Sketch the Character of Lady Una

Answer

“Spenser’s heroines are idealized types of women in real life.” Do you think that this judgment is valid in respect of Una in Book 1 of “The Faerie Queen”?

Or, Sketch the character of Lady Una.

Lady Una is the heroine of Edmund Spenser’s (1552/53-1599) “The Faerie Queene” Book I (1590). She travels with the Red Cross Knight to rescue her parents, who are trapped by a dragon. She is not just a character in the poem. She represents Truth, Purity, and True Religion. Lady Una is pure, innocent, kind, wise, and full of faith. Spenser presents her as the ideal type of woman. She is a perfect and ideal example of what a good woman should be like in real life. Let us take a closer look at her character.

Beautiful and Humble: Lady Una is very beautiful, but she does not show off her beauty. She is a lovely lady. She is riding on a snow-white donkey beside the knight. Spenser writes:

“A lovely Ladie rode him faire beside”

Una’s skin is whiter than snow, but she hides her face and body with a black cloth. This shows she is modest and humble, even though she is beautiful. She also comes from a royal family, but she does not act proud.

Symbol of Truth, Purity, Innocence: Lady Una is a symbol of truth, purity, and innocence. Her name “Una” means “one” or “unity,” which shows that she represents one true religion—the Protestant Church, in Spenser’s view. Una is shown as pure like a lamb. Spenser portrays her as:

“So pure an innocent, as that same lambe

She was in life and every vertuous lore.”

This means Lady Una is full of virtue. She is pure, innocent, kind, honest, and good in every way. She is simple, gentle, wise, brave, forgiving, and faithful. She has qualities people admire. Perfect in every way, she becomes an ideal version of a real woman.

Brave and Wise: