Artwork is a central image in The Faerie Queene, although it rarely appears as a neutral force. On the contrary: art often seems to act as a tool of the post-lapsarian world, drawing once-pure characters toward earthly knowledge and moral progeny. More specifically, in the house of Busirane, art acts first as an aid to Eve's original sin as well as, in more secular terms, to the loss of sexual innocence of the mythological women Leda and Danae. The tapestries on the walls of Busirane represent the means by which, through artistic transformation or ornamentation, women in particular are deceived or invaded. However, even though the power and invasiveness of Busirane's art is clearly emphasized, the art seems far from completely evil in the eyes of the narrator. As strong as Busirane's attempts are to show, reconstruct or remember female downfalls in the history of man, so strong (although less often mentioned) is the function of the work of art as redemptive force. Just as, in contemporary Christianity, the fall of the Old Testament is somehow “reversed” through Christ's redemption in the New Testament, so too The Faerie Queene suggests a narrative of fall and rise. Spenser does not want the work of art to disappear completely; rather, he wishes to present a counterexample to both mimetic and lapsarian views. Through the cases of Eve, Danae and Leda, the work of art will be seen not only as an accomplice in lassarian acts, but also as a saving and restorative force, making it possible to rectify acts of violence against women and to absolve the women themselves. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay When the art of Busirane's house is first described, the reader may begin to realize the evil of which the visual representation is capable. As Busirane's real situation is one of holding Amoret captive, physically and perhaps sexually, and attempting to force his emotional love, it is tempting to read the descriptive scenes as mirroring this triptych of violence, lust and desire. Not only does Busirane physically desire and hold Amoret, but he wishes to penetrate her psyche, in order to win her favor. This same type of impure desire appears in the first description of the Busirane tapestries, in which the following passage appears: [The tapestries were] woven of gold and silk so closely and closely that the rich metal hid in secret, like eager to be hidden from envious eyes. .Yet here and there and everywhere, without knowing it, it showed itself and shone reluctantly: like a discolored serpent, whose hidden snares through the green grass declare its long browned back. (Bk. 3, c. 11, s. 28) This stanza has implications beyond a pure Platonism, which might suggest that all art is imitation: instead, it imaginatively relates art to the serpent in the biblical Garden of Eden. The metal of the tapestries is linked by a comparison to the "discolored serpent", an image that can be read on a visual level (the weaving of the threads into a snake shape) as well as a metaphorical level (the tapestry being "woven" with deception) . .) Significantly, the rich metal does not seem to declare itself: instead, it "hides in secret,/as if wanting to hide" and "shines reluctantly". This formulation suggests the increased power of art due to its hidden nature: rather than simply stating facts, as a report would, or stating beliefs in a propagandistic manner, the work of art uses techniquesmore subtle. Although a modern reader may praise the work of art because it allows for a multiplicity of interpretations, it seems here that the ambiguous status of the art object leads more easily to deception and deception than at simple work. In fact, it is the snake's "hidden traps," the secret lures rather than any easily visible objectives, that reveal the snake's location. Through this biblical reference, the narrator directly implies the work of art in relation to the work of Eve. eating apples and, more generally, to the fall of man and the resulting loss of paradise. The artwork “hides” in this post-lapsarian world, reflecting and perhaps even reconstructing the initial fall. The fact that the snake "declares" its back in the present sense suggests that its narrative is still (at least metaphorically) ongoing; that is, the content of the tapestries is dynamic. In tapestries, the metal is always "eager to be hidden from envious eyes", the spectator, now present on the scene, could presumably fulfill the function of this "eye", looking with amazement and jealousy at the scene before him. This viewer could now, in fact, be enacting a modern version of the biblical tale of lust and desire. Thus, not only is the work of art largely integrated into the narrative of the present, but the viewer himself is also implicated in Eve's sins. Considering the work of art in the Platonic sense, this tapestry is an imitation of the original biblical event; as such, it fulfills its mimetic function as a work of art while reenacting Eve's lures. The hidden, “reluctant” brilliance of the tapestries suggests that they prefer to work their evil unseen; But because it is visible, it participates in the tradition of the work of art, from the first representations of the fall. In this way, the tapestry returns to the senses of the viewer, allowing them to reflect on the relationship it has with the original event. Thanks to the visual representation, the fall continues in the current telling of the story, allowing the viewer to understand that he too is engaged in the lapsarian act. This capacity of art to recall and reintegrate a fall from Paradise is not specific to the biblical tale. of Eve; on the contrary, it extends to the more secular domain of female sexuality. Just as the fall of the Garden of Eden occurred, a “fall” in the realm of female virginity can also result in a loss of purity or holiness. Especially when this final fall is not intentional, its ability to be represented artistically is both shocking and profound. The presentation of rape and voyeurism in a tapestry is perhaps only made possible by the tapestry's status as an art object, something that is meant to be viewed at a distance from the actual event. Had the story been presented in a graphically simple manner, even as a sort of "criminal report", the horror of the acts might have been too much for the viewer to bear. However, because the act is presented in beautiful colors and pleasing composition, the nature of the act as an invasion and downfall can be more easily concealed. But even more relevant is the idea that these acts of rape and voyeurism are themselves encouraged through the art of deception. Even a god must visually transform to become a “successful” rapist or voyeur. In the house of Busirane, certain tapestries represent the classical god Jupiter in his function as a violent and invasive force. Known as the reigning god, Jove also engaged in many earthly activities, including watching Danae (s. 31) and raping Leda in the guise of a swan (s. 32). Significantly, these storiesparticipate equally with the biblical account in the idea. of the fall of a female character. In this case, it is not a question of the original fall from paradise, but of a parallel, more modernized and secularized version: that is to say the fall from the purity of virginity to the "knowledge" of sex life. This reference is significant not only because of the mores of the time, but also because of Elizabeth's status as the "Virgin Queen". Jove's transformation into "a golden shower" and "a snowy swan" uses the serpent's principles of secrecy and deception; furthermore, this allows him to cause the fall of the virginal totality, literally in Leda and visually (Jove wishes to “see” Danaé) in the case of Danaé. In the passage from Danae (s. 31), the narrator highlights the additional possibilities open to the transformed Jupiter. Even though Danae “kept the iron gate firmly barred,/and taking care that no one came in or out,” her efforts were all “in vain” and “in vain,” once Jupiter had been changed to a “golden hue.” ". Like the serpent, Jupiter would not wish for his true identity to be revealed; if it were, he would be recognized as the overtly masculine figure that Danae strives to keep apart. He would have a clear physicality , which, in the form of a "golden tint", is therefore absent cautious attempts to protect itself would have a better chance of success, and Jupiter would have to fight against a barrier that is at least a little stronger. Episodes of Danae and Leda detail how divine illusion and transformation can harm the innocent by Jove are tales of invasion, in which rape and voyeurism are aided by the transformation of the invader into various visual forms. . Such a transformation contributes to the fall of purity for these women, who, it seems, had little choice in this matter. The fact that these episodes are displayed on tapestries on Busirane's wall suggests that their content is something he at least implicitly admires. While in the divine real transformation is possible, a parallel visual transformation can occur in art. Displaying these episodes alongside that of the snake implies a narrative, even thematic, connection between them all, in short, their parallel qualities of illusion and secrecy, even “trick,” which give rise to clearly lapsar acts. However, the idea that art can act as an aid to transformation is, in a very real sense, its saving grace. If art can enable a transformation from purity to baseness, it is also capable of facilitating the reverse. It seems that the acts that occur through art can only be accomplished through the same art, thus allowing the narrative of fall and redemption to come full circle. The restorative power of art, in a very literal sense, can be seen in Busirane's forced release of Amoret. In this episode (c. 12, s. 31), Busirane controls Amoret's body and attempts to take control of his mind using spells. The description of spells seems to be akin to verse writing or, more generally, to written metaphor. Busirane "represents strange characters in his art" and writes "with living blood these characters", suggesting that the spell is transformative both as a written document (the "characters") and as a mixture of the oral and physical (the "with living blood.") In general, it seems that the spell is designed to influence the mind through the use of the physical body, mixing them in a single attempt to falsely receive love. However, when Britomart meets Busirane, who is presumably involved in bad deeds, and begins to kill him, she is..