Spencer's Faerie Queene demonstrates the New Testament religious doctrine that God shows infinite mercy toward man, and by "heavenly grace... sustains him" (VIII. 1.3) despite its weaknesses. This philosophy, shown in The Faerie Queene through Redcrosse Knight's ascension to Sainthood despite his failures and weaknesses, holds that through God's grace one can be a "just man" despite "daily falls" (VIII.1.2) . Spenser's project, in part, is to educate his readers in this doctrine of divine mercy. Furthermore, Spenser uses the philosophy of mercy in reference to his own text. He chooses to show mercy towards the ancient Catholic and pagan traditions, lending them his strength to elevate them to righteousness. Intricately, he shows, through an account of God's mercy, how he can help England rework its old cultural and literary traditions, however imperfect, to fit the new Protestant order. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To make the lesson on divine mercy palatable and relevant to his readers, Spenser must transform Redcrosse Knight into a representative of the English people and country. Spenser first establishes a connection between the Knight and England by connecting Redcrosse with "that noblest British prince" (39), King Arthur. Arthur's fate is intertwined with that of Redcrosse when he agrees to help free the young man from the giant's clutches. Since Arthur is a traditional British cultural hero, his interaction with Redcrosse creates an association between Redcrosse, England, and the English people. To cement this connection, Spenser reveals that Redcrosse is the young patron saint of England, St. George. Redcrosse's position as the patron saint of England and also as an ally of King Arthur positions him as a singularly English hero. Spenser uses all of this to create the opportunity for his readers to see Redcrosse and his journey as allegorical representatives of their country and themselves. Spenser suggests that England and its people must try to avoid the dangers of Catholicism and find their way to sainthood just as Redcrosse must do. He sets out to prove that the only way for any of them to succeed is through the mercy of God. Spenser describes Redcrosse Knight's journey to sainthood so that his readers can "profit [by] the example" (15) of an ordinary English man. who finds salvation not by his own strength, but by the grace of God. Through the adventures of Redcrosse Knight, the reader learns that according to Spenser salvation is only possible through the grace of God. The religious focus in the text on salvation through divine mercy rather than good works positions the text in opposition to Catholicism and also makes it a tool to educate and moralize readers in Protestant ways. One of the ways Spenser shows Redcrosse's need for divine mercy and intervention is through Arthur's role in saving Redcrosse from the giant. Redcrosse's need for Arthur's help to escape from the giant shows his fallibility and dependence. In the battle between Arthur and the giant, the giant can be seen as the devil in the form of Leviathan. This is why "villains power" (VII.12.7) is compared to the powers of "the deepest Hell" (VII.13.1). The fight for Redcrosse represents the spiritual struggle between Christ and the devil for the soul of humanity. In this sense, Arthur can be interpreted as an allegorical symbol of Christ. Therefore, whenthe Giant's monstrous "blow on [Arthur's] shield" (VIII.18.7) succeeds in "doubling it completely" (VIII.18.8), the reader seeing an allegorical representation of Christ's crucifixion. And subsequently, the moment when "Arthur's shield, which was covered, / perchance lost its sails" (VIII.19.1-2), comes to represent resurrection. Arthur's blinding of the Giant with the "blazing brilliance" (VIII.19.4) of his shield leads to Redcrosse's freedom from the Giant, just as Christ's rebirth leads to the salvation of all humanity from the devil's clutches. From this perspective, the situation represents Redcrosse's need for the grace of God, given through the sacrifice of Christ, to save him from the clutches of the devil. The text declares that if "it were not [for] heavenly grace," Redcrosse "would have been all dusted, thin as a flower" (VII.12.13-14). This part of the tale serves to demonstrate that Redcrosse, and consequently all humanity, and particularly the chosen men and the country of England that Redcrosse represents, need God's mercy to achieve salvation. The main focus of Spenser's argument for salvation through mercy, however, comes in Canto X, with the appearance of Redcrosse's guide, Mercy. As an allegorical personification of mercy, she comes, "to guide his feeble wandering steps" (X.34.1) on the way to heaven. She proves to be "graceful, and eke liberall" (X.34.5). “She removed away” the “bush thorns and ragged breres” on the “narrow way” so that “nothing might remain in her ready passage” (X.35.1-4). Whenever her feet "from the right" "wander, / she [holds him] and firmly [makes him] vpbeare" (X.35.7-8). Spenser uses this figure to show that "mercy at last his righteous soul might save" (X.34.9). After Redcrosse Knight's mistakes of doubting the Truth, represented by Una, and believing in the duplicity of the Catholic Church, represented by Duessa, Spenser shows that Redcrosse will achieve salvation anyway. However, it is through mercy, and not heroism or good deeds, that he will be led to the kingdom of God. In addition to using the religious doctrine of mercy to educate and moralize his readers, Spenser adopts philosophy to show how to save stories important from their Catholic and pagan origins. He then uses these recovered tales to establish acceptable sources of the new literary tradition of Protestant England. One of the tales that Spenser works to save from disrepute is the story of England's patron saint, St. George. To recast St. George as a Protestant figure, Spenser must reinterpret St. George's success story as dependent more on the grace of God than on George's innate holiness. To do this, Spenser reveals that his protagonist, Redcrosse Knight, is actually Saint George in his youth before he becomes a saint or performs miracles. Spenser emphasizes Redcrosse's newness in the spiritual battle many times, reminding the reader that he is only "a tall, clownish young man" (17), who is "unfit by his rusticity for a better place" (117). Redcrosse is so new and inexperienced that he "had never hitherto wielded" (I.1.5) the armor and weapons of God. These details of his humble origins combine with the fact that he will one day become Saint George to position the knight as an emblem of the common Englishman's ability to rise to great heights through the grace of God. By providing details of Redcrosse Knight's humanity and frailty, Spenser highlights Redcrosse's connection to the common people of England, and shows also his dependence on God's mercy to save him. Without God, Redcrosse is "clownishe" and "vnfitte", but with the help of.