Chastity, Power, and Britomart in Spenser's Faerie Queene

The Symbolism of Britomart

Chastity was a concept promoted throughout Renaissance society by the church and those in political power. It was promoted not only as a virtue and measure of a woman's worthiness at the time of her marriage, but also as a means to repress women and limit their ability to gain independent power in society. However, chastity also served, in some ways, as a route to power for women. Although the church promoted chastity for both men and women, in practice it was not applied equally. Men were expected to engage in extramarital affairs, while women were expected to remain faithful throughout marriage and to devote all of their efforts to raising children and caring for the home. This paper explores the ideal of chastity and political power among both genders in Renaissance society as embodied in the character Britomart in Spenser's The Faerie Queene.

Britomart does not appear in any significant role until Volume III, which opens with her tale and follows her actions throughout. When one examines Britomart more carefully — both her virtue and her deeds — it becomes apparent that she is more than simply a character in the story. Britomart symbolizes political power in many ways and serves as an allegorical representation of the virtue of chastity.

Britomart represents chastity, but her chastity goes beyond merely refraining from sexual activity. In her character, chastity means refraining from any action that would diminish her virtue according to the other virtues addressed in the Faerie Queene. The virtues are considered to be intertwined and mutually dependent. St. Gregory explains the connection between chastity and power, likening it to the ability to see God:

"I venture to affirm that, to one who has cleansed all the powers of his being from every form of vice, the Beauty which is essential, the source of every beauty and every good, will become visible. The visual eye, purged from its blinding humour, can clearly discern objects even on the distant sky; so to the soul by virtue of her innocence there comes the power of taking in that Light; and the real Virginity, the real zeal for chastity, ends in no other goal than this, viz. the power thereby of seeing God" (St. Gregory, p. 22).

St. Gregory sees chastity as a means of connecting to a higher power. In the Renaissance mindset, the ability to refrain from sexual activity was associated with the ability to refrain from other vices as well. Chastity was an outward representation of the capacity for self-control and restraint. In a society where kingdoms were determined by heirs, chastity was an outward symbol of the sound judgment required to manage a kingdom. It was regarded as most important for the upper class for precisely this reason.

Perhaps the most notable feature of Spenser's treatment of Britomart is the length and prominence of her role. The gender norms of the time relegated women to the home, and women seldom participated in or played any significant role in politics. Britomart, however, is considered an equal to other knights — save perhaps Arthur himself. She demonstrates her ability to defeat other knights on the battlefield, and these victories test the virtues of those she overcomes. For instance, when she unseats Guyon, his virtue of temperance is tested. They ultimately reconcile, and Guyon passes the test. To understand the significance of this scene, one must look not at the physical action but at the virtues each character represents. As Britomart represents chastity and Guyon represents temperance, the defeat of temperance by chastity establishes a hierarchy, suggesting that chastity is a stronger virtue than temperance.

Britomart's defeat of Guyon suggests that women's chastity is a source of power ranked above virtues traditionally associated with male roles. Her victory implies that women can overcome the challenges posed by men's inability to control their own desires by maintaining their chastity. When one examines the character of Florimell, it becomes clear that otherwise highly virtuous knights can be overcome by a woman's beauty. Florimell spends much of her time fleeing from pursuers who cannot master their own urges. Britomart is, of course, immune to Florimell's beauty, demonstrating that women exercise greater control over their chastity and desires than men.

Malecasta is Britomart's opposite. Her name means "unchaste." Spenser juxtaposes the two characters to make several points. Britomart is searching for her one and only true love, seeking adventure on a journey toward the one with whom she expects to spend the rest of her life. Malecasta is entirely different: she lives in luxury and imposes her unchaste behavior upon any knight who accepts her food and shelter. Malecasta is shocked when she discovers that Britomart is a woman. Her six knights represent the six stages of lecherous behavior, and in the end they turn on her — but she is saved by Redcrosse. Redcrosse symbolizes the virtue of holiness. His assistance to Britomart demonstrates that holiness supports chastity in resisting lecherous behavior, lending strength to it. Through these episodes, Spenser slowly builds the image of an ideal woman across Volume III: as Britomart proceeds on her adventures, the picture of feminine virtue becomes clearer, establishing that holiness reinforces a woman's ability to maintain chastity.

Britomart knows the name of her beloved — Artegall, which literally means "equal to Arthur." Although Britomart demonstrates many qualities traditionally associated with male gender roles, she is still seeking the ultimate male partner. One advantage she holds over the male characters is her immunity to the unchaste women who prove the downfall of other knights. Being a woman who maintains her chastity gives her an advantage she can exploit to defeat other knights and gain her own power.

Canto IV shifts focus. In it, Britomart laments that she has not yet met her beloved, and Arthur similarly laments his unrequited love for Gloriana. At first this Canto may seem out of place, but it plays an important role in understanding male and female gender roles in terms of power. Arthur is the most powerful male figure in the story, and Britomart is portrayed as his female equal. In this Canto, both are granted equal standing through their shared pursuit of true love. It is important to note that both Arthur and Britomart desire the pleasures of the flesh yet both maintain their chastity while waiting for their destined partner. The parallels between Britomart and Arthur are significant because they demonstrate that chastity is associated with power in both men and women.

Chastity, Social Class, and Cultural Mobility

This also raises a further point about chastity and power. Breaking chastity carries the possibility of bringing a child into the world. When that child would be heir to a throne or dynasty, it is essential to ensure that only the correct mate is chosen as a sire. Chastity thus preserves political lineages and protects dynastic continuity. In a monarchy where lineage alone determines the succession and assures the continuation of family power, chastity before marriage functioned as a political necessity. When Britomart later learns that the lover she seeks is a relative of Arthur himself, the importance of avoiding unwanted pregnancies becomes even more acute, so that the power of the Arthurian line can be preserved. Chastity played a significant role in the political landscape of the Renaissance precisely because of its connection to heirs and social class.

Throughout the Faerie Queene, men chase after women to satisfy immediate wants and desires. They pursue sexual relations simply to fulfill natural urges, without consideration of the political consequences. Women, by contrast, are charged with the responsibility of preserving lineages and social hierarchies by practicing chastity and remaining faithful after marriage. This ensured that powerful political lines would remain pure and would not be diluted by undesirable progeny. Women held considerably more power than men in this respect. Chastity was the instrument by which they exercised it.

Canto IV also makes a pointed statement about social class. When the narrative shifts to Timias, his pursuit of Florimell's would-be rapist leads him to yet another powerful, chaste female warrior figure: Belphoebe. Her high social standing reinforces, once again, the association between chastity and the upper classes. Timias falls instantly in love with her but must refrain from expressing that love, recognizing that she is of a higher class than he. This scene demonstrates that chastity is a virtue of the wealthy, and that a person of lower social standing cannot use it as leverage to enter the political realm from below. The episode firmly establishes chastity as a virtue bound up with the political power of the upper class.

Greenblatt comments on the ability of culture to both prevent and promote social mobility:

Conclusion

The allegorical tales in the Faerie Queene make it apparent that the work was meant as an instruction book to cultivate virtuous behavior. When one considers the historical context, it also becomes clear that the book was written for men, since the majority of women did not know how to read at the time. Education was a privilege afforded primarily to men — and particularly to upper-class men. The allegory teaches through examples of both good and bad behavior, functioning as an instruction manual for sixteenth-century England. The female characters are to be understood from a male perspective within this historical context: the book was intended to teach men how they should expect women to behave, and to clarify which women to avoid and which would make the best wives. The expectation that women should be faithful and wholly dedicated to their husbands is made abundantly clear. Women such as Malecasta are presented as dangers to be avoided.