An Anatomy Of The Moral Significances In Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene

Past researchers frequently observe one particular virtue in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene. As a result, the complete intellectual and moral faculties cannot be fully exemplified to the readers. This thesis attempts to examine the moral significances from the full scale and labours to bring home the sense of practicality. It exemplifies a panorama of human qualities on the bases of the detailed analysis of the characters'behaviors in various events of the text, so as to get Spenser's marrow of ethical beliefs from the scope of ethical literary criticism. An analysis of characters through ethical literary criticism forms the base of my study.The main body is divided into four chapters.The first chapter introduces the theoretical applications. Moral-interpreting from the characters forms the core and it strives to seek the ethical literary criticism as the theoretical base in unfolding the moral significances.The second and third chapters aim to reveal the ethical embodiments of human qualities and amplify those qualities by anatomizing each prototype of one particular quality and furthermore, unfold the moral significance by juxtaposing the virtues with vices through the division of gender. It holds that Spenser's ethical motif and moral persuasions can be effectively revealed through the prototypes or ideals of each particular virtue, for example, Holiness, Temperance, Chastity, Friendship, Justice and Courtesy. It further interprets the moral depth by inviting shocking contrasts, such as falsity, sexual indulgence and vengeance, etc. They serve as the potential deviations in the route of pursuing perfection.The fourth chapter reinforces the ethical world by drawing Arthur and Gloriana as the ideals of men and women. The combination of them, together with Spenser's queen, Elizabeth I, symbolizes perfection of human world.The conclusion part labours to indicate that The Faerie Queene is a work with far-reaching ethical values. It can be used as the guiding book in fashioning gentlemen and noble persons, and enlightening people towards the perfection. Its author, Edmund Spenser, is much greater than a mere"arse-kissing poet", is a great moralist his greatness shall never perish.