The Faerie Queene IV: 10-12

    Canto ten of Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene is set in the House of Holiness. Una took the Redcrosse Knight there to help him heal from previous events in the book, and prepare to face the dragon. Una claimed his challenges would not be physical, so Redcrosse went through psychological and spiritual healing. While there, the audience is introduced to three sisters, one of which being Charissa, a young woman who just gave birth. Spenser uses this as a metaphor for charitable faith giving birth and to symbolize Redcrosse’s rebirth.

     When Redcrosse was a baby, he was stolen away by faeries and replaced with a changeling. A chaotic event that led to years of a pleasant childhood. Similar to the most common version of the human experience. Early on in the book Redcrosse doubted truth. This was his sin, sin coming from the archery term “missing the mark” Redcrosse was tricked away from Una, who represents truth. To see higher aims, rather than becoming stuck in rigid ideologies, changes perspectives, old habits and addictions, and aids in thinking.

     One of the things Redcrosse did right was realizing what he got wrong. He was open to listening, rather than ending conversation and therefore thought by not becoming rigid in his own thoughts after doubting Una. Redcrosse came back to Una, and had to go through hardship to get to the point when he could slay the dragon and win Una’s hand.

     Once Redcrosse had gone through playing the fool and leaving Una, becoming the trickster and being cunning without understanding everything, he then becomes the savior at the end of the story. These are stages of life in the learning process and the process of reaching for your goals. To become his own savior and be “reborn” Redcrosse went through many trials at the House of Holiness and eventually slayed the dragon and got the girl.

     If you learn through conversation, always aim for something good, and willingly take critiques, sacrificing parts of yourself to grow, you slay dragons, and you get to your goals.