Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
WOMEN'S STUDIES, cilt.55, ss.1-18, 2026 (AHCI)
Through an analysis of the allegorical figures, Una and Duessa, this study examines the representation of female identity in Book I of Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene. Although these female figures reflect opposing attributes pertaining to patriarchal constructions of femininity, Spenser complicates such gendered dichotomies by exploring the ideological tensions that remain veiled within the text. Since she intervenes physically in the action, Una does not merely function as a moral guide for Redcrosse Knight. More than a symbolic embodiment of truth and virtue, she asserts herself as an active woman and subverts passive female stereotypes. Duessa, by contrast, uses her physical charm to conceal her falsehood and succeeds in leading Redcrosse Knight astray. The duplicity in Duessa’s character, therefore, validates the dangers of connecting outward beauty with virtue. Moreover, Duessa’s scheme also signifies the patriarchal norms she must comply with, thereby illustrating how both virtue and vice are socially constructed. Examining the interplay between these seemingly opposite characters, Spenser questions essentialist notions of gender and emphasizes the significance of understanding how femininity is shaped by cultural expectations. By reading beyond allegorical clarity, this study reveals that The Faerie Queene both reflects and critiques early modern gender ideology.