The Faerie Queene

The Faerie Queene

by

Edmund Spenser

Mercilla Character Analysis

Mercilla is a just and merciful queen who, like the Faerie Queene and Britomart, is another flattering stand-in for the real Queen Elizabeth. One of her most notable actions is to hold a trial for the false sorceress Duessa, which could be interpreted as a reflection of the real-life trial of the deposed Catholic monarch Queen Mary by the new Protestant monarch Queen Elizabeth.

Mercilla Quotes in The Faerie Queene

The The Faerie Queene quotes below are all either spoken by Mercilla or refer to Mercilla. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Virtue, Allegory, and Symbolism Theme Icon
).
Book V: Canto X Quotes

When they had seene and heard her doome a rights
Against Duessa, damned by them all;
But by her tempred without griefe or gall,
Till strong constraint did her thereto enforce.

Related Characters: Arthegall, Duessa, Mercilla
Page Number: 838
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mercilla Quotes in The Faerie Queene

The The Faerie Queene quotes below are all either spoken by Mercilla or refer to Mercilla. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Virtue, Allegory, and Symbolism Theme Icon
).
Book V: Canto X Quotes

When they had seene and heard her doome a rights
Against Duessa, damned by them all;
But by her tempred without griefe or gall,
Till strong constraint did her thereto enforce.

Related Characters: Arthegall, Duessa, Mercilla
Page Number: 838
Explanation and Analysis: