Reading Notes: Fairie Queen - Britomart, Part B

The tale of two knights really brought in action to the story of Britomart. This interaction was different than the rest because this was finally the big reveal. Britomart had to fight her future husband, Artegall, as he was bent on getting revenge on Britomart for winning a competition and stealing his place. Artegall and Britomart did not realize they were the people they were looking for, so the fight ensued. This fight began with Scudamour, as he was rife with jealousy since he thought Britomart took his beloved Amoret. In this fight, Scudamour was quickly dismounted from his horse, so the real chunk of the action was between Artegall and Britomart. Britomart was forced off her horse to fight with Artegall. Actions phrases like "recoiled," "thrusting forward," and "wheeling round" helped bring the fight to life in my mind. 

The climax of this fight for me was when Artegall got a hefty blow on Britomart's helmet. This knocked the helmet off of Britomart's head, and her face was exposed. The description that followed really slowed down the action and increased the importance of this event. I felt like I was watching  this scene happen in slow motion with the helmet falling off and Britomart's golden hair falling out.  This was a really interesting writing effect that I would like to somehow replicate in my own action writing. Scudamour and Artegall saw her face and hair and were immediately phased. They apologized for their actions, and this interruption was enough for all of the misunderstandings to be explained.

The descriptive words in this story were used in a very effective way. Beginning with words to describe the different movements of the action and fighting taking place to the specific details of Britomart, all were used appropriately to direct the reader to what was important in the scene. I hope to figure out how to narrow my scope when writing stories.

Bibliography

Two Knights, Stories from the Faerie Queene by Mary Macleod, with drawings by A. G. Walker (1916)

Image Information: Two Knights, Pixabay

Reading Notes: Fairie Queen - Britomart, Part A

In "How Britomart Walked through Fire," the most interesting character to me is Britomart. To give some background to this character, she was raised to have the same skills as a warrior. She is strong and powerful, yet she still has a soft side. She saw the image of the warrior she was meant to one day marry, and the thought of never seeing him made her depressed. To try to remedy her depression, she and her caretaker decided to go out into the world to find this warrior; talk about taking control of your own destiny! And not only did they decide to go look for him, but they disguised themselves as knights to keep their identities safe. Britomart was able to keep up this ruse as she is willing to fight where she sees a need for it, and she is not half bad at participating in a fight.

At the beginning of this part of Britomart's tale, she was a bit hot-headed and raced out to battle a giant to save a man being chased by the giant. This mere choice to rush the giant made the giant flee from Britomart. While Britomart was searching for the giant, she came across a knight strewn across the ground in a heavy bout of sadness. Compassion came over Britomart, and she bravely offered to help this knight get his lady back from an evil enchanter. Britomart was bold and courageous when she entered the castle of the wizard, even going so far as walking through a wall of fire.

I like Britomart so much as a character because of the way she already is. She is independent and willing to do what is right to help those in need. She goes out of her way to make sure justice is had, and she takes charge of her own fate. She does not sit idly by when bad things are happening. Instead, she is one of the first people to take on a fight even if it appears to be a losing battle.

Bibliography

How Britomart Walked through Fire, Stories from the Faerie Queene by Mary Macleod, with drawings by A. G. Walker (1916)

Image Information: Britomart, Wikimedia