼️‼️🔥🔥

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Two of The Faerie Queene deals with Sir Guyon, the Knight of Temperance. Over the course of Guyon's adventure he learns to restrain himself from the temptations of lust and curiosity. A true knight of chivalry is temperate and level-headed at all times; he is truly the embodiment of honor. Spenser paints a beautiful picture in his Faerie Queene series - a world where knights, dragons, damsels in distress, and all sorts of stereotyped 'King Arthur'-esque shenanigans occur. There are action-packed battles, wildly whimsical characters, and many lessons to be learned. If you are comfortable with constantly reading and re-reading the same stanza in order to understand what was written, as Spenser wrote The Faerie Queene in the 16th century, you will adore this series! To my knowledge, he purposefully wrote The Faerie Queene in a certain language that immerses the reader in Faerie Land dialect. It is all about the presentation of story with Spenser, a true architect of storytelling.

"Said Guyon, See the mind of beastly man,
That hath so soone forgot the excellence
Of his creation, when he life began,
That now he chooseth, with vile difference,
To be a beast, and lacke intelligence."

[Random · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'M FINALLY FINISHED.
This is an assigned book for my English class at University. As such, I won't give a review, since it would likely involve a lot of complaining and not much about the book itself (which is very vivid in its descriptions, if lackluster in terms of plot). Instead I would like to thank a few sources for making my reading experience slightly easier:
-FULL audio books for everyone on youtube for uploading audio recordings of all 12 cantos of the Faerie Queene book 2 (especially the guy who did the last canto).
-Youtube for having a speed-change function (the last canto only took 25 minutes instead of 50 and I am so happy about that)
-My lecturer for making some of this book actually make sense
-Waterstones for sending my preorder of the Tales of Zestiria manga's 2nd volume late enough that I could use it as a reward for finishing reading TFQ (guess what I'm reading next)
-Tales of Zestiria game for including so much Arthurian legend, as well as the mythical creature names which are used for hellions - I came across a lot in this book

Now I just have an essay to write and I'll be done with this book. Finally.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book Two, or the Legend of Sir Guyon, is dedicated to exploring the virtue of temperance. After the myriad deceptions of Book one, Spenser's characters seem to have learned how to distinguish between truth and untruth, between Archimagian forgery and the Real Thing (as embodied by Una), so that the didactic logic of the second book operates in the service of a new end. Now that Spenser's equipped his readers with the skills to discriminate between false images and true ones (between Duessas from the Unas), his role as Christian moralist shifts its focus from something like theory to practice. Guyon, somehow, seems to have read Book 1. He's learned from Redcrosse. He knows what it means to be a good Christian. His primary mission, it appears, is to follow through on that project by resisting a variety of temptations that threaten to disturb the equable temperament most conducive to Christian virtue. Guyon's heroism lies in his steadfast resistance to overindulgence--both bodily and worldly--and in his containment (his literal incarceration) of the forces that most threaten the stability of his temperance (Pyrochles, Furor, Occasion, Impotence, Impatience, and Acrasia, among others). An allegorical interpretation of book 2 might look something like this: to achieve the virtue of temperance, one has to fend off rashness and lawlessness (Huddibras and Sansloy), avoid excessive pride (so as not to resemble the ridiculous Braggadocio), counteract humoral imbalances (whether Pyrochlean choler or Cymochlean phlegmaticism), resist the seductive charms of excessive indolence and mirth (Phoedria), maintain a healthy body (allegorized in Alma's exceptionally well-ordered household), and--ultimately--reject the temptation to lapse into a sumptuous life of indolence and sensuality (embodied by the bower of bliss), even if it takes extraordinary or violently INtemperate measures to reject such temptation (as enacted by the way Guyon savagely destroys the bower and ensnares Acrasia in canto XII). To be temperate one must be constituted of well or evenly "mixed" elements/humors, so that "Acrasia" (poorly mixed) becomes Guyon's ultimate enemy.

Following are the major events and characters of Book 2:

Book 2 Cast:

Cast: Sir Guyon, Palmer, Archimago, Duessa, Redcrosse Knight, Sir Mordant (deathly), Amavia (life-loving), Ruddymane (red hands), Acrasia (badly mixed, giving into desire), Elissa (too little), Medina (the mean), Perissa (too much), Sir Huddibras (rashness), Sansloy (without law), Braggadocchio, Trompart (from the French tromper, ‘to deceive’), Belphoebe (beautiful Diana), Phedon, Philemon (self-love), Claribel, Pryene (“suggesting fire, as in ‘mad through love,’” or “the means through which Philemon seeks to ‘pry’ into her mistress’s affairs” (Longman, 192), Atin (from Aten, the classical goddess of discord), Pyrochles (representing the hot and dry humoral complexion), Cymochles (representing the cold and wet humoral complexion), Furor, Occasion, Phoedria, Mammon (Riches), Arthur, Alma (Soul), Praysdesire, Shamefastnesse, Phantases (Imagination), Judgement, Eumnestes (good memory), Anamnestes (re-minder), Maleger, Impotence, Impatience, Ferryman, Verdant.

Book 2 Summary:

I. Archimago escapes from prison; Archimago and Duessa unsuccessfully attempt to trick Sir Guyon into slaying Redcrosse; Guyon and the palmer stumble upon the grief-stricken Amavia; Amavia tells the story of how her husband, Sir Mordant, was killed by Acrasia’s charmed drink; Amavia dies, and Guyon buries her.

II. Guyon unsuccessfully attempts to clean the blood off of Ruddymane’s hands; the Palmer narrates the story of the well of purity; Guyon and the Palmer approach Medina’s castle; Guyon is challenged by Huddibras and Sansloy; Medina breaks up the fight; Guyon tells Medina about his quest to defeat Acrasia.

III. Guyon leaves Ruddymane with Medina; Braggadocchio threatens Trompart into becoming his servant; Archimago tricks Braggadocchio into thinking that Sir Mordant and Amavia were slain by Redcrosse and Guyon; Braggadocchio agrees to avenge their death, and Archimago flies off to retrieve Arthur’s sword for him; Belphoebe appears to Braggadocchio and Trompart; Belphoebe’s brief lecture on the deceptive pleasures of “courtly blis”; Braggadocchio tries and fails to rape Belphoebe.

IV. Guyon encounters Phedon being tormented by Furor and Occasion; He binds them up; The story of Phedon’s betrayal by his best friend Philemon; Attin warns Guyon to get off his Lord Pyrochles’ land.

V. Pyrochles challenges Guyon to battle and loses; Guyon unbinds Occasion and Furor, after which they capture Pyrochles; Attin journeys to the bower of bliss to persuade Cymochles to avenge his brother defeat.

VI. Phoedria conducts Guyon to her island; Cymochles wakes up and battles Guyon; Phoedria breaks up the fight and then takes Guyon back to the Idle Lake; Pyrochles tries to drown himself but is eventually saved by Archimago.

VII. Guyon meets Mammon in a shady bower; Mammon repeatedly tempts Guyon with his vast store of wealth; Guyon consistently resists the money god’s seductive offers; Mammon leads Guyon out of his underground den, after which Guyon faints from lack of energy.

VIII. An angel entrusts the unconscious Guyon to the Palmer; Pyrochles, Cymochles, Atin, and Archimago find the unconscious Guyon and prepare to steal his armor; Arthur kills Cymochles and Pyrochles; Guyon is revived and thanks Arthur for his help, while Atin and Archimago flee.

IX. Guyon and Arthur tour Alma’s castle, The House of Temperance; they stumble upon Briton moniments and Antiquitie of Faerie lond in Eumnestes’ library and are granted permission to read them.

X. The contents of Briton moniments and Antiquitie of Faerie lond narrated.

XI. Guyon and the Palmer leave Alma’s castle in quest of Acrasia; Arthur murders Melager and defeats the band of villains besieging Alma’s castle.

XII. Guyon makes an Odysseian journey to Acrasia’s wandering island and then destroys the bower of bliss.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to be familiar with the story of the Faerie Queene before I read what Spenser wrote. It is a bit like reading Edith Nesbit or Charles and Mary Lamb before jumping into an unfamiliar Shakespeare play. I give this book five stars because it gave me a clear understanding of Good Sir Guyon and his companion, the Palmer.

Two thousand five hundred years ago, Socrates said, "Everything in moderation, nothing in excess" and Sir Guyon lives out that quest. When someone influential or powerful falls, it is often the result of excess in one or more areas of life. Our society wants to rip off all restrictions and, in a time when one can get almost anything desired immediately, pondering the golden mean is a good thing. Moderation teaches us discipline and requires self-control. A little bit of something is usual harmful, but, if it becomes a life-long habit, it may be deadly.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can see my overall thoughts on The Faerie Queene here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Book II *** – I read some of the highlights of the book – Cantos I, VII, VIII and XII. In these cantos, the influence of Virgil, Homer and Dante are most visible. After reading the first book, I felt a similarity to The Divine Comedy. Both are extended religious allegories that try to encapsulate the entire world. They are many differences of course. Dante’s work is more personal in one way, and in another it is more secular. Spenser creates a world totally separate from ours. But in the Mammon scene, featuring Spenser’s hell, the influence of Virgil and Dante are obvious.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spenser is amazing and amazingly relevant. His portrayal of the virtue of temperance is nuanced - it is not only knowing when to hold back, show mercy, or turn from temptation, but when to destroy the accoutrements of evil and display a righteous indignation against wickedness. This book will be required reading for all my boys in their teen years. It is definitely not “G-rated” - Spenser is uncomfortably honest about sexual temptation - but neither is our world, and I think it is much more likely to speak to a young man’s heart than a parental lecture or non-fiction book (with the exception of the Bible, of course) about purity would.

[Liz Busby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for Ovid in the Renaissance class. Well, I'm never going to be a great reader of early modern allegorical poetry, but I did enjoy working through this book with a class of engaged readers. It also gave me a chance to read and understand a lot of C. S. Lewis's scholarship on this book and similar texts. Given that Lewis spent his whole career wrestling with it, I hardly feel qualified to judge it based on one reading. I am glad to have read at least part of it. I did enjoy that this particular edition puts the textual notes at the bottom of the page instead of hiding them away at the end, something I have discovered that I hate in an annotated text.

[Susan Leifker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guyon… is better than Redcrosse??
Also the Palmer = the goat

—

“Ah lucklesse babe, borne vnder cruell starre,
And in dead parents balefull ashes bred,
Full litle weenest thou, what sorrowes are
Left thee for portion of thy liuelihed,
Poore Orphane in the wide world scattered,
As budding braunch rent from the natiue tree,
And throwen forth, till it be withered:
Such is the state of men: thus enter wee
Into this life with woe, and end with miseree.”

[Sabrina Blandon]

Read this for my medieval class and I really liked it. Thought it was funny that Spenser wrote it for Queen Elizabeth to elevate his status during medieval times so it was almost like an unrequited love letter. The scenes within this book symbolize mostly the Christian ideals versus paganism via the Faerie Queene.

[ladydusk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fantastic. I love all of the thinking through the narrow path. The wise Palmer. The idea of mean and fortitude.

And the history Canto! Fantastic!

And how much of the Odyssey is pulled into the final Canto.

And Sir Guyon.

Glad to be watching Kelly Cumbee's class to help with understanding.

Listening to Timson's reading while following the text helps so much.