Importance Of Heroism In The Faerie Queene

In The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser, Spenser critiques heroism and the importance that Arthurian romances place on the hero being recognized for his or her heroism. Spenser contrasts his views with those that are shown in most Arthurian verse romances, specifically Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Wife of Bath’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer. With his use of Spenser wants his reader to see that one must move away from his or her need for heroism and further toward God and his reason. While Arthurian verse romances often take their heroes on quests that fulfill their need to gain recognition from their peers, Spenser took his charcter, Redcrosse Knight, on a quest that made him realize the importance of being closer to God, following religion, and using the voice of God as reason.
In his Arthurian Romance The Faerie Queene, Edmund Spenser …show more content…
Spenser shows his readers this by allowing Redcrosse Knight to be Patron Saint George, for the root of George is linked to the Greek word georgos, which means someone who works the land. “ For thou emongst those Saints, whom thou doest see,/ Shalt be a Saint, and thine owne nations frend/ and Patrone: thou Saint George shalt called bee” (FQ, 1.10.61). Due to this, the reader can see that Spenser favors a Georgic hero who does not follow the ordinary delineation of an epic hero, for georgic hero’s labor and trial while maintaining humility. Spenser favors the idea that a man can have faults and remain loyal to God while living his life without the need to find heroism. Due to this assertion, the reader is made to question whether or not it is more beneficial to be a georgic hero or epic hero, for the georgic hero can remain closer to God while the epic hero receives the glory that he