Carefull verse in watchman's song: A study of Spenser's prophetic voice

Criticism concerning Spenser's place in the prophetic tradition generally recognizes the relationship between the poet's allegory and Scriptural sources, but questions remain regarding the exact nature of his prophetic enterprise. If Spenser seeks to engage his readers in text that replicates the effect of reading the Bible, how exactly does he go about achieving this end? This study examines Biblical rhetorical devices in Spenser's poetry that contribute to the creation of a prophetic voice. These include parable, strange usage, intertextuality, chideh (a form of riddle), mashal (prophetic mockery), and neheh and qina(h) (forms of lamentation). The study further suggests that Spenser's incorporation of these devices aligns him more closely with the prophets of the Old Testament than with the Apostolic tradition. One might say that if Spenser imitates John, he does so by recovering Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. This direction in turn suggests the possibility that in exploiting devices that are characteristic of, and sometimes unique to, prophets of the Old Testament, Spenser evinces an understanding of the intricacies of the Hebrew language.