| In Edmund Spenser's 'The Faerie Queene', Books 11 | | | | [111.V1.40]It seems that the people, or perhaps just their |
| and 111 The Bower of Bliss and the Garden of Adonis | | | | souls, are recycled from old age to babyhood. And |
| might look similar from a distance; their geographical | | | | Adonis himself:'All be he subject to mortalitie, |
| form is certainly similar, and the tour on which Spenser | | | | Yet is eterne in mutabilitie, |
| takes us seems to follow the same kind of route. But | | | | And by succession made perpetuall' [111.V1.47]This is |
| their ostensible similarity, and their juxtaposition in two | | | | the same conclusion Spenser comes to at the end of |
| adjacent books of 'The Faerie Queene' only serve to | | | | the Mutability Cantos:'I well consider all that ye have |
| highlight their differences. The two gardens represent | | | | sayd, |
| very different qualities of human life, and Spenser | | | | And find that all things stedfastnes doe hate, |
| indicates the differences visually in his description of | | | | And changed be: yet being rightly wayd |
| the gardens, verbally in the words he uses in these | | | | They are not changed from their first estate; |
| descriptions, and dramatically in the kinds of activity | | | | But by their change their being doe dilate: |
| that take place in the gardens.The first distinction to be | | | | And turning to themselves at length againe, |
| made is between the proportion of Art to Nature that | | | | Doe worke their owne perfection so by fate:' |
| has gone into the construction of the gardens. The | | | | [V11.V11.58]The garden is an allegory for the Platonic |
| 'Bowre of Blisse' is introduced as:'A place pickt out by | | | | life-principle expounded in verses 36 to 38 of the |
| choice of best alive, | | | | Garden of Adonis where changeless 'things' or |
| That natures worke by art can imitate:' [11.X11.42]Art | | | | 'substance' borrow temporary physical form during life, |
| itself is not condemned, but the use of art to stimulate | | | | decay, and are restored again.In 'sublunary' terms this |
| wasteful unproductive lust. The artifice of the garden is | | | | represents the fruitfulness of earthly life and the |
| admired for its skill, but condemned for being used to | | | | principle behind the 'mightie word . . . increase and |
| excess.'And them amongst, some were of burnisht | | | | multiply' [111.V1.34]. The Garden of Adonis is first and |
| gold, | | | | foremost, fruitful. The garden itself is a kind of |
| So made by art, to beautifie the rest, | | | | storehouse for the various forms of life:'. . . there is the |
| . . . That the weake bowes, with so rich load opprest, | | | | first seminarie |
| Did bow adowne, as over-burdened.' [11.X11.55]The | | | | Of all things, that are borne to live and die' |
| image of the vine bending under the weight of golden | | | | [111.V1.30]And its resident lovers, Cupid and Psyche, |
| grapes illustrates how nature is distorted by artifice, | | | | bear a child. Spenser approves of the pleasure |
| just as human nature is distorted by entering the | | | | indulged in in this garden, because it takes place |
| Bower of Bliss. Spenser's description of the golden ivy | | | | between people who are enjoying natural healthy |
| seems to anticipate Baroque sculpture and | | | | love:'But now in steadfast love and happy state |
| architecture in that it is more than an imitation of nature; | | | | She with him lives, and hath him borne a chyld' |
| it tries to supersede nature by exaggerating the most | | | | [111.V1.50]In contrast, the pleasures to be had in the |
| pleasing aspects. The result is an excess of | | | | Bower of Bliss are thoroughly disapproved of. Even |
| sweetness to the point of sickliness. The stimulation of | | | | the word 'bliss' itself implies an extreme and transitory |
| pleasurable sensations is almost pornographic, and | | | | sensation compared to 'steadfast love and happy |
| Spenser ensures that we get the message by the use | | | | state' of the Garden of Adonis. The lovers of the |
| of the words 'lascivious' and 'wantones'.'And over all, of | | | | Bower of Bliss are indulging in 'lewd loves, and wastfull |
| purest gold was spred, | | | | luxuree' [11.X11.80]. They indulge in sex for its own sake, |
| A trayle of yvie in his native hew: | | | | with no love, and no intention of procreation. This kind |
| For the rich mettall was so colored, | | | | of activity, according to Spenser, saps the spirit and |
| That wight, who did not well avis'd it view, | | | | will-power of a knight, and causes him to lose interest |
| Would surely deeme it to be yvie trew: | | | | in his true quest.'Ne for them [his armour] ne for honour |
| Low his lascivious armes adown did creepe, | | | | cared hee |
| That themselves dipping in the silver dew, | | | | Ne ought, that did to his advancement tend, |
| Their fleecy flowres they tenderly did steepe, | | | | But in lewd loves, and wastfull luxuree, |
| Which drops of Christall seemed for wantones to | | | | His dayes, his goods, his bodie he did spend: |
| weepe.' [11.X11.61]A modern reader might not pick up | | | | O horrible enchantment that him so did blend.' |
| the quality of excess implied in this description, but in | | | | [11.X11.80]The word 'enchantment' is important here; the |
| fact Spenser takes pains to point out the excess. Art | | | | queen of the garden is an enchantress with the power |
| in the Bower of Bliss'Was poured forth with plentifull | | | | to turn men into pigs, and by implication a mind |
| dispence, | | | | attracted by lust is a mind under a kind of spell. As |
| And made there to abound with lavish affluence.' | | | | with the golden ivy, it takes a man of insight and |
| [11.X11.42]'Wherewith her mother Art, as halfe in scorne | | | | experience to see through the superficial attractions to |
| Of niggard Nature, like a pompous bride | | | | the underlying depravity.'That wight, who did not well |
| Did decke her, and too lavishly adorn' [11.X11.50]The | | | | avis'd it view, |
| emphasis on excess is of course most relevant to the | | | | Would surely deeme it to be yvie trew:' |
| theme of Book 11: Temperance.In contrast to the lavish | | | | [11.X11.61]Guyon himself becomes enchanted by the |
| glittering spectacle of the 'Bowre of Blisse', The 'Gardin | | | | sight of the 'naked Damzelles' bathing. This long |
| of Adonis' comprises of natural goodness. 'It sited was | | | | description [11.X11.63-68] is extremely attractive; it is |
| in fruitfull soyle of old' [111.V1.31] and:'In that same Gardin | | | | designed to arouse feelings of lust in the reader or |
| all the goodly flowres, | | | | listeners. Spenser's 'warning words' such as 'greedy |
| Wherewith dame Nature doth her beautifie, | | | | eyes', 'kindled lust' and the all-important 'seemed' |
| And decks the girlonds of her paramoures, | | | | [11.X11.64,68,65] are few and far between, but they are |
| Are fetcht:' [111.V1.30]The arbour is 'of the trees owne | | | | there, warning the reader of the danger Guyon is in. |
| inclination made' [111.V1.44]. This garden is free of | | | | This is part of Guyon's education into temperance. The |
| artifice, and in emphasising its natural perfection | | | | Palmer drags him away.'He much rebukt those |
| Spenser likens it to Ovid's golden world:'Ne needs there | | | | wandring eyes of his, |
| Gardiner to set, or sow, | | | | And counseld well, him forward thence did draw.' |
| To plant or prune: for of their owne accord | | | | [11.X11.69]But not all the pleasures to be had in the |
| All things, as they created were, doe grow' | | | | Bower of Bliss are tainted with artifice. The 'lovely lay' |
| [111.V1.34]The quality of life represented by the Garden | | | | sung in verse 75 simply advocates enjoying life while it |
| of Adonis is represented by 'Genius' who guards its | | | | lasts:'So passeth, in the passing of a day, |
| gates. The Bower of Bliss was also guarded by a | | | | Of mortall life the leafe, the bud, the flowre, |
| 'Genius', but not the real one. In keeping with another of | | | | Ne more doth flourish after first decay, |
| Spenser's themes, appearance versus reality, the | | | | That earst was sought to decke both bed and |
| Genius of the Bower of Bliss is a fake'That secretly | | | | bowre, |
| doth us procure to fall, | | | | Of many a Ladie, and many a Paramowre: |
| Through guilefull semblaunts' [11.X11.48]The Genius of | | | | Gather therefore the Rose, whilest yet is prime, |
| the Garden of Adonis guards the gate through which | | | | For soone comes age, that will her pride deflowre: |
| old people enter and young babies leave, and the | | | | Gather the Rose of love, whilest yet is time' |
| cycle of regeneration being represented has the same | | | | [11.X11.74]Ian Mackean runs the sites which features a |
| seemingly-paradoxical combination of transience and | | | | substantial collection of Resources and Essays, (and |
| permanence as Spenser's Mutability Cantos [4]. The | | | | where his site on Short Story Writing can also be |
| paradox is resolved by Platonism. While Time is the | | | | found,) and He is the editor of The Essentials of |
| enemy of life in the garden:'For all that lives, is subject | | | | Literature in English post-1914, ISBN 0340882689, which |
| to that law: | | | | was published by Hodder Arnold in 2005. |
| All things decay in time, and to their end to draw.' | | | | |