The Faerie Queene, Book I (Summary)

The Faerie Queene, Book I 1. The Red Cross Knight and Una set forth on their quest accompanied by Una's lamb and her dwarf. After a storm comes up, they enter a shady grove, become lost, and happened upon a cave which Una recognizes as Error's den. Red Cross fights the monster Error; they continue on. They need "an aged sire" who seems very religious, and offers them shelter in his Hermitage. As they sleep, he casts a spell which causes Red Cross Knight to believe that Una is unchaste. 2. The next spell causes him to think he sees Una in bed with another man. He abandons her and continues on with the dwarf. But only us by herself. The old man, now identified as Archimago up, disguises himself as the Red Cross Knight. Meanwhile, the real Red Cross Knight encounters a Saracen Knight, Sansfoy, accompanied by a woman dressed in scarlet; they fight, and Red Cross wins. Duessa, aka Fidessa, tells him a story about how she ended up with Sansfoy, Red Cross is moved by it, and they travel on together until they reach the cool shade of two trees where they rest. There they hear the story of Fradubio, who ran afoul of Duessa. Red Cross Knight is still unaware that Fidessa and Duessa are the same woman. 3. Una, all alone, meets a lion, who becomes her protector. She takes shelter with Abessa of the. The lion kills addresses boyfriend in the middle of the Knight. Archimago finds Una, who mistakes him for the Red Cross Knight. Sansfoy tries to kill him, until he recognizes Archimago's real identity; he kills the lion and takes Una prisoner. 4. The Red Cross Knight and Duessa arrive at the House of Pride, whose queen is Lucifera. They watch a pageant of the seven deadly sins. The third Saracen brother, Sansfoy, finds the Red Cross Knight with his brother's shield. Duessa tells him she is on his side in any fight. 5. Red Cross fights Sansjoy for the shield, is hit, but revives when he hears Duessa pledging herself to his enemy. He strikes Sansjoy with what should be a mortal blow, but Sansjoy disappears in a cloud. Duessa goes to complain to the goddess Night. Night and Duessa take care of Sansjoy , and take him down to hell where they find Aesculapius the physician. When Duessa returns to the House of Pride, Red Cross has gone, because the dwarf has warned him about its full dungeons. 6. Red Cross regrets leaving Duessa, and that Una’s “truth is stained.” Meanwhile, in a forest, Sansloy is coming on to her, and rips off her veil. Heaven hears her cries of protest, and sends fauns and satyrs to rescue her; Sansloy runs off. Una is worshipped by savages, and finally leaves with Satyrane, the son of a forester. They meet Archimago, who tells them that Red Cross is dead; Satyrane challenges Sansloy, whom Archimago says was the killer. Sansloy sees Una, who flees; Satyrane fights him, and Archimago pursues Una. 7. Duessa finds Red Crosse resting near a fountain, whose waters make him tired. Disarmed, he is easy prey for the giant Orgoglio; when Duessa offers herself as his lover, Orgoglio spares Red Crosse’s life but throws him into a dungeon. The Dwarf takes Red Crosse’s horse, weapons and armor, and soon meets up with Una, who swoons, thinking Red Crosse must be dead. He tells her the story, and they travel on together to find Red Crosse. They meet a “goodly knight” accompanied by a squire and bearing magic arms; we learn that though he is now dead, these may still be seen by seekers. Una tells the knight her story, the assault on her royal parents by the dragon and the search for an innocent knight which led her to the Faerie Queene’s court. 8. Una, the knight, and their companions arrive at Orgoglio’s castle. Orgoglio fights the knight, while Duessa on her “many-headed beast” attacks the squire. When the knight’s diamond shield is accidentally unveiled, its radiance blinds them. After winning the battle, the knight rescues the despairing and suicidal Red Crosse from prison. Duessa is stripped, and flees. 9. Una asks the knight who he is. He is was given to foster-parents, and doesn’t know his lineage. (She names him as Arthur). He tells the story of the dream which made him fall in love with Gloriana, and his subsequent, ongoing search for her. Arthur and Red Crosse exchange gifts and part. Red Crosse and Una meet Trevisan, fleeing with a halter around his neck. Red Crosse goes to find the culprit, Despair, and is almost seduced by him, until Una’s rebuke sets him straight. They leave, while Despair tries to kill himself but can’t. 10. Realizing that Red Crosse is too weak as yet to complete his mission, Una takes him to the House of Holiness, presided over by Dame Celia and her daughters Fidessa, Speranza, and Charissa. After much teaching and many ordeals, he goes up to the mountain of Contemplation, told his true lineage, and given a vision of the new Jerusalem. Although he wishes to stay, Contemplation tells him he must go back down into the world and complete his quest. 11. Red Crosse and Una finally come to her parent’s castle, and Red Crosse begins to fight the dragon. At the end of the first day, he is knocked down, and falls into what turns out to be the Well of Life. On the second days, he gets up renewed and begins to fight again. Driven back by the dragon’s fiery breath, he slips and falls again, this time into a stream of balm springing from the Tree of Life. The second day ends. On the third day, Red Crosse again rises renewed, and at the first encounter strikes a mortal blow to kill the dragon. 12. Una’s parents come out from the walls, as the siege is lifted with much rejoicing. Red Crosse is welcomed, Una garlanded as queen. The marriage of Una and Red Crosse is deferred by his vow to serve the Faerie Queene for six years in fighting against a pagan king. A messenger arrives bearing letters from Duessa which claim Red Crosse’s prior engagement to her. Red Crosse and Una tell the true story, and she recognizes the messenger as Archimago. After he is imprisoned, the couple’s betrothal is celebrated with great joy. At the book’s end, however, Red Crosse returns to perform his sworn service to the Faerie Queene, and Una is “left to mourne.”