In romance it was customary for the victor to unlace the helmet of the
knight whom he had unhorsed before slaying him.
knight whom he had unhorsed before slaying him.
Spenser - Faerie Queene - 1
FROM GROUND, from the land.
297. SANS LOY symbolizes the pagan lawlessness in Ireland. There is also a
wider reference to the struggles between the Turks and the allied Christian
powers, which had been going on since the siege of Vienna in 1529.
309. VAINLY CROSSED SHIELD, Archimago's false cross lacked the protecting
power of St. George's charmed true cross.
321. LETHE LAKE, a lake or river of Hades, whose water brought oblivion or
forgetfulness to all who drank of it.
322. Refers to the ancient custom of sacrificing an enemy on the funeral
altar to appease the shade of the dead.
323. THE BLACKE INFERNALL FURIES, the Erinyes, or goddesses of vengeance,
who dwelt in Erebus. They were robed in black, bloody garments befitting
their gloomy character.
325.
In romance it was customary for the victor to unlace the helmet of the
knight whom he had unhorsed before slaying him. Friends and relatives were
sometimes discovered by this precaution.
342. NE EVER WONT IN FIELD, etc. , was never accustomed to fight in the
battle-field or in the lists of the tournament.
xliii. Contrast Sansloy's rude treatment of Una with the chivalrous respect
and courtesy always shown by a true knight to woman.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
(Canto III)
1. What moral reflections does the poet make in the introductory stanza?
Note the reference to the Queen. 2. What do you learn of the laws, customs,
and sentiments of chivalry in this canto? 3. Give an account of Una's
meeting with the Lion. 4. Explain the allegory of the incident of the Lion.
297. SANS LOY symbolizes the pagan lawlessness in Ireland. There is also a
wider reference to the struggles between the Turks and the allied Christian
powers, which had been going on since the siege of Vienna in 1529.
309. VAINLY CROSSED SHIELD, Archimago's false cross lacked the protecting
power of St. George's charmed true cross.
321. LETHE LAKE, a lake or river of Hades, whose water brought oblivion or
forgetfulness to all who drank of it.
322. Refers to the ancient custom of sacrificing an enemy on the funeral
altar to appease the shade of the dead.
323. THE BLACKE INFERNALL FURIES, the Erinyes, or goddesses of vengeance,
who dwelt in Erebus. They were robed in black, bloody garments befitting
their gloomy character.
325.
In romance it was customary for the victor to unlace the helmet of the
knight whom he had unhorsed before slaying him. Friends and relatives were
sometimes discovered by this precaution.
342. NE EVER WONT IN FIELD, etc. , was never accustomed to fight in the
battle-field or in the lists of the tournament.
xliii. Contrast Sansloy's rude treatment of Una with the chivalrous respect
and courtesy always shown by a true knight to woman.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
(Canto III)
1. What moral reflections does the poet make in the introductory stanza?
Note the reference to the Queen. 2. What do you learn of the laws, customs,
and sentiments of chivalry in this canto? 3. Give an account of Una's
meeting with the Lion. 4. Explain the allegory of the incident of the Lion.
