ABSTRACT
Arthur's account of his first encounter with Faerie Queene who then becomes the focal point of his quest leaves many unresolved questions. Arthur and Guyon immediately join in the chase, but there is a disturbing suggestion that their motives might not be in the best interest of Honmell's virtue. Unfortunately, however, Arthur's pursuit of the regrettably magnetic beauty, which pointedly constitutes his only activity, can be readily perceived as one repercussion emanating from the suppression of his erotic feelings for Gloriana. Arthur's subsequent absence during Britomart's adventure supports the suggestion that chastity is, as it is often considered, primarily a female virtue. Women confuse the knights in the Faerie Queene because they elicit such conflicting responses. Derrida's description of the text and its parallels with virginity resonates with echoes of the questions surrounding Arthur, and suggests an explanation for the amount of activity which occurs in obscure spaces.
