The best advice I can give you is to plan to read slowly. You cannot take in this kind of literature if you are reading at the same pace you read a comic book.
Now we can work by canto + stanza number:
Canto 1
Stanza 13: the word "error" means "wandering" (a "knight
errant" is a knight who wanders around in search of adventure). "I read
beware" = I advise you to beware. If the Redcrosse Knight were smart, he
would always take Una's advice.
You see, he is not Holiness in the beginning of the book; he learns how to become Holiness in the course of it. He makes mistakes (like the one he is making here), learns by his mistakes, and so becomes perfected in Holiness.
15: Why is the ground described as dirty? Why does her tail have a sting in it? Why are her breasts/teats poisonous? Why are her young of many different shapes? Do you begin to get the idea?
16: why does she hate light?
17: He is an elf because he is a knight of Faerie land, the kingdom of the Faerie Queene, Gloriana. The lion is the most noble of all the beasts.
19: Why is Una's advice the right advice?
20: Why does she vomit up books and papers? parbreake = vomit
21: This is an epic simile. You see another one in 23.
27: This is his first adventure. You find out later that he is a young, untried knight.
28: See? Once he kills the dragon, he's off on a new adventure. Episodic, remember?
29: The "aged Sire" is Archimago, his enemy, who is a master of deception. You'll find a note on him on page 524.
I think by now you should be off and running. You shouldn't be in any further danger of getting lost at this point.
Rev 2/98