Editing The Faerie Queene (section)

===Social commentary===
In October 1589, after nine years in Ireland,<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 4174771|title = Spenser's Audiences, 1589–91|journal = Studies in Philology|volume = 100|issue = 4|pages = 514–533|last1 = Oram|first1 = William A.|year = 2003|doi = 10.1353/sip.2003.0019|s2cid = 163052682}}</ref> Spenser voyaged to England and saw the Queen. It is possible that he read to her from his manuscript at this time. On 25 February 1591, the Queen gave him a pension of fifty pounds per year.{{sfn|McCabe|2010|p=112}} He was paid in four instalments on 25 March, 24 June, 29 September, and 25 December.{{sfn|McCabe|2010|p=24}}
After the first three books of ''The Faerie Queene'' were published in 1590, Spenser found himself disappointed in the monarchy; among other things, "his annual pension from the Queen was smaller than he would have liked" and his humanist perception of Elizabeth's court "was shattered by what he saw there".{{sfn|Green|1974|p=389}}  Despite these frustrations, however, Spenser "kept his aristocratic prejudices and predispositions".{{sfn|Green|1974|p=389}} Book VI stresses that there is "almost no correlation between noble deeds and low birth" and reveals that to be a "noble person", one must be a "gentleman of choice stock".{{sfn|Green|1974|p=389}}

Throughout ''The Faerie Queene'', virtue is seen as "a feature for the nobly born" and within Book VI, readers encounter worthy deeds that indicate aristocratic lineage.{{sfn|Green|1974|p=389}} An example of this is the hermit to whom Arthur brings Timias and Serena. Initially, the man is considered a "goodly knight of a gentle race" who "withdrew from public service to religious life when he grew too old to fight".{{sfn|Green|1974|p=389}} Here, we note the hermit's noble blood seems to have influenced his gentle, selfless behaviour. Likewise, audiences acknowledge that young Tristram "speaks so well and acts so heroically" that Calidore "frequently contributes him with noble birth" even before learning his background; in fact, it is no surprise that Tristram turns out to be the son of a king, explaining his profound intellect.{{sfn|Green|1974|p=390}} However, Spenser's most peculiar example of noble birth is demonstrated through the characterization of the Salvage Man. Using the Salvage Man as an example, Spenser demonstrated that "ungainly appearances do not disqualify one from noble birth".{{sfn|Green|1974|p=390}} By giving the Salvage Man a "frightening exterior", Spenser stresses that "virtuous deeds are a more accurate indication of gentle blood than physical appearance.{{sfn|Green|1974|p=390}}

On the opposite side of the spectrum, ''The Faerie Queene'' indicates qualities such as cowardice and discourtesy that signify low birth. During his initial encounter with Arthur, Turpine "hides behind his retainers, chooses ambush from behind instead of direct combat, and cowers to his wife, who covers him with her voluminous skirt".{{sfn|Green|1974|p=392}} These actions demonstrate that Turpine is "morally emasculated by fear" and furthermore, "the usual social roles are reversed as the lady protects the knight from danger.{{sfn|Green|1974|p=392}} Scholars believe that this characterization serves as "a negative example of knighthood" and strives to teach Elizabethan aristocrats how to "identify a commoner with political ambitions inappropriate to his rank".{{sfn|Green|1974|p=392}}