Religious_Variations_of_“Utopia”_and_“the_Faerie_Queene”

William B. Bertelson Jennie Hensarling LITR210 English Literature: Beowulf to 18th Century 11 May 2010 Religious Variations of “Utopia” and “The Faerie Queene” The theme (in many cases the themes) of a story is the main discussion within the story, for example: love, truth, or justice. In the case of our two books there is a whole slew of themes discussed as the authors utilized their artful talent to express dissent or concurrence with the accepted or prevalent viewpoints of sensitive topics. For the purposes of this paper I will briefly explore the topic of religious tolerance from “Utopia,” and Book I of “The Faerie Queene;” providing a contrast between the fictional world and the realities of religious intolerance from the real world. In More’s “Utopia,” More attempts to paint us a picture of the perfect civilization ruled by few laws. One set of these laws governs issues of religion, a most controversial topic during More’s time. In More’s “perfect nation” all citizens believe in one god, supreme being, or maker (More, 579). Since this god could go by many names the citizens experienced an unprecedented amount of religious tolerance; essentially the citizens of Utopia could practice any monotheistic religion, which has been the basis for oppression and conflict over centuries. Although the Utopian religion was very diverse a law was also established requiring all citizens to would worship in the local churches, led by the ordained priest. If a citizen’s beliefs required other rituals and worshipping practices be conducted they are free to do so separately from the public service. If the additional services had the possibility of offending a neighbor then they had to be conducted privately. This tolerance came from the Utopus’ belief that regardless of the name of the god a person worships, all citizens are praising the same god. The various names and practices are God’s delight in diversity (More, 584-588). The Utopus believed in tolerance so much that he established a law that forbade citizens from forcing conversion from one belief system to another. He believed that if the practices of one belief system were more divine than those of another, then God would chose the more superior and conversion would occur at it’s own pace (More, 579-581). Spencer’s story of the Red Crosse Knight in Book I of “The Faerie Queene,” takes us through the journey of several characters that seem to revolve around helping or hindering the Red Crosse Knight in some way. Examples of these characters are Errour the first monster Redcrosse faces. The knight chokes the beast, who then vomits books and papers (Spencer, Canto i, lines 168-180). The books and papers according to Sparknotes is “the propoganda of the Catholic Church” (Book I, Cantos i & ii). Another example, one that is of those assisting Redcrosse is Arthur. Arthur is possibly representative of a Christ figure. Arthur assists Una, whose name means “truth,” in freeing Redcrosse from the dungeons of the giant Orgoglio and Duessa (Spencer, Canto viii) who together represent the return of the Catholic Church (Sparknotes Editors, Book I, Cantos vi, vii & viii). Spenser’s symbolism throughout the story represents the battles of religious intolerance. He dismisses Greek and Roman mythology, and promotes the views of protestant religion while extorting the actions of the Roman Catholic Church. Both writers, More and Spencer, tell the story of religious tolerance from different perspectives. More suggest in his writings that everyone regardless of their practices are worshipping the same god, while Spencer approaches the tolerance from a more narrowly focused viewpoint…it must be one or the other, and he prefers Protestantism. Works Cited More, Thomas. “Utopia.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. 521-90. Print SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Faerie Queene.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. n.d.. Web. 6 May 2010. Spencer, Edmund. “The Faerie Queen.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. 714-902. Print [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]