The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser follows the protagonist Redcrosse on a traditional hero's journey, which is a religious and historical allegory for the church conflicts that take place during the time of Spenser. Redcrosse meets the mysterious Duessa on his journey, a figure he initially trusts, but who ultimately wants to subvert him. Duessa not only fills the role of villain throughout the story, but also acts as an allegory for the Catholic church and the biblical temptress, adding value to Spenser's message about the truth of the Protestant church and the corruption of Catholicism. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Duessa's constant deceptions and deceptions represent the corruption associated with the Catholic Church. When Redcrosse meets Fradubio, the tree-man explains that Duessa deceived him so as to "take Duessa for my Lady" (805) and engage in a relationship with her for some time, before accidentally finding her while bathing and seeing her in the his true identity. shape, noting that "Her deformed, monstrous parts // were hidden in the water, which I could not see // but seemed more disgusting and hideous // than the form of the woman whom man would believe to be a bee" (805 ). Duessa tricks Fradubio into believing she is the beautiful woman he fell in love with, when in reality she is a deformed witch, and once he finds out who she is, she transforms him into a tree. Duessa creates an image of beauty and innocence but is actually corrupt and bent on destruction, an attitude that carries over into her interactions with Redcrosse. He is close to discovering who he really is after Fradubio tells him her story, but as soon as he turns on her, Duessa pretends to faint, manipulating her appearance to take on a “pale and deadly appearance” (806). Redcrosse immediately worries about her and forgets any doubts he had; she manages to manipulate him into caring for her again by describing herself as innocent, meek and defenseless. By taking on this façade that allows her to deceive other characters to advance her own plans, Duessa also establishes herself as an allegory of the corruption that Spenser and other Protestants of his time believed was rooted in the Catholic Church. Duessa lures men to her side by portraying herself as a beautiful, innocent maiden in need of protection, just as Spenser believed the Catholic Church lured potential believers by portraying itself as the one true church, when in reality the institution had significant amounts of corruption . , from religious officials who enjoy luxury goods to high-level clergy members who accept bribes. Duessa's role in The Faerie Queene is to promote Spenser's allegory of the truth of the Protestant Church, a role strengthened by the fact that she is from Rome. It enters history as a symbol of the corrupting nature of the Catholic Church; a representative of Rome, is quick to deceive Redcrosse and the others into believing that she possesses nothing but beauty and innocence, when in reality she is corrupt and only wants to bring destruction. In addition to being a force of corruption and destruction, Duessa's mission to distract Redcrosse from his true mission reinforces Spenser's allegory that Catholicism distracts from the single truth of the Protestant Church. Redcrosse begins The Faerie Queene on a quest to help Una find her family and save her kingdom from a dragon, but once she meets Duessa and hears her talk about her "sad, friendless, unfortunate situation" (801), he is immediately distracted from his thoughts. original mission and tells Duessa that "you could rest // both having a new friend to help you" (802). Whilewas previously deeply devoted to Una, all thoughts of her fly out the window as soon as Duessa presents her case. During his journey with her, Redcrosse encounters numerous horrors, from the House of Pride to the giant Pride, and engages in numerous battles in the name of someone who is both cruel and careless, rather than using his strength to fight for the good. Duessa distracts Redcrosse so he can't see his real enemies. When Pride attacks, Redcrosse is attacked "before he can put his armor on him // or take his shield" (857). Duessa causes him to lower his guard to the point where he is totally unprepared for potential attacks, and as a result, he is almost killed by a fairly significant monster. When the giant is finally slain by Arthur, his body “had completely vanished, and of that monstrous monster // there was nothing left, but it was like an empty bladder” (873). Pride is described as a large and formidable enemy, but in reality he is simply full of air and completely insignificant once defeated. Redcrosse may have defeated him easily, just as he defeated larger monsters, but because Duessa has weakened him and distracted his mind from his original mission, he is unable to defeat even small and insignificant enemies. Duessa establishes itself as the ultimate counterpoint to Una: Una's name literally means "one", further establishing her connection to the one truth of Protestantism, but Duessa's name means "two", alluding to ideas of duality and deception associated with the Catholic Church. By distracting Redcrosse from his mission to help Una and weakening him in his fight against his enemies, Duessa establishes herself as a foil to the Protestantism and truth that Spenser and his English contemporaries believed he brought. It's not just an obstacle Redcrosse has to make do with; represents the distraction from the truth that Spenser and his fellow Protestants believed Catholicism provided to the English people after the Reformation. The Seduction of Duessa alludes to biblical seduction and temptation, establishing it as a religious allegory for the temptress. When Redcrosse first meets her she is dressed in red, "pearl of gold and pearls of rich value" (798), and wears "a Persian miter on the roof" (798). Duessa is dressed in elegant clothing and exhibits physical beauty, both of which serve to attract Redcrosse to her cause: he is attracted to the image of a beautiful woman. Her primary method of distracting Redcrosse throughout the poem is to seduce him: Spenser explains that the two are "poured in looseness" (857) together, implying that they have had sex. Every time Redcrosse gets closer to understanding who she really is, she uses her beauty to seduce him into having sex with her. Her seduction escapes the image of the temptress of the Bible: when she meets Redcrosse for the first time her appearance is also similar to that of the whore of Babylon, who attracted with her beauty and elegance but was blasphemous. His Red Cross temptation also alludes to Eve, who many Bible readers interpret as having tempted Adam to eat the forbidden fruit and causing the two to fall from Paradise. Duessa is not only a historical allegory for the Catholic Church: she is also a religious allegory for the figure of the temptress, and in addition to serving as an enemy of the Red Cross, she also serves as a continuation of the Bible's message that women who tempt men men, through their sexuality or other means, cannot be trusted and will ultimately come to a bad end. While Duessa serves as a symbol of Catholicism and biblical temptresses, she also fills the role of a feared foreigner in a society terrified of difference. Duessa enters the drama as a foreigner..