The Faerie Queene · Character

Gloriana

The Faery Queene herself, whose glory and bounty send her knights out on quests, though Arthur has sought her sight for seven years without finding her.

supporting

Also known as Gloriane, the Faery Queene

First appearance: Canto I

As a supporting figure in The Faerie Queene, Gloriana is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The Faerie Queene, representing Queen Elizabeth I, is the dedicatee of the poem.

In the storyDedication to the Edition of 1590Open this moment free

Gloriana reigns over Faery land as the source of every quest and the object of every knight's devotion, praised as the flower of grace and chastity whose glory shines like the morning star. Yet she is almost never seen directly: Arthur has wandered seven years hoping to glimpse her, and Guyon speaks of her bounty as something known by report and faith. Her elusiveness is the point — she is the ideal that drives the poem's action, and the reason its heroes keep riding.

See Gloriana in Dedication to the Edition of 1590 Book page

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Character Web

14 connections

A slice of how Gloriana sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Virtues and Vices
Protagonist
Love and Chastity
Temperance and Holiness

+9 more in the full Character Web

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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…

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In the story

Gloriana appears across 15 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Dedication to the Edition of 1590
The Faerie Queene, representing Queen Elizabeth I, is the dedicatee of the poem.
Dedication to the Edition of 1596
The Faery Queene, representing Queen Elizabeth I, is the dedicatee of the poem.
Sonnet VI
Referenced as the Faery Queene, whose last praises the poet hopes to sing in a future, bolder work.
Sonnet IX
Referenced as 'that Emperesse' and 'the worlds sole glory and her sexes grace', the Faerie Queene who favors the Lord of Hunsdon.
A Letter to Sir Walter Raleigh
The Fairy Queen, representing glory in general and Queen Elizabeth in particular; she holds a twelve-day feast that occasions the knights' adventures.
The Faerie Queene
The Faerie Queene, who dispatches knights on their quests and embodies Glory.
Canto I
The Faerie Queene who assigned the Redcrosse Knight his quest.
Canto II
The Faerie Queene, to whom Guyon owes homage and from whom he received the Order of Maidenhead.
Canto IX
The Faery Queene, whose image Guyon bears on his shield; both knights express their devotion to her.
Canto X
Mentioned as the Faery Queene and the culmination of the Elfin line.
Canto II
Addressed as the sovereign Queen in the narrator's praise of wisdom.
Canto III
The Faery Queene, referenced as the glorious sovereign whose ancestry Merlin traces.
Canto I
The Faery Queene, who chooses Artegall to restore Irena to her rightful inheritance.
Canto XII
The Faerie Queene who appointed Artegall to the quest against Grantorto.
Canto X
The Faery Queene, invoked by Colin Clout as the 'Sunne of the world' and 'greatest Majesty,' to whom he dedicates his praise.

Chapter companion notes

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See Gloriana in Canto I

See Gloriana in Dedication to the Edition of 1590