The Faerie Queene · Chapter
Canto V explained
The Redcrosse Knight defeats Sansjoy in a tournament, but Duessa saves Sansjoy by taking him to Hell for healing.
What happens
The Redcrosse Knight defeats Sansjoy in a tournament, but Duessa saves Sansjoy by taking him to Hell for healing. The knight then discovers a dungeon of prideful sinners and flees the palace of Pride.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak of Artegall's pride…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Virtue and Vice
Redcrosse Knight fights for right against Sansjoy's wrong; the dungeon of Pride illustrates the downfall of the proud.
- Truth and Deception
Duessa's false appearance and her revelation as daughter of Deceit and Shame highlight the theme of deception.
- Religion and Morality
The Redcrosse Knight's quest is framed as a moral and spiritual battle; the descent to Hell involves pagan and Christian imagery.
Characters to notice
- Redcrosse Knight
Defeats Sansjoy in combat, then flees the palace of Pride after learning of its dungeon.
- Duessa
Saves Sansjoy by taking him to Hell for healing; reveals herself as daughter of Deceit and Shame.
- Sansjoy
Defeated by Redcrosse Knight, then taken by Duessa to Hell for healing.
- Sansfoy
Already dead; his shield is hung as a trophy at the tournament.
- Night
Ancient grandmother of all, mother of Deceit; helps Duessa by taking Sansjoy to Hell for healing.
- Aeolus
Not directly present, but referenced in the context of the tournament's minstrelsy.
Key passages
“The noble hart that harbours vertuous thought, And is with childe of glorious great intent, Can never rest, untill it forth have brought Th’eternall brood of glorie excellent”
A noble heart filled with virtuous ambition cannot rest until it achieves glorious deeds.
Describes the Redcrosse Knight's restless drive for honor.
“So th’one for wrong, the other strives for right.”
One fights for an unjust cause, the other for a just one.
Contrasts Sansjoy's wrongful aggression with the Redcrosse Knight's righteous cause.
“I, that do seeme not I, Duessa ame, ... Duessa I, the daughter of Deceipt and Shame.”
I am Duessa, though I appear otherwise; I am the child of Deceit and Shame.
Duessa reveals her true identity to Night.
