"The Story of the Fairy Queen". Queen of fairies and patroness of pirates: what was Elizabeth I Tudor like?

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Preface to Edmund Spenser's poem "The Queen of Spirits"

Edmund SPENCER (1552-1598) was already considered during his lifetime unsurpassed master English verse, the poet of poets, which did not prevent him from dying in extreme poverty when another uprising in Ireland deprived him of his livelihood. Greatest creation Edmund Spenser's poem "The Queen of Spirits" remained unfinished, but even in this form the number of lines written is approaching forty thousand, although the poet wrote only six books out of an estimated twelve. Each of the books written is dedicated to one or another knightly virtue. Thus the first book of the poem contains the legend of the Knight of the Scarlet Cross or of Sainthood; in the second book we find the legend of Sir Guyon or Temperance; the third book is the legend of Britomart or Chastity; the fourth book is the legend of Cambel and Telamond or Friendship; the fifth book is the legend of Artegel or Justice; the sixth book is the legend of Sir Kalidor or the Majesty. At first glance, it may seem that the construction of the poem is abstract, schematic and not much different from ordinary medieval allegories. But once you immerse yourself in the poem, such prejudice will immediately dissipate. The allegory is aggravated by its enchanting diversity and mysterious ambiguity. An allegory does not point to anything external, being an allegory of an allegory, which in turn forms an allegory and so on endlessly. It is difficult to imagine how such a work could end, not being produced, but producing itself, as if with the involuntary participation of the author. The author is a builder and at the same time a prisoner of a labyrinth, from which the reader cannot find a way out, forced to explain such enchanting hopelessness by the death of the author, although the author, perhaps, did not die, but only went too deep into his labyrinth, like Lermontov’s ancestor Thomas Learmont went to the land of fairies following the white deer. By the way, Spenser’s poem can be called “The Fairy Queen” in translation, but fairys in English are of both sexes, they are exactly spirits. It is generally accepted that the Queen of Spirits allegorically denotes Queen Elizabeth, but this again is an allegory, the Fair Lady or Sophia the Wisdom of God, to which the inspired Neoplatonist Spenser is committed. Over the centuries English poets will turn to the mysterious nine-line of Spencer's stanza. Byron, Shelley, Keats wrote with it. Spencer's stanza is the answer of the English genius to the poetic challenge of Dante Alighieri. Dante's Terza rima (triple rhyme) is the divine perpetual motion machine, going beyond creation to the uncreated three-circle of the Trinity. Spenser squares the inspired Dantean triad, and with each stanza heralds the incredible squaring of a circle from which there is no exit, for the squaring of the circle is at the same time a window into another world and another world itself: the realm of impenetrable transparency.

Vladimir Mikushevich

Translation by V. Mikushevich

Edmund Spencer

QUEEN OF SPIRITS

BOOK FIRST

THE LEGEND OF THE KNIGHT OF THE SCARLET CROSS, OR OF HOLINESS

1 I throw off the shepherd’s outfit from my shoulders;

Now pleases the muse-enchantress

To involve me in work unusual for me,

So that the trumpet voice inherits the tarantula

And I sang hymns to the knight's right hand,

Having glorified the beauty of kind ladies,

So that I can join the sacred line

Those who are committed to thoughts and works;

I will pay tribute to love and valor.

2 So help me, holy virgin,

Driver of the wise nine;

Reading secret scrolls to me,

Enlighten the humble adept,

Having shown him the cherished paths,

Mistresses and wonderful knights;

Tanaquila sought to find

The British prince is on a difficult journey;

You support me in my meager origins!

3 Jupiter's terrible offspring, son

Venus you, archer

In the chest of a knight, you formidable ruler,

Whose fatal fire is delight and torment,

Set aside the onion; let your science

With your mother will help me,

And Mars, whose power is a bloody guarantee

That you will triumph in war,

Yes, he will now be on my side.

4 And you, Goddess of the earthly tribe,

You, mirror of heavenly beauty,

Mistress of the island limit,

Lamp of Phoebus, shine on me

Rays of beloved rightness,

Although weak eyes have no custom

Perceive immortal features,

Do not reject the humble one with zeal

And accept from me a pledge of reverence.

The one who is holy enters the battle

Tramples on wickedness;

But they want to seduce him

And his enemy is cunning.

1 A handsome knight galloped across the plain,

And the reliable shield sparkled with silver;

Still scratched from past battles

To his enemies he looked terrible,

Not penetrated in bloody battles;

The horse was worthy of formidable trials;

It seemed that the reins disgusted him,

And the knight was tireless in battles

His enemies, born for battles and for struggles.

2 The likeness of the Lord's cross,

There was blood on the knight's chest

Cross, and the same one in the middle of the shield,

Testimony of the Lord's eternal glory;

Death itself did not find control

For the daredevil; he firmly believed

And he drew his sword not for fun;

The knight was secretly yearning for something,

However, he always triumphed over the enemy.

3 He wandered at the behest of Gloriana,

He called the Queen of Spirits his;

He visited distant countries,

And in my soul I aspired only to her,

And her look was more valuable to him

All earthly blessings; and what is the obstacle to him,

Which is more difficult to overcome

Than to fall in battle without trembling and groaning;

He was ready to slay the fierce dragon.

4 She rode a snow-white donkey

Gorgeous; she was whiter

The snows themselves; visible on the forehead

Sadness; let the carefree have more fun,

A rider like a lily,

There is light under the gloomy veil,

And secret care is harder,

However, even though life is not sweet to her,

She led a white lamb on a leash.

5 This virgin was more innocent than a lamb;

Far from all wickedness

The queen grew and flourished,

Whose ancestors were also kings,

The primordial rulers of the earth,

But he took possession of the happy state

The enemy is devilish; they could not cope with him;

He considered the whole country his living,

And the knight was called for just revenge.

6 The dwarf trudged along behind her,

The fellow traveler and servant are by no means quick,

With difficulty overcoming every step,

Dragging her traveling belongings;

He seemed to be carrying gold bars,

But Jupiter was, as always, harsh,

And he threatened to wet them to the skin

The rain that poured from the clouds,

And our travelers needed shelter.

7 They saw a forest nearby,

Where trees are protected in a storm

Those who could achieve the shelter goal,

Hiding from the evil celebration

Where the foliage overflows,

In the spring, forming a cool canopy,

Where is it visible? star Light barely,

Where even the rain is harmless and merciless:

For wanderers, the shelter is secluded and welcoming.

8 And the knight and the maiden went deep into the forest,

Where the bird choirs still sounded,

Defying the fury of heaven;

Having enchanted the spaces with harmony,

The anthem was heard in honor of the goldfinch and kokora,

Pine and cedar; hanging over the ground

Vine elm; better no support

For vines; there was a king oak and a yew archer,

On March 24, 1603, Elizabeth I Tudor, considered the most brilliant monarch in the history of England, died. The Virgin Queen, the Fairy Queen, the patroness of pirates - these are just some of the images that have developed around the first iron lady of Albion.

1. The Virgin Queen

Elizabeth went down in history as the “Virgin Queen.” Her stubborn reluctance to marry is one of the mysteries of her reign. She herself repeated more than once that she was married “to England”: “Look at my state ring,” she said, showing the deputies of parliament her symbol of power, “with it I have already become engaged to my husband, to whom I will invariably be faithful to the grave. My husband is England, my children are my subjects.” The people explained her sacrifice in their own way: either she was a libertine, or there was “something wrong” with her. Both of these statements did not do honor to the queen - she was credited with many illegitimate children, and her intimates were seen as lovers. Others, on the contrary, argued that she was barren or simply considered her ugly. In Europe at the beginning of the twentieth century, there was a widespread version that Elizabeth was a virgin in the literal sense, that is, some physiological characteristics of her body did not allow her to enter into close relationships. The version was based on famous letter Mary Stuart to Elizabeth, in which her cousin calls her not like other women, incapable of marriage. Nevertheless, Elizabeth was an enviable bride; the most noble rulers of this world wooed her, among whom was Ivan the Terrible. Despite her single life, the queen was always in a state of betrothal to one candidate or another; marriage games were one of her main political trump cards. Elizabeth's marriage could significantly disrupt the balance of power in Europe, the queen knew this and took advantage of it, keeping everyone in constant suspense.

Neither state won - she died unmarried. Before her death, the queen pointed to her ring and said: “This is my only wedding ring" So she left this world in the form of a virgin, and with her the era of the bloody Tudors ended.

2. Gloriana

After the queen's death, Elizabeth's reign began to seem like a "golden age", especially against the backdrop of the subsequent devastation under the Stuarts. Noble subjects perpetuated her memory by giving her the proud name “Gloriana” (from the English Gloria - “glory”). Of course, over the 45 years of her reign, Elizabeth made a weakened England into a major maritime power that had no equal. Combining decisiveness with feminine wily diplomacy, she helped her kingdom withstand political enemies at home and abroad. During his last speech before Parliament in 1601, two years before her death, she uttered a prophetic phrase: “In the place that I now occupy, there will never appear one who is more devoted to the country and its citizens than I am, who will give as readily life for its safety and prosperity. Life and reign have value for me only as long as I serve the good of the people.” Subsequently, only Queen Victoria could compare with her, but the latter’s power was already too limited by Parliament.

Even with her death, Elizabeth brought benefits to England - by declaring the Scottish king James VI as the heir, she united the two states. Scotland finally became dependent on England.

3. Patron of pirates

Elizabeth introduced into history the concept of “state pirates” who robbed “in the name and benefit of the English crown.” Having never been “overseas,” Elizabeth actively encouraged seafarers, especially those who were ready to oppose the Spaniards. The algorithm of action was simple: the queen gave the pirate captains royal patents and thanks for the fact that they robbed Spanish ships. So, the Spanish robbers were carrying galleons full of American gold, and the English pirate, say, Francis Drake, tracked them off the coast of Panama, took away the cargo and presented it to the queen. She, in turn, did not remain in debt, provided protection and distributed titles. English pirates stood up for their queen during a naval battle with the Spanish Invincible Armada. The pirate fleet was commanded by the same Francis Drake, to whom sea adventurers gave the nickname “Dragon”.

The queen had her own love of piracy. She even patronized those robbers who were her original enemies. In 1593, the famous leader of the Irish pirates, Grace O'Malley, who destroyed many English ships off the coast of Ireland, arrived to receive her. Despite the difference in political interests, a friendship arose between the Queen of England, Ireland and the Queen of the Pirates, which for Grace resulted in forgiveness of past sins and lifelong provision.

4. English Joan of Arc During the offensive of the Spanish Armada, Elizabeth was a match for her army. In her light armor, clad in a fragile figure, the Virgin Queen became for her soldiers a second Joan of Arc, only this time English. Her speech addressed to the army has survived to this day: “I know that I look like a weak and fragile woman, but I have the heart and spirit of a king, the king of England. Defending my kingdom, I swear on my honor, I myself will take up arms and become your military leader.” At the same time, she did not forget to promise them to pay off their debts.

Her impressive performance was successfully combined with weather conditions - the Armada was pretty battered by a storm, which gave rise to the people's confidence that their Protestant queen was supported by God himself. “The Lord is an Englishman,” said Francis Bacon, a contemporary of the events. Mass celebrations were accompanied by derogatory posters in the manner of Julius Caesar, addressed to the Armada: “I came, I saw, I fled.”

Elizabeth became literary heroine even during her lifetime, when the poets of the English Renaissance dedicated endless ballads to her, awarding her with elaborate, magnificent names: Gloriana, Eliza, Belphebe, Queen of the Fairies. She inspired even posthumously. Thanks to the bloody image of her sister and father, her own difficult biography, the image of virginity and successful politics, Elizabeth turned into the most popular character English history. She, in turn, became a muse herself English culture. Elizabeth gave the country a theater in which the new humanistic values ​​of the Renaissance were most vividly embodied. Especially during the reign of Elizabeth, the Globe Theater, co-owned by none other than William Shakespeare, rose to prominence. By the way, being a staunch supporter of firm royal power, Shakespeare supported the queen, just as she did not forget the playwright. There is a whole galaxy of stories about the connection between the great theatergoer and the Virgin Queen. The first one said that great playwright- her illegitimate son. This was stated by the American historian and writer Paul Strates, based on inconsistencies in William's biography. The second legend represented Elizabeth as the author of some Shakespearean plays. Shakespeare's name was used as a pseudonym, because the queen could not openly engage in marginal art. All these versions, of course, are not confirmed by anything, only one thing is certain - under the patronage of the queen, English Renaissance, in the works of Shakespeare, Ben Jones, Roger Bacon and others.

6. The Fairy Queen One of the queen’s subjects, the poet Edmund Spenser, based his image on Elizabeth. immortal work“The Faerie Queene”, continuing the Old English Arthurian myth in a modern manner. In his epic, Elizabeth is presented as a queen magical land a fairy who “possesses all the virtues,” but is forced to fight vices, under the guise of which the author hides the Catholic monarchs, and presents the disgraced Mary Stuart as an evil witch. Seeing fairyland in a dream, young Arthur (in whose image the queen’s favorite, Robert Dudley, is depicted) goes in search of her in order to offer her his knight’s sword.

The cult of Elizabeth as the "Fairy Queen", pure and innocent, who became the embodiment of England itself, remained unshakable until recently. Only recently have British historians begun to question the extent to which memories of Elizabeth's reign correspond to reality. More and more often in history there is an opinion that the policies of the great Gloriana were created by her courtiers.

7. Iron Lady

Elizabeth preceded Margaret Thatcher by several centuries, becoming the first Iron Lady of England. This is exactly the impression her policies made on her contemporaries. She looks especially courageous if you read at least a little about her biography. An unwanted child (a boy was expected at court), an unrecognized daughter (her mother Anne Boleyn was executed for treason), a disgraced sister (the eldest Tudor - Bloody Mary sent her sister away to the Tower), a usurper (the daughter of the executed Anne Boleyn on the throne) - all this is not only it did not break the future queen, but instilled in her a truly iron will. During her reign, England transformed from a weakened state into a powerful power with its own church, a combat-ready army and a powerful fleet, challenging the Spanish dominance of the seas. The Queen once said: “I am a woman, but I have the heart of a man. I am my father's daughter."

The post Fairy Queen and patroness of pirates: what Elizabeth I Tudor was like appeared first on Umnaya.

Which explains the concept of the work. From the explanation it follows that the fairy queen Gloriana, celebrating an annual court celebration that lasted twelve days, sent one of her knights every day to a difficult feat. According to the number of knights and exploits, there should be twelve books in the poem - the last one will contain the preamble. Circumstances did not allow Spenser to complete the poem more than half.

In some sections of the poem, the author more or less adheres to this plan, sometimes departs from it: in the fourth book, for example, there is neither a messenger nor an order. Gloriana herself never appears in the poem; her location seems to be known to everyone, but at the same time it is almost unattainable. Many are looking for her, for example Prince Arthur, who fell in love with her in a dream, but they cannot find her.

Allegory

The same letter to Sir Reilly tells us that the fairy queen symbolizes glory, Prince Arthur - generosity, and the remaining twelve virtues are represented by the queen's twelve messengers, the heroes of all written and unwritten books poems. These are Holiness, Temperance, Chastity, Friendship, Justice, Courtliness, Constancy (from the unfinished seventh book). Of these, only moderation, chastity and justice belong to the traditional (both for Christianity and for antiquity) list of virtues. In addition, the poem features characters with unambiguous names: Pride, Anger, Lust, Hope, Faith, Love, etc.

Place and time of action

In Spencer's country there live fairies and elves, but the Spencerian elf ( elfin knight) is not some kind of miraculous creature, he does not look at all like Tolkien's elf, it is something like an ethnic designation, and in principle he is no different from an English or French knight. England is nearby, its geography is mentioned every now and then, and the English are among central characters quite a lot. On the other hand, the Saracen kingdom is located in the same vague proximity. The setting coincides with the legendary reign of Uther Pendragon. However, of the characters in the Breton cycle, only Prince (future king) Arthur continues his search for Gloriana from book to book, and in the sixth book Tristram (French Tristan), still a young page, appears for a moment.

Plot

First book

The hero of the first book is a young knight who has just been initiated. We know him only by his nickname - Redcross, Knight of the Red Cross, this cross adorns his armor (from the author’s explanations it follows that this armor should be understood as the “armor of righteousness”, which the Apostle Paul writes about in his letter to the Ephesians). Towards the end of the book, his name becomes known - George, the future snake fighter and patron saint of England. Snake fighting is the feat that he undertakes at the court of Gloriana and which he successfully accomplishes at the end of the book. And the book itself tells about the acquisition of holiness and the fight against the vices that are most opposite to it. Redcrosse is helped in this fight by Una (the One), a princess sent by her father to the fairy queen to ask for deliverance from the serpent, and the hero’s beloved, with whom he marries after defeating the monster. What prevents him from doing this is Pride and Lies, acting under different names and in different guises.

In the very first song, Redcrosse kills a certain monster, in which Lie took the form of a half-woman, half-snake, but immediately meets her in a new and more insidious image - in the form of a holy hermit. The Archmage hides under this image and manages to violate the agreement of Redcrosse and Una: the knight, deceived by a false vision, leaves his lady and very soon finds a new companion - the sorceress Duessa, who presents herself as a model of fidelity and purity (calling herself Fidessa). This is another mask of Lies, joined by Lust. Pride, in accordance with its nature, puts itself on display and does not wear masks, but its embodiment is just as double as the embodiment of Lies, into male and female hypostases. First, Redcrosse ends up in Lucifera's castle, where he sees a procession of all the vices subordinate to her, then he is captured by the giant Orgoglio, from which Arthur frees him. At the end of the first book, Pride and Lies are united in the form of an ancient dragon, with whom Redcross fights for three days.

Second book

The theme of the second book is Temperance, and its hero, Sir Guyon, sent by the fairy queen to fight the evil sorceress Akrasia, is confronted by two main vices: Anger and Lust. The advocates and personifications of Pleasure are Phaedria, who lives on the island of Gaiety, Mammon, who demonstrates her wealth to Guyon as the universal key to all earthly blessings, and finally, Akrasia herself, who erected decorations in her possessions earthly paradise. Anger is represented by its direct allegory (Furore), as well as by the images of a frantic knight (Pirokhles) and a frantic jealous man (Phaedo). Guyon meets underground kingdom Mammon and, returning to earthly light after a three-day stay in the underworld, loses consciousness - Pirokhles disarms him, exhausted. Prince Arthur helps him out. Guyon ends up in the castle of Temperance, which is owned by the beautiful Alma. After this, he can capture Akrasia.

Third book

The theme of the book is Chastity. The warlock Busiran keeps the beautiful Amoretta prisoner, seeking her love. Warrior Maiden Britomarta (her epic prototype is Bradamanta), main character books came from England, where she was revealed in magic mirror Merlina is her betrothed, knight Artegall. Now she is looking for him (and meets him already in the fourth book), and at the same time frees Amoretta. In the third book there are many opponents and adversaries of the title virtue (Malecasta, Argentea, Oliphant, Lady's Page).

Book Four

The fourth book directly continues the previous one. Artegal Britomart is looking for, Amoretta is looking for her betrothed Scudamur (and never meets her until the end of the poem), Florimella is languishing in captivity of Proteus, the beautiful huntress Belphebea, Amoretta's sister, punishes Timias with her disfavor - in this story Spencer depicted Elizabeth's sensational break with Walter Reilly. There is also an allegory here. pure love, which was clearly missing in the third book (Scudamur’s story about his visit to the kingdom of Venus). An insert story about how the power of magic put an end to the mortal enmity of Cambell and Triamond (a story that continues Chaucer's unfinished The Squire's Tale) gives the theme of the entire book - Friendship. But this theme is rather nominal; it is not presented at all in allegorical terms.

Fifth book

The theme of the fifth book is Justice, and she is opposed by Lady Munera, personifying the love of money, a giant who wants to weigh the whole world and equalize everything in it, reducing the high to the low, Duessa, who only in this book is overtaken by a long-deserved punishment, and finally, Grantorto, The Great Destroyer of Justice. His overthrow is the feat that the fairy queen entrusted to Artegal.

The book contains many historical allusions: the trial of Mary Stuart, the Great Armada, the Irish and Dutch expeditions, the abdication of Henry of Navarre, etc.

Sixth book

The theme is courtliness. Sir Kalidor (appears for the first time in the poem), fulfilling the order of the fairy queen, goes in pursuit of the Roaring Beast ( the blatant beast), personifying slander and slander, and, before last song put shackles on him, meets various examples and incidents illustrating anti-courtly behavior. Towards the end of the book, during his wanderings he finds himself in a shepherd’s village, in a pastoral built into a chivalric romance, and, seduced by one of the local beauties, Pastorella, as well as by the simplicity and truth of the local way of life, he throws off his armor, dresses in shepherd’s clothes, and grazes. herd and completely forgets about his knightly duties. Here Kalidor receives a vision that opens his eyes to his mission (the dance of the graces on Mount Venus).

The asteroid (160) Una, discovered in 1876, is named after the heroine of the poem Una.

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Literature

• Andreev M.L. A chivalric romance in the Renaissance. M., 1993, p. 224-234.

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Excerpt characterizing The Fairy Queen

Today we will admire the illustrations by the English artist Frank Cheyne Pape for the series of novels by Edmund Spenser “Stories of the Faerie Queene” from The Faerie Queen).

“The Faerie Queene” is an allegorical knightly poem by Edmund Spenser, which remained unfinished. First edition in three books published in 1590, second edition in six books in 1596.

2.

The poem is preceded by a letter to Sir Walter Raleigh, which explains the concept of the work. From the explanation it follows that the fairy queen Gloriana, celebrating an annual court celebration that lasted twelve days, sent one of her knights every day to a difficult feat. According to the number of knights and exploits, there should be twelve books in the poem - the last one will contain the preamble. Circumstances did not allow Spenser to complete the poem more than half.

3.

In some sections of the poem, the author more or less adheres to this plan, sometimes departs from it: in the fourth book, for example, there is neither a messenger nor an order. Gloriana herself never appears in the poem; her location seems to be known to everyone, but at the same time it is almost unattainable. Many are looking for her, for example Prince Arthur, who fell in love with her in a dream, but they cannot find her.

4.

The same letter to Sir Reilly reports that the fairy queen symbolizes glory, Prince Arthur - generosity, and the remaining twelve virtues are represented by the queen's twelve messengers, the heroes of all the written and unwritten books of the poem. These are Holiness, Temperance, Chastity, Friendship, Justice, Courtliness, Constancy (from the unfinished seventh book). Of these, only moderation, chastity and justice belong to the traditional (both for Christianity and for antiquity) list of virtues. In addition, the poem features characters with unambiguous names: Pride, Anger, Lust, Hope, Faith, Love, etc.

5.

6.

7. Fairies and elves live in Spencer’s country, but Spencer’s elf (elfin knight) is not some kind of wonderful creature, he is not at all like Tolkien’s elf, it is something like an ethnic designation, and in principle he is no different from English or French knight. England is nearby, its geography is mentioned every now and then, and there are quite a few Englishmen among the central characters. On the other hand, the Saracen kingdom is located in the same vague proximity. The time period coincides with the legendary reign of Uther Pendragon. However, of the characters in the Breton cycle, only Prince (future king) Arthur continues his search for Gloriana from book to book, and in the sixth book Tristram (French Tristan), still a young page, appears for a moment.

8.

Frank Cheyne Pape (1878 - 1972) - English artist and illustrator, Frank's early illustrations can be found in children's books published in 1908 (Diamond, Ruby and Golden Fairy Book). At first the artist worked in color, but after the First World War he finally switched to a black and white style.

9.

10.

In 1921, the book “Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice” with witty illustrations was published in a limited edition, after which the artist became famous. Later, the book was considered undesirable for the general reader, because... an erotic context was found in it. After the success of "Jurgen", the illustrator began to receive orders to create in the same satirical manner. Frank Pape was commissioned to illustrate famous works Anatole France - “Thais”, “Penguin Island”, “Rise of the Angels”, etc.

11.

He also designed bookplates. In 1916, the artist created illustrations for the Russian Book of Fairy Tales, which was published by Richard Wilson. From 1935 to 1950, the author worked on illustrations for children's magazines.