Faerie Queene

The climax of Book 1 occurs with the battle between Redcrosse and the dragon. The dragon, of course, is an image of Satan from Revelation, and its siege of Una’s parent’s castle is a general statement of the state of Christianity in a Satanically-controlled world, and a specific criticism of the Catholic Church’s stranglehold over the political and historical ancestors of Protestantism (both in the Holy Land and in England herself). The three days of the battle correspond to the three days between Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, while the particular events of those three days represent specific church ordinances: Redcrosse’s recovery by falling into the Well of Life represents Baptism, while the healing given by the Tree of Life parallels communion (or the Eucharist).