The Faerie Queene

The Faerie Queene is an epic poem by Edmund Spenser, first published in 1590 (the first half) with the more or less complete version being published in 1596.

Other characters

• Acrasia, Seductress of knights in the book of temperance. Guoyn destroys her Bower of Bliss at the end of Book 2. See II.12.69.8
• Alma, Her name means "soul." She is the head of the House of Temperance in book 2. See II.9.18.1
• Amoret, The wife of Scudamor, kidnapped by Busirane on her wedding night, saved by Britomart. She represnts married love. We assume she eventually gets back together with her husband, though Spenser doesn't tell us for sure.
• Archimago, An evil sorcerer who is out to get the knights in the service of the Faerie Queene. He especially has it in for Redcrosse.
• Artegal, the personification and champion of Justice. Britomart sees his reflection in a mirror and sets out to meet and marry him. Conveniently, he also falls in love with her when he sees her (and she handily defeats him with her enchanted sword).
• Arthur, This is the same Arthur of the Round Table, but he plays a different role here. He is madly in love with the Faerie Queene and spends his time in pursuit of her when not helping the other knights out of their sundry predicaments.
• Belphoebe, The very beautiful sister of Amoret who spends her time in the woods hunting and avoiding the numerous amorous men who chase her.
• Braggadocchio, a very funny knight with absolutely no sense of honor. He steals Guyon's horse. He is not evil, just dishonorable.
• Britomart, the personification and champion of Chastity. She is young, beautiful, and has an enchanted spear that allows her to defeat every knight she encounters. She travels with Glauce, her nurse, in search of Artegal.
• Busirane, the evil sorcer who captures Amoret on her wedding knight. When Britomart enters his castle to defeat him, she finds him holding Amoret's heart in a pan. The very clever Britomart handily overcomes him and returns Amoret to her husband.
• Una, the personification of the True Church. She travels with a lot of stuff and the Redcrosse Knight, whom she has recruited to save her parent's castle from a dragon. She and Redcrosse eventually marry.
• Guyon, the Knight of Temperance