The Faerie Queene: Book III: Canto IV Summary & Analysis

The narrator says that even the heroes of old from Homer’s time can’t compare with Britomart. After learning of Arthegall’s whereabouts from the Redcross Knight, Britomart parts from him and continues on her journey. Despite making progress, she is still pained by the wound inside her caused by love. Glauce comforts Britomart in her pain by reminding her of Merlin’s prophecy.

All of a sudden, while she is near a beach, Britomart’s grief is turned to wrath when she sees a knight charging at her. The knight warns her to change her course, but she doesn’t, and she ends up wounding the knight with her enchanted spear. The knight, whose name is Marinell, lies bleeding on the shore, which is strewn with precious objects.

Marinell is the son of a nymph named Cymoent and had previously subdued a hundred other knights in battle. This is how he built up such a large pile of riches. Long before Marinell’s fight with Britomart, his mother the nymph was concerned that her son would die in battle to someone trying to take his wealth, so she went to Proteus, who has the gift of prophecy.

Proteus warned Marinell’s mother, Cymoent, that her son should stay away from women because one will grievously injure or perhaps even kill him. From then on, Cymoent warned Marinell to scorn the company of women. As it turns out, however, Britomart comes along to fulfill Proteus’s prophecy by wounding Marinell.

Back in the present, sea creatures and nymphs, including Cymoent, come to witness Marinell looking nearly dead. Neptune, the god of the sea, is himself amazed at the display of mourning. Cymoent faints three times. The other nymphs realize Marinell is still alive and take him back to treat his wounds.

While tending to Marinell, the nymphs curse whoever injured him. Meanwhile Archimago the evil wizard has been stalking Britomart ever since she left Arthur and Sir Guyon (who were trying to help a damsel who was being chased).

Eventually, Arthur catches up with the damsel he’s been following, but she keeps fleeing, scared off by his unfamiliar shield and armor. Arthur keeps pursuing her, but eventually he gets exhausted and has to sleep. His sleep brings him little rest, however, as he dreams about how he wishes the lady he’s currently chasing were actually the Faerie Queene. He spends the rest of the night haunted by restlessness and waiting for morning before finally getting up the next day to continue his quest.