Spenser's Ambivalence: Perspectives on Ireland Within Errour's Monstrous Den

Abstract

The world of Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene is rife with political rhetoric, which is demonstrated through Errour in Book One of the poem. Denoted as “monstrous,” this half-woman half-serpent acts as the first encountered “other” that Spenser’s first knight, Redcrosse, comes across. This position of Errour is critical, as her otherness is presented through her body, her name, and her actions. This otherness is meant to be exemplified when placed next to Redcrosse, who Spenser delineates as representing the virtue of “holiness.” Spenser’s pairing of the monstrous Errour and the holy Redcrosse showcases Spenser’s understanding of the political and religious struggle gripping England and Ireland during the latter half of the 16th century. Through Errour, I argue that Spenser grounds his perceptions of Catholic Ireland against the “true religion” he believed existed within Elizabeth’s Protestant England. I explain how Spenser uses Errour as a figurehead of Irish Catholics, and Redcrosse as an exemplar of the “holy” Elizabeth and Protestantism. Furthermore, I show that through Redcrosse’s battle and eventual slaying of Errour, Spenser mirrors Elizabeth’s desire to conquer Ireland. Finally, I demonstrate that placing Redcrosse and Errour together does not offer a chiaroscuro effect, and instead balances the two together.