Malecasta: The Opposite of Chastity

Jason

September 26, 2022

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Malecasta is a villainous character that appears in book 3 of Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene.

When we encounter Malecasta in The Faerie Queene, we learn that she is basically the embodiment of a lack of chastity. She is an example of what not to do.

First, we find six of her knights beating up the Redcrosse knight because he will not admit that Malecasta is more beautiful than his own lady.

Later, she makes sexual advances on Britomart, seemingly unaware that she is a woman.

While Britomart doesn’t show any interest, Malecasta is persistent, and eventually visits Britomart in her bed. This causes Britomart to throw a huge fit, which causes Malecasta to faint.

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Author

Jason is a huge storytelling nerd devoted to cataloguing storytelling in all its forms. He loves mythology, history, and geek culture. When he's not writing books (see his work at MythHQ.com), his favorite hobbies include hiking, spending time with his wife and daughters, and traveling.