Powerful Women of The Faerie Queene and Paradise Lost

1205 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Female roles in medieval literature

Two very powerful female figures are presented in Error of The Faerie Queene, and Sin of Paradise Lost. These two characters are quite similar in description, Milton making a clear tribute to Spencer's work. Both characters have the same monster qualities, and both posses allegorical names and qualities.

Error is by far the most disgustingly described of the two monsters. In Book 1, Canto 1, she is the first obstacle to meet the knight and his party. She represents the consequences of the night's foolhardiness and over-confidence. Seeking shelter from a storm while lost in the woods, the knight and his party come across a cave. He is warned by Una not to enter the dark and foreboding cave, "Oft fire is without smoke, / and perill without show: therefore your stroke / Sir knight with-hold, till further triall made.(103)" Even the dwarfe warns that "this is no place for living men.(117)" But the knight, "full of fire and greedy hardiment (118)", enters "the darksome hole.(120)"

After entering, his "glistring" armor reflects some light into the dark cave, allowing him to plainly view the woman-beast. Reacting to the light, her "thousand" disfigured off-spring crawl into the sanctity of her wretched mouth. These young ones are mimicked by Milton in his descriptions of Satan's daughter in Paradise Lost. The first connectio...

... middle of paper ...

...iption, Milton offers mere comparisons-perhaps a more powerful comparison would be one to Error herself.

Works Cited and Consulted:

Elledge, Scott, ed. Paradise Lost: An Authoritative Text, Backgrounds and Sources, Criticism. New York: Norton, 1975.

Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Ed. Roy Flannagan. New York: Macmillan, 1993.

Spenser. Ed. Annabel Patterson. New York: Longman, 1998.

Spenser, Edmund. The Faerie Queene. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams.

Webber, Joan Malory. "The Politics of Poetry: Feminism and Paradise Lost." Milton Studies. Vol. 14. Ed. James D. Simmonds. Pittsburgh: U of Pittsburgh P, 1980. 3-24.

Show More
Related

  • Stifled Women in Yellow Wallpaper, Rappaccini's Daughter, and Beloved

    2746 Words  | 6 Pages

    Haney-Peritz, Janice. "Monumental feminism and literature's ancestral house: Another look at The Yellow Wallpaper". Women's Studies. 12:2 (1986): 113-128.

    Read More

  • Is Femininity as Much of a Threat in "Paradise Lost" as It Is in "The Aeneid"?

    2442 Words  | 5 Pages

    When Virgil and Milton wrote their epic poems, they were both writing for societies which plainly did not believe in equality of the sexes. The seventeenth century poet, John Milton, takes the attitude common to the time period while portraying Eve - the only female character in the whole of Paradise Lost: the belief that women were weak, inferior and even soulless. Likewise, Virgil's portrayal of the women in the Aeneid as temptresses, manipulators, interferers is in agreement with how ancient Roman society viewed women. Both Virgil and Milton inextricably link femininity with emotional instability (Greek word furor) by showing how the women allow themselves to be overcome with emotions which can bring about the downfall of not just the men around them, but ultimately even whole nations.

    Read More

  • Autism Essay

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    Autism is a condition which is characterized by impaired social interaction, impaired social communication and restricted repertoire of interest (DSM 5).

    Read More

  • Autism

    2330 Words  | 5 Pages

    Autism—“a mysterious world where the unknowns still outnumber the knowns. A syndrome whose manifestations are many and whose etiology is suspected of being multi-causal”.

    Read More

  • Autism: An Emergingn Global Health Problem

    1344 Words  | 3 Pages

    Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), falling under the umbrella term of Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), is defined by the International Classification of Diseases, volume 10 (ICD-10) as a disorder first diagnosed in childhood by the clinical manifestation of marked impairment in communication and social interaction, and repetitive or stereotyped behaviors (“Pervasive developmental disorders,” 2010). This definition aligns with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-V), currently used in the United States (American Psychological Association, 2013).

    Read More

  • Autism

    1530 Words  | 4 Pages

    They appear unaware of others' feelings toward them and of the negative impact of their behavior on other people. Many children with autism engage in repetitive movements such as rocking and hair twirling, or in self-injurious behavior such as biting or head-banging. They also tend to start speaking later than other children and may refer to themselves by name instead of "I," or "me." Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking. People with autism often have abnormal responses to sounds, touch, or other sensory stimulation. Many show reduced sensitivity to pain. They also may be extraordinarily sensitive to other sensations. These unusual sensitivities may contribute to behavioral symptoms such as resistance to being cuddled.

    Read More

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder

    1196 Words  | 3 Pages

    Autism is a general term for a group of complex disorders of brain development. The Autism spectrum is vast and varies in degree of severity from person to person. The challenges that come with Autism Disorder include difficulty in social interactions, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. Autism has been a diagnosable disorder since 1951. Treatment options have changed since the first diagnosis. Available treatment today has advanced over the sixty-three year span and has become the best possible form of treatment available for Autism.

    Read More

  • Autism Spectrum Disorders

    1845 Words  | 4 Pages

    Autism is a form of neurodevelopment disorder in the autism spectrum disorders. It is characterized by impaired development in social interactions and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. There is an observed lack of spontaneous acts of communication; both receptive and expressed, as well as speech impairments. A person diagnosed with Autism will also show a limited range of activities and interests, as well as forming and maintain peer relationships. The individuals will display limited interests, which are often very focused and repetitive. He or she is likely to be very routine oriented and may show behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and self-injurious behaviors.

    Read More

  • Autism

    2680 Words  | 6 Pages

    Diagnosing Autism is based on four characteristics: difficulty with language, abnormal responses to sensory stimuli, resistance to change and difficulty with social interaction. ?Other characteristics of autism may include: making the same repetitive motion for hours, repeating a sound or phrase, inability to hold a conversation, practicing unusual play patterns, and extreme sensitivity to sound and touch? (Riccio, 1999). Autistics can exhibit any combination of these characteristics in any degree. That is why autism is referred to as a ?spectrum? disorder, because at one end of the disorder a child may be inflicted with some symptoms, while at the opposite end a child may be inflicted with multiple symptoms with many areas in between. Children who display few symptoms may be characterized as ?mildly autistic?.

    Read More

  • Autism

    2129 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the United States, autism may affect up to 115,000 children between one and 15 years of age with an uncertain prevalence in adults (Rapin, 1998). Because of the high number of cases in the United States alone, testing has grown and encompasses many different ages and areas of autistic patients and their symptoms. Because of increased testing, researchers have found different options to meet the challenges autism presents.

    Read More

  • Satiation in John Milton’s Paradise Lost and Margaret Cavendish’s Blazing World

    2795 Words  | 6 Pages

    Milton establishes himself as the legitimate teller of the tale – and this tale will take us beyond the mythology of the Greeks’Aonian Mount and inoculate us against Hell’s prodigiousness. He is taking us beyond mythological or explanatory pictures of ourselves, to an area where we may bask in a greater comfort:

    Read More

  • The Elaborate Role Of Religion In British Literature

    1915 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...t, Stephen, gen. ed. “Paradise Lost.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. 1. New York: Norton, 2012. Print. 36-39.

    Read More

  • Role of Women in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene

    2917 Words  | 6 Pages

    Spiller, Elizabeth A.  “Poetic Parthenogenesis and Spenser’s Idea of Creation in The Faerie Queene.”  Studies in English Literature 40:1 (2000):  63-90.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Milton’s Satan of Paradise Lost

    1831 Words  | 4 Pages

    Loewenstein, David A Student Guide: Milton-Paradise Lost, 2nd Edition Cambridge University Press, 1993, Second Edition 2004.

    Read More

  • Autism Essay

    1354 Words  | 3 Pages

    The mildest form of autism is Aspergers Syndrome. Affecting males three times more often than females. Usually children with Aspergers become obsessed with a certain object or topic. If they become obsessed with a topic they will talk about it all the time and learn as much about it as they can. Although this helps individuals with this disorder have normal to above average intelligence, their social skills are lacking greatly. (Autism Spectrum Disorders) Often characteristics associated with social s...

    Read More

More about Powerful Women of The Faerie Queene and Paradise Lost

Open Document