The Faerie Queene
Epic poem by Edmund Spenser. Planned to contain 12 books, as Spenser himself informs Sir Walter Ralegh in a prefatory letter. The first edition, however, consisted of three books, the second of six books. In each book a knight represents one important virtue and experiences several adventures. These adventures can be read on at least two levels: as exciting and entertaining stories and as allegories on Elizabethan (court) culture.
In the allegorical dimension of the text, the eponymous Faerie Queen represents Queen Elizabeth. The protagonists Gloriana (the epitome of glory), Belphoebe (a beautiful woman who spends her time in the woods hunting, away from any amorous advances by men) and Britomart (a chaste female knight) also represent virtues that are ascribed to Elizabeth in idealising iconography (beauty, virginity, England's military strength etc.) For an overview of knights, virtues and allegorical interpretations: see the course documents on session 9/Renaissance culture.
For The Fairy Queen, a semi-opera by Henry Purcell, see here.