The Faerie Queene

Spenser uses a simile that compares Redcross and a knight he encounters on his journey to “two rams.” Falling for the deceptions of the villainous Archimago, Redcross has abandoned Una and travels alone across Faerie Land. Still angry at what he falsely believes to be Una’s betrayal, he soon finds himself in conflict with Sans Foy, whose name means “Without Faith”: 

As when two rams stird with ambitious pride, 
Fight for the rule of the rich fleeced flocke, 
Their horned fronts so fierce on either side 
Do meete, that with the terrour of die shocke 
Astonied both, stand sencelesse as a blocke, 
Forgetfull of the hanging victory: 
So stood these twaine, vnmoued as a rocke, 
Both staring fierce, and holding idely,
The broken reliques of their former cruelty.

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Spenser compares a dragon to a mountain in a simile that underscores its tremendous size. In the concluding cantos of Book I, Redcross has finally reached the dragon that has plagued the kingdom ruled by Una’s mother and father. This scene marks the culmination of his hero’s journey after many distractions, mistakes, and opportunities for growth. However, the dragon is notably more formidable than his previous enemies. The narrator observes its formidable size and power: 

By this the dreadfull Beast drew nigh to hand, 
Halfe flying, and halfe footing in his hast, 
That with his largenesse measured much land, 
And made wide shadow vnder his huge wast;
As mountaine doth the valley ouercast.

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Spenser employs dramatic irony during Britomart’s stay in the house of Malecasta. Though the reader knows that Britomart is a female knight, her knight’s armor has concealed her body and Malecasta has falsely assumed that Britomart is a male. In a deeply ironic scene, the “Lady of Delight” attempts to court Britomart: 

Whom when the Lady saw so faire a wight, 
All ignoraunt of her contrary sex, 
(For she her weend a fresh and lusty knight)
She greatly gan enamoured to wex, 
And with vaine thoughts her falsed fancy vex: 
Her fickle hart concerned hasty fire, 
Like sparkes of fire, which fall in sclender flex, 
That shortly brent into extreme desire,
And ransackt all her veines with passion entire.

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In Canto IX, Britomart, Satyrane, and a small cluster of other knights attempt to seek refuge from a storm in the castle of Malbecco. Through the figure of Malbecco, Spenser satirizes a common target of early modern folk humor: the cuckold, or in other words, a man whose wife conducts adulterous affairs. Of Malbecco, whose name means “evil goat,” the narrator writes: 

But he is old, and withered like hay, 
Vnfit faire Ladies seruice to supply; 
The priuie guilt whereof makes him alway 
Suspect her truth, and keepe continuall spy 
Vpon her with his other blincked eye; 
Ne suffreth he resort of liuing wight 
Approch to her, ne keepe her company, 
But in close bowre her mewes from all mens sight, 
Depriu’d of kindly ioy and naturall delight.

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Spenser employs a simile that compares the dead Giant to a ship that has been shattered after running aground of a rock, emphasizing the vast scale of the Giant’s body. After losing patience with the Giant’s calls for equality, Talus swiftly and violently dispatches the Giant, pushing him off a cliff to his death. The narrator dwells upon the sight of the Giant’s shattered corpse: 

Like as a ship, whom cruell tempest driues 
Vpon a rocke with horrible dismay, 
Her shattered ribs in thousand peeces riues, 
And spoyling all her geares and goodly ray, 
Does make her selfe misfortunes piteous pray. 
So downe the cliffe the wretched Gyant tumbled; 
His battred ballances in peeces lay, 
His timbered bones all broken rudely rumbled, 
So was the high aspyring with huge ruine humbled.

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