At least in theory, human magicians were taken to be able to bind demons
to do whatever they willed, so it's well within Spenser's cultural
parameters that Archimago's demons affect RC's imagination at his
direction.
What does seem a bit idiosyncratic, however, is Spenser's emphasis on
Archimago's instructing the demons in their work -- on the fact that the
magician tells the demons not only *what* to do but *how* to do it.
At any rate, here is the passage from PL, when the angels find Satan at
Eve's bed (Book 4, ll. 800 and on):
Him there they found
Squat like a toad, close at the ear of Eve;
Assaying by his devilish art to reach
The organs of her fancy, and with them forge
Illusions as he list, phantasms and dreams;
Of if, inspiring venom, he might taint
Th'animal spirits that from pure blood arise
Like gentle breaths from rivers pure, thence raise
At least distempered, discontented thoughts,
Vain hopes, vain aims, inordinate desires
Blown up with high conceits engend'ring Pride.
So, Satan does use some of Eve's resources ("the organs of her fancy") to
forge his demonic dream, but its not clear that those organs involve her
memory...
GG
On Thu, 13 Mar 2003, James W. Broaddus wrote:
> I should leave comments about the dream and demons to those who know
> something about demons, but here goes:
>
> Jon Quitslund wrote:
>
> Certainly, anyone postulating the existence of demons could also postulate
> their influence upon the human mind. A scientific explanation for how,
> exactly, a demon might affect changes in a human's psyche seems
> extraneous...especially for a 16th century writer. Demonic influence, by
> definition, is supernatural...preternatural.
>
> Wouldn't Quitslund's comment have more force if Redcrosse's dream had been
> prompted by a demon working on his/her own? But the sprights in this
> instance do Archimago's bidding seem able to do so only as Archimago enables
> them to do so. He shapes them and schools them.
>
> Is Archimago also understood to be a demon? In that case I suppose he can be
> considered to have simply empowered the spright or the dream to instill the
> dream apart from any psychological shenanigans. But, especially in this
> episode, he seems to be much more the magician.
>
> Also, when Milton had the chief demon instill a dream into Eve's fantasy,
> didn't he use images already in her memory?
>
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