The Faerie Queene is a poem that embodies the meaning of a mythical tale.

A mythical
tale, in definition form, is a traditional or legendary poem, usually concerning some being or
hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation. This poem,
however, is was made to be based off of the everyday world. The use of personification in this
poem helps bring to the life the non-living elements that are present through the everyday world.
Most of which, in this poem, are that of evil. The personification of evil that lies in the world
creates a mystifyingly type of horror that opens the eyes when is read. The three main
antagonists is the poem of The Faerie Queen are, Duessa; the skillful master of disguise.
Archimago, like Duessa, a skillful master of disguise however, in the form of shapeshifting.
Finally, Lucifera, the female version of Lucifer. These three, though of many, are of the major
manifestations of evil in the poem.
Duessa in the poem is a personification of non-faith. Her very name insists upon this,
Duo meaning two, insisting that she is never what she seems to be, bringing a lack of faith upon
her. Her skill in disguise allows her to fool people into thinking that she is Fidessa, whose name
itself means Faith. Duessa main goal in the poem is to fool people into doing wrong. Duessa is
also personified as the Roman Church, which Spenser believed the Roman Church was just
arrogant and greedy. Duessa takes on the form of Fidessa to trick the Red Crosse Knight into
following her into the House of Pride, And false Duessa in her stead had borne / Called Fidess,
and so supposed to be / Long with her traveild, till at last they see / A godly building, bravely
garnished / The house of mightie Prince it seemed to bee (1.4.2). The House of Pride is an
unholy place in which the evil Lucifera resides. Due to leading the Red Crosse Knight into the
House of Pride, it causes the knight to do battle with Sanjoy, who challenges the Knight in
revenge for the death of Sanfoy. Duessa is finally shown for who she truly is by Arthur to show

The Knight of the wickedness she has bestowed on him Thus when they had the witch disrobed
quight / And all her filthy feature open showne (1.8.49). It is figured out that she is not as
beautiful as the disguise she wears, rather that of an ugly woman, Then when [Arthur, Timias,
Una, and Redcrosse] had deployld [Duessa] tire and call,/ Such as she was, their eies might her
behold,/ That her misshaped parts did them appall,/ A loathly, wrinckled hag, ill favoured, old,/
Whose secret filth good manners biddeth not be told. (1.8.46) Though Duessa may not be the
most evil in the poem, the evil that she embodies is that of false hope and false faith. As Duessa
is a master of disguise, so is Archimago, a master shapeshifter.
Archimago is just like Duessa, in the sense that he is never really in his true form. Being
a magician, or wizard mind you, Archimago is able to change his appearance to fool those
around him. Again, like Duessa, he uses this ability to fool the Redcrosse Knight into thinking
something that isnt actually true. The most deceptive act that Archimago does is, he conjures
two sprites that take the form of different beings. The first of being Morpheus the God of sleep,
and then that of Una, the lazy accompanying the Knight. And that new creature borne without
her dew,/ Full of the makers guile with usage sly/taught to imitate that Lady trew,/ Whose
semblance she did carrie under feigned hew (1.1.46). The first sprite, who took the form of
Morpheus, gives the Knight the dream of love and lust. The Knight is awoken with passion. The
sprite, in the form of Una, is lying next to him. The sprite disguised as Una is offering the Knight
a kiss, however the Knight refuses and returns to his slumber. Archimago then tries a new evil
plan, he turns the sprite disguised as Morpheus into that of a young man. The two sprites then lie
in bed together

and when the Knight is awoken he is infuriated at the fact that, what he

believes as Una, is lying in bed with another man. This act of deceptiveness is evil in the fact that

it causes the Redcrosse Knight to lose faith in his love for Una, causing the Knight to run off into
his dangerous journey that lies ahead of him.
The most evil character in all of book one is that of Lucifera. Lucifera is the female
version of Lucifer. She is the embodiment of pride. She is associated with the devil himself,
Satan. When she is first introduced it is at her palace, the house of Pride, the perfect home for
her. When the Redcrosse Knight meets Lucifera, he is introduced to her servants, coincidently,
the seven deadly sins. To note how evil she truly is, Spenser contrasts her to Queen Elizabeth
with this quote, "made her selfe a Queene, and crowned to be, / Yet rightfull kingdome she had
none at all, / Ne heritage of native soveraintie / But did usurpe with wrong and tyrannie / Upon
the scepter (1.4.12). The reason this is showing how evil she is because Spenser believed the
Elizabeth was a lawful queen who ruled fair and with true religion. Being attributed to that of
Lucifer, she is evil in every single way. The main act of evil that Lucifera causes to the Red
Crosse Knight is because of his fall from grace and holiness, after being consumed by Lucifera
and her House of Pride, he becomes ignorant and consummates with Duessa, causing him to be
too weak to fight the giant Ogoglio. The description of her best describes her sense of pride So
proud she shyned in her Princely state/Looking to heaven;for earth she did disdayne,/and sitting
high; for lowly she did hate/ Lo underneath her scornfull feete, was layne/ a dreadful Dragon
following her into the House of Pride (1.4.10). Being associated with Satan himself constitutes
evil no matter what, and she is the epitome of evil.
Duessa, Archimago, and Lucifera, all are evil in their own equal way. Whether it giving
someone false hope or completely being evil in every single way possible, these three embody
the word perfectly. Duessa, being the master of disguise, fooling The Redcrosse knight into
thinking she is Fidessa, and causing him to lose love for Una. Then Archimago being the main

reason that The Redcrosse Knight lost love for Una in the first place, causing the emotional pain.
Finally, Lucifera being the evil of Pride, causing the Redcrosse Knight to lose himself and to
sleep with Duessa disguised as Fidessa. The three together wreaked havoc on The Redcrosse
Knight, causing him pain emotionally, and in term physically with the challenges he had to
endure. The three of these people are prime examples of manifestations of evil in the poem The
Faerie Queene.