Una and Duessa: Good Versus Evil

The two main female characters in Edmund Spencer’s “The Faerie Queene”

represent both good and evil through their actions, appearances, names, and within the

allegorical theme of the poem. The existence of a perfectly good character, in this case

Una, aggrandizes the evilness presented by Duessa and facilitates in exemplifying their

contrasting natures. The first instance of dissimilarity between the two women is the

physical descriptions Spencer provides for the reader.

Una is introduced very early on in the poem and is associated with the hero, the

Redcrosse Knight.

A Lovely Ladie rode him faire beside,

Upon a lowly Asse more white then snow,

Yet she much whiter, but the same did hide

Under a vele, that whimpled was full low,

And over all a blacke stole she did throw, (Book 1, Canto 1, lines 28-32) Una is described

in this paragraph as riding a horse more white than snow, but is herself whiter. The

employment of the color white is used by Spencer to assign purity and innocence to Una.

She also demonstrates humility as she hides her beauty beneath a veil and a black stole.

Spencer goes on to say that with her rode a lamb on a leash and that Una was as innocent

and pure as that white lamb. The lamb also represents the lamb of Christ

and emphasizes the religious undertones of the story. Duessa is first introduced to the

reader much further on in the poem.

 A goodly Lady clad in scarlet red,

Purfled with gold and pearle of rich assay,

And like a Persian mitre on her hed

She wore, with crownes and owches garnished,

The which her lavish lovers to her gave;

Her wanton palfrey all was overspread

With tinsell trappings, woven like a wave,

Whose bridle rung with golden bels and bosses brave. (Book 1, Canto 2

lines 110-117)

She wears scarlet red clothes, embellished with gold and jewels that were given to her by

her lovers. She is unchaste and figures the Whore of Babylon from the book of Revelation.

A testament to her duplicitous nature is the introduction of herself to the Redcrosse Knight

as Fidessa, whereas Una symbolizes a single truth. Spencer illuminates Duessa’s deceitful

nature in line 185 by incorporating the word “seeming,” and ends the second canto with

Duessa lying to the Knight as to why she was in the forest with Sansfoy.

Duessa continues to manipulate and trick the Redcrosse Knight when she leads him down

a broad highway to a palace of pride “Whose wals were high, but nothing strong, nor

thick,/And golden foile all over them displaid.” (Book 1, Canto 4, lines 30-31) Just as

Duessa, the palace she leads the Knight to is not as it appears. The walls are deceiving as

they are wrapped in a thin layer of gold, only seeming as if they are gold bricks. Una,

saving the Knight from the cave of despair, leads him down a narrow path to a House of

Holiness and humility. There he is rejuvenated and led to enlightenment and Una is

associated with light and ascension. She also “put(s) aside her cloak and veil and expose(s)

her full brightness.” (Heale, 1999) Duessa on the other hand, descends into hell and calls
upon night to restore life to her lover, and is therefore linked to darkness.

Innocent, guilty, light, dark, another aspect that sets the two women apart are their

physical bodies. Una is a true beauty. In great opposition to the truth that Una embodies,

Duessa uses witchcraft and trickery to fool others into thinking she is beautiful. And unlike

Una whose love comes from a sincere place, Duessa uses her false beauty to seduce men

for her own means. When Duessa’s true form is exposed, she becomes completely

revolting as her body is made up of dirty animal parts. When Fradubbio witnesses Duessa’s

true self, he becomes disgusted and attempts to flee. The Redcrosse Knight also witnesses a

stripped Duessa and her spell over him is broken.

Using two unique characters such as Una and Duessa assisted Spencer in cunningly

asserting his political and liturgical viewpoints into the story as well. Una and her lamb

symbolize the true and unadulterated faith in Christ that the Protestants possessed. Duessa

and her lies and the other evil characters represent Catholicism. As stated earlier, Duessa

figures the Whore of Babylon and before the Knight’s most arduous battle against the

giant, Duessa rides out of the castle riding on a strange beast. Duessa and the beast

represent what Spencer thought to be the greatest evil, the Catholic Church and their

propaganda.

Edmund Spencer created two very interesting characters whose contradiction to one

another creates a dramatic and palpable sense of loyalty to one character, and dislike for

another. Without evil characters, the good would not seem as virtuous, and these polar

opposite characters serve as the perfect models for future writers. The world has always

known good versus evil, right versus wrong, and Spencer has taken these opposites and

made them come to life within his compelling characters of Una and Duessa.