* Today is St. George's day as well as William Shakespeare (1564-1616) and Miguel de Cervantes' (1547-1616) birthdays. We're not sure, actually, the exact day of either author's birth, but baptismal records show it is possible for Shakespeare. We do know that Shakespeare died on the 23 and Cervantes the 22 of April. Roman legend has it that Virgil also died on the day of his birth.
The Redcrosse Liturgy
St George is a leading character in Spenser’s remarkable
allegory The Faerie Queene (1590 and 1596). St George
appears in Book I as the Redcrosse Knight of Holiness,
protector of the Virgin Una. In this guise he may be seen
as the Anglican Church upholding the monarchy of
Elizabeth I:
‘But on his breast a bloody Cross he bore
The dear remembrance of his dying Lord,
For whose sweet sake that glorious badge we wore
And dead (as living) ever he adored...Thou,
Among those saints which thou dost see
Shalt be a saint, and thine own nation’s friend
And patron; thou St George shalt called be,
St George of merry England, the sign of victory’.
The figure of St George was made use of by Spenser
because of the belief that God had helped England to
defeat the Armada. Recent scholars have stressed the
central importance of Protestant doctrine, theology and
liturgy to Spenser’s poetry. By transforming England’s
patron saint into a sinful knight, Redcrosse, who, beset by
pride and lust, was being brought back to the way of
holiness, Spenser made it possible for
George to reject the doctrines of the Catholic church,
personified by Duessa, and become the champion of Una,
the true faith. Through the influence of a Tudor-esque
Prince Arthur, the young knight regained the path of
holiness, killed the Dragon and transformed himself into
St George. In this way, the figure of St George was
assimilated into a culture that no longer adhered to belief
in saintly intercession or the authority of popes. In his new
guise, St George bridged the gap between the Catholic past
and a future where the Protestant faith had successfully
taken hold under the Tudors.
* J30: Write an adventure tale of one page or more. Handwritten. This may give you ideas for your CWP.
* Read
HW: Read ch. 21-22
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