The Importance of Gender and Sex in The Faerie Queene 'Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene. . The poem tells the story of seven knights, each of whom represents the noble and desirable virtues of holiness, temperance, chastity, friendship, justice, and courtesy. The third book of The Faerie Queene focuses on the virtue of chastity, “that most just virtue, far above all others” (Smith 342), which is embodied by the knight Britomart, a woman who disguised herself as a knight in armor. Britomart's chastity is almost described in the poem as the infinite source of her physical and emotional strength, allowing her to resist and ultimately defeat anything that might threaten to corrupt her. Britomart's chaste and pure love for Arthegall cannot be tainted by lust, despite the advances of Malecasta, the passionate and sensual lady of Joyeous Castle, where she lives guarded by six knight servants who defend the lady and her honor. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The theme of chastity serves as a tool through which Spenser provides a critique of the sexual ideology of his time and how that ideology differs between the two. genres. Lauren Silberman theorized that "Spenserian critique of conventional sexual ideology becomes part of a cultural discourse that, many centuries later, produced feminism" (2) and, considering this, it is impossible to ignore the fact of extreme progressiveness towards gender and sexuality. employed by Spenser in his political point of view and consequently in his writings. This essay aims to explore the importance of gender in Book III of Faerie Queene, and particularly in the early cantos, as it determines the process and outcome of the pursuit of romantic desire for multiple characters and the manner in which it provides a channel through which we can derive an explanation of events that occur from the manner in which they occur. Perhaps the most profound example of the importance of gender and sexuality in Book III is achieved through the depiction of love as a hunt, with men as hunters and women as hunters. hunting. In this way, gender becomes the most significant distinctive indicator of the characters and their representation, influencing all the events that occur in each of their stories. In the first song, Arthur and Sir Guyon ride on horseback in search of the Queen of the Fairies in order to offer her their services. Britomart, disguised as a knight, crosses their path and, after a brief altercation, they make peace and continue together. Suddenly, a young girl passes in front of them, closely pursued by a forester who intends to rape her, “breathing a bestial desire to defile her”. (Smith 348) The two knights hastily follow, while Britomart continues his quest, without distraction. So far, Spenser has provided the reader with two clear images of the feminine gender. First, the hunted creature, an object sought by men for their own satisfaction, and second Britomart, "a more productive alternative" (Silberman 14) to typical gender ideology, in which a woman can pursue her own quest for romantic fulfillment and taking on responsibilities. the role of hunter. In this case, of course, it is important to note that even though she has rejected societal expectations based on her gender, Britomart can only assume this position of autonomy and pursue the object of her desire without fear ofdanger or judgment by rejecting one's own gender. , rejecting femininity and disguising herself as a man. Thus, even though Spenser has provided an alternative image of the feminine gender, he is nevertheless aware that this alternative cannot be without limits. This love-as-pursuit scene is also strongly reminiscent of traditional Petrarchan interpretations of the same subject. Even more remarkable than the conventional representation of the woman as a helpless and hunted object, here is the image of the man as a slave to his sexual desire. The male characters of Book III are often presented as being powerless to control their desires, but especially in this first scene of the first canto, Arthur and Guyon seem to blindly abandon their initial quest to pursue a completely unknown young girl, "a bit like horses who gallop simply because they observe other horses galloping (Silberman 29) Their motivations are very ambiguous; they seem to be "full of great boredom and jealousy" (Smith 348) and take. the impulsive and irrational decision to pursue the girl rather than her tormentor, despite their intentions to save Florimell from him The implication here is that these male characters are at the mercy of physical forces beyond their control or understanding If. we wonder about the motivations of the male romantic pursuit, we must also question those of Britomart and her quest to find the object of her affections, a knight whom she saw in a mirror given to her father by Merlin. The crucial difference between the two lies in the legitimacy of the feelings that fuel each, a difference that depends solely on gender. For Arthur and Guyon, lust fuels the “hunt for beauties” (Smith 348), a phrase that sums up Spenser's view on this subject: ephemeral, false, and insubstantial. Britomart, however, is inspired by chaste love, a love “sanctioned by the purpose of marriage” (Mikics 88). She transforms into a knight, like her love Arthegall, and thus, “the lover is transformed into the beloved.” (Silberman 29) In an unprecedented reversal of gender roles, Britomart becomes the character driven by reason and rational thought inspired by chastity, while the male knights are ruled by emotion, lust, and impulsive action inspired by sex. In the previous scene, in which Guyon and Britomart (whose true gender and identity Guyon is unaware of) participate in a duel, Britomart knocks Guyon off his horse using a magic sword she took from the possession of his father. This whole scenario perhaps inadvertently raises poignant questions about the ability to choose one's own gender and the benefits that can come from doing so. This is the reader's first encounter with Britomart, and we are led to mistakenly believe that this is an example of female empowerment, where Britomart can display her prowess and prove her worth despite her gender . However, the playing field is not level, and we realize that even though Spenser boasts progressive ideas about gender ideology, he is still confined by a traditional fear of female defeat in the face of masculinity. Britomart can only win a fight against a man by using a magical spear, and she shamelessly uses it to go far beyond what is necessary to protect herself from male aggression throughout Book III. Spenser also limits his female heroine by forbidding her freedom to display both masculine and feminine characteristics, so she spends most of the book taking every precaution to hide her true gender. However, Britomart knows that she can achieve much more and come much closer to her destiny if she can continue to,. 35-47.

Essay / The Importance of Gender and Sex in The Faerie Queene 'Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene. . The poem tells the story of seven knights, each of whom represents the noble and desirable virtues of holiness, temperance, chastity, friendship, justice, and courtesy. The third book of The Faerie Queene focuses on the virtue of chastity, “that most just virtue, far above all others” (Smith 342), which is embodied by the knight Britomart, a woman who disguised herself as a knight in armor. Britomart's chastity is almost described in the poem as the infinite source of her physical and emotional strength, allowing her to resist and ultimately defeat anything that might threaten to corrupt her. Britomart's chaste and pure love for Arthegall cannot be tainted by lust, despite the advances of Malecasta, the passionate and sensual lady of Joyeous Castle, where she lives guarded by six knight servants who defend the lady and her honor. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The theme of chastity serves as a tool through which Spenser provides a critique of the sexual ideology of his time and how that ideology differs between the two. genres. Lauren Silberman theorized that "Spenserian critique of conventional sexual ideology becomes part of a cultural discourse that, many centuries later, produced feminism" (2) and, considering this, it is impossible to ignore the fact of extreme progressiveness towards gender and sexuality. employed by Spenser in his political point of view and consequently in his writings. This essay aims to explore the importance of gender in Book III of Faerie Queene, and particularly in the early cantos, as it determines the process and outcome of the pursuit of romantic desire for multiple characters and the manner in which it provides a channel through which we can derive an explanation of events that occur from the manner in which they occur. Perhaps the most profound example of the importance of gender and sexuality in Book III is achieved through the depiction of love as a hunt, with men as hunters and women as hunters. hunting. In this way, gender becomes the most significant distinctive indicator of the characters and their representation, influencing all the events that occur in each of their stories. In the first song, Arthur and Sir Guyon ride on horseback in search of the Queen of the Fairies in order to offer her their services. Britomart, disguised as a knight, crosses their path and, after a brief altercation, they make peace and continue together. Suddenly, a young girl passes in front of them, closely pursued by a forester who intends to rape her, “breathing a bestial desire to defile her”. (Smith 348) The two knights hastily follow, while Britomart continues his quest, without distraction. So far, Spenser has provided the reader with two clear images of the feminine gender. First, the hunted creature, an object sought by men for their own satisfaction, and second Britomart, "a more productive alternative" (Silberman 14) to typical gender ideology, in which a woman can pursue her own quest for romantic fulfillment and taking on responsibilities. the role of hunter. In this case, of course, it is important to note that even though she has rejected societal expectations based on her gender, Britomart can only assume this position of autonomy and pursue the object of her desire without fear ofdanger or judgment by rejecting one's own gender. , rejecting femininity and disguising herself as a man. Thus, even though Spenser has provided an alternative image of the feminine gender, he is nevertheless aware that this alternative cannot be without limits. This love-as-pursuit scene is also strongly reminiscent of traditional Petrarchan interpretations of the same subject. Even more remarkable than the conventional representation of the woman as a helpless and hunted object, here is the image of the man as a slave to his sexual desire. The male characters of Book III are often presented as being powerless to control their desires, but especially in this first scene of the first canto, Arthur and Guyon seem to blindly abandon their initial quest to pursue a completely unknown young girl, "a bit like horses who gallop simply because they observe other horses galloping (Silberman 29) Their motivations are very ambiguous; they seem to be "full of great boredom and jealousy" (Smith 348) and take. the impulsive and irrational decision to pursue the girl rather than her tormentor, despite their intentions to save Florimell from him The implication here is that these male characters are at the mercy of physical forces beyond their control or understanding If. we wonder about the motivations of the male romantic pursuit, we must also question those of Britomart and her quest to find the object of her affections, a knight whom she saw in a mirror given to her father by Merlin. The crucial difference between the two lies in the legitimacy of the feelings that fuel each, a difference that depends solely on gender. For Arthur and Guyon, lust fuels the “hunt for beauties” (Smith 348), a phrase that sums up Spenser's view on this subject: ephemeral, false, and insubstantial. Britomart, however, is inspired by chaste love, a love “sanctioned by the purpose of marriage” (Mikics 88). She transforms into a knight, like her love Arthegall, and thus, “the lover is transformed into the beloved.” (Silberman 29) In an unprecedented reversal of gender roles, Britomart becomes the character driven by reason and rational thought inspired by chastity, while the male knights are ruled by emotion, lust, and impulsive action inspired by sex. In the previous scene, in which Guyon and Britomart (whose true gender and identity Guyon is unaware of) participate in a duel, Britomart knocks Guyon off his horse using a magic sword she took from the possession of his father. This whole scenario perhaps inadvertently raises poignant questions about the ability to choose one's own gender and the benefits that can come from doing so. This is the reader's first encounter with Britomart, and we are led to mistakenly believe that this is an example of female empowerment, where Britomart can display her prowess and prove her worth despite her gender . However, the playing field is not level, and we realize that even though Spenser boasts progressive ideas about gender ideology, he is still confined by a traditional fear of female defeat in the face of masculinity. Britomart can only win a fight against a man by using a magical spear, and she shamelessly uses it to go far beyond what is necessary to protect herself from male aggression throughout Book III. Spenser also limits his female heroine by forbidding her freedom to display both masculine and feminine characteristics, so she spends most of the book taking every precaution to hide her true gender. However, Britomart knows that she can achieve much more and come much closer to her destiny if she can continue to,. 35-47.

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