Book 6, Canto 12 Summary

Calidore and Pastorella arrive at the castle of Bellamour and Claribell, who of course are Pastorella's parents revealed by the old rose-shaped birthmark trick. This scene seems to imply that a person of Pastorella's amazing qualities must come from noble stock, in keeping with Calidore's previous stance with Tristram, but this does contradict the episode with the bear-baby where nurture determines character.

The canto concludes when Calidore finally catches the Blatant Beast, subdues it, and binds its Jaws-like mouth. The Book ends with the suggestion that, though now bound, the Blatant Beast will always find a way to escape, a dire prediction that Slander will return to haunt the court of Spenser's own Faerie Queene again.

Book 6, Canto 12 Analysis

This debate is never quite solved in this Book, but both sides are argued fairly well. Calepine, the knight who gets beat...