The first substantial study on the importance of the women in the two major epics of the Renaissance, this work presents a compelling argument for comparison of the two epics, based on internal correspondence and similarities. Spenser, the epic poet of Protestant England, recalls in his dedicatory letter to Sir Walter Raleigh other epic poets - Ariosto, Tasso, Homer, Virgil - but is eloquently silent about the great epic poet of Roman Catholicism. Still, the grand scope of The Faeirie Queene, the multi-faceted role of the women, their importance in the religious and political design outlined by the poet, invite comparison with Dante's Divine Comedy.