Essay: Love and Adventure

Faerie Queene: Britomart was the perfect unit for me! It was so satisfying to read about Britomart, the main character, make outrageous decisions for a man that she hadn't even met. I think I enjoyed this unit so much because I see myself in her. She had so much passion that she could not possibly just continue living her life as normal. She had to go and find the man who held her heart. I don't have a mystery man that I'm madly in love with, but I do make rash decisions and love to explore and find adventures. Britomart didn't hold back at all. She threw herself into battle and defended those in need without a second thought. This story is inspirational to all young women. I usually hate to pull the feminism card, but this story makes it so easy to root for the female underdog.

The other surprising and wonderful things about Britomart's story were her relationships. Her nurse ran away with her to help her find the love of her life. She could not bare to see Britomart not completely happy. That's dedication. Britomart also became friends with a knight that she helped on her travels. This friendship was surprising to me because I didn't think that men and women could bond like that at this point in history. Although, Britomart was disguised as a man, which makes the whole story a little unorthodox. After she saved his life, they escaped together, and she somewhat opened up about why she was on her quest. He, in turn, was very honest about the woman he loved and made no effort to sexually harass Britomart. I wish all stories were like this! Sex (male/female) shouldn't matter. Everyone should just be able to be friends. I loved this unit and aspire to be like the character Britomart.

Britomart doing her thing. Wikipedia.