Moral Allegory in Spenser's "The Faerie Queene"

The stages of Red Cross Knight's journey in Book 1 of Spenser's The Faeire Queene allegorically reflect the stages that any of us might encounter as we take our moral journey through life. At the left below are summaries of a few events in Red Cross Knight's journey. Can you interpret what these events allegorically mean in the moral journey of any individual? Just click the blue text on the right below to see the possible meaning for each event.

Stages of the Literal Journey	Stages of the Moral Allegory
Red Cross Knight, yet untested, begins his journey with Una and the Dwarf as companions.	Click here: The individual, yet untested by life's challenges, begins his or her life journey with Truth and reason.

Seeking shelter from a storm, Red Cross Knight wanders into the den of the monster Errour. Red Cross Knight battles Errour, and, with help from Una, he defeats the monster and continues on his journey.	Click here: During difficult times in life, the individual make errors, but, with the help of Truth, he or she is able to overcome those errors and continue on.

Red Cross Knight is deceived by Archimago into thinking that Una is a loose woman, so Red Cross Knight abandons Una and, guided by his will and grief, continues his journey alone.	Click here: The individual, fooled by hypocrisy and deception, loses sight of Truth and continues his or her life journey with will and grief as the guide.

Without Una, Red Cross encounters Sansfoy. Red Cross Knight battles Sansfoy and kills him.	Click here: Without Truth, the individual faces the possibility of losing faith but fights faithlessness and overcomes it.

Without Una, Red Cross Knight meets Duessa, is attracted to her, and continues his journey with Duessa as a companion.	Click here: Without Truth, the individual encounters falsehood and is unable to recognize it as such. The individual welcomes falsehood into his or her life.

Duessa leads Red Cross Knight into the House of Pride, where the knight is entertained by a procession of the Seven Deadly Sins.	Click here: Without Truth and led by falsehood, the individual becomes proud, looks to worldly vanities for happiness, and commits sins.

While in the House of Pride, Red Cross Knight is challenged to a fight with Sansjoy. The knight struggles against Sansjoy but finally defeats him.	Click here: The individual faces unhappiness even while among his or her worldly vanities.

After facing Sansjoy, Red Cross Knight is led out of the House of Pride after the Dwarf helps him see the darker side of it.	Click here: After facing unhappiness, and with the help of reason, the individual realizes that he or she should abandon pride and worldly vanities.

Wandering alone, still without Una, Red Cross Knight is once again found by Duessa, and he welcomes here.	Click here: Although abandoning pride and worldly vanities, the individual still is without Truth, so he or she once again allows falsehood into his or her life.

After drinking from a magic fountain that saps his strength, and after taking off his armor, Red Cross Knight becomes amorous with Duessa.	Click here: Still led by falsehood and without Truth, the individual loses his guard against sin and commits sins of the flesh.

In an amorous encounter with Duessa, with his armor off and weakened by the magic fountain, Red Cross Knight is attacked by the giant Orgoglio, who conquers the knight and imprisons him in a dungeon.	Click here: Weakened by falsehood, losing his or her guard against sin, and committing sins of the flesh, the individual becomes imprisoned by his or her sinful life.
And the journey continues . . .

Stages of the Literal Journey

Stages of the Moral Allegory

Red Cross Knight, yet untested, begins his journey with Una and the Dwarf as companions.

Click here:

The individual, yet untested by life's challenges, begins his or her life journey with Truth and reason.

Seeking shelter from a storm, Red Cross Knight wanders into the den of the monster Errour. Red Cross Knight battles Errour, and, with help from Una, he defeats the monster and continues on his journey.

Click here:

During difficult times in life, the individual make errors, but, with the help of Truth, he or she is able to overcome those errors and continue on.

Red Cross Knight is deceived by Archimago into thinking that Una is a loose woman, so Red Cross Knight abandons Una and, guided by his will and grief, continues his journey alone.

Click here:

The individual, fooled by hypocrisy and deception, loses sight of Truth and continues his or her life journey with will and grief as the guide.

Without Una, Red Cross encounters Sansfoy. Red Cross Knight battles Sansfoy and kills him.

Click here:

Without Truth, the individual faces the possibility of losing faith but fights faithlessness and overcomes it.

Without Una, Red Cross Knight meets Duessa, is attracted to her, and continues his journey with Duessa as a companion.

Click here:

Without Truth, the individual encounters falsehood and is unable to recognize it as such. The individual welcomes falsehood into his or her life.

Duessa leads Red Cross Knight into the House of Pride, where the knight is entertained by a procession of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Click here:

Without Truth and led by falsehood, the individual becomes proud, looks to worldly vanities for happiness, and commits sins.

While in the House of Pride, Red Cross Knight is challenged to a fight with Sansjoy. The knight struggles against Sansjoy but finally defeats him.

Click here:

The individual faces unhappiness even while among his or her worldly vanities.

After facing Sansjoy, Red Cross Knight is led out of the House of Pride after the Dwarf helps him see the darker side of it.

Click here:

After facing unhappiness, and with the help of reason, the individual realizes that he or she should abandon pride and worldly vanities.

Wandering alone, still without Una, Red Cross Knight is once again found by Duessa, and he welcomes here.

Click here:

Although abandoning pride and worldly vanities, the individual still is without Truth, so he or she once again allows falsehood into his or her life.

After drinking from a magic fountain that saps his strength, and after taking off his armor, Red Cross Knight becomes amorous with Duessa.

Click here:

Still led by falsehood and without Truth, the individual loses his guard against sin and commits sins of the flesh.

In an amorous encounter with Duessa, with his armor off and weakened by the magic fountain, Red Cross Knight is attacked by the giant Orgoglio, who conquers the knight and imprisons him in a dungeon.

Click here:

Weakened by falsehood, losing his or her guard against sin, and committing sins of the flesh, the individual becomes imprisoned by his or her sinful life.

And the journey continues . . .