Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Queen Elizabeth I
I liked reading Queen Elizabeth's speech to her troops when the Spanish were invading. After such a riveting, moving speech it's such a buzz kill that the Spanish never came. It's not very often you hear such a battle speech by a woman. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard of a Queen fighting at the front of a battle. Whether or not she actually fought or just put on her armor and rode out in front to give a speech is something I specifically looked for but didn't find. I was kind of put off by the part of the speech where she refers to herself as a "weak and feeble woman" but follows it up with "but I have the heart and stomach of a king." I almost felt like she was saying "because I am a woman I am crap, but look, I can be more like a man." I'm sure she meant it to establish herself as a more powerful ruler but it stinks that she had to do it by putting down the fact that she was a woman. What she could have done is say something like "yes, I am a woman... and look at how much more power I have than you little people!" No, just kidding... that would have probably pissed them off.
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I was also put off by her referring to herself as a weak and feeble woman, I thought she had more of a kick than that. It really is amazing and awe inspiring that she would give such a heartfelt speech to her soldiers and fellow countrymen prior to them stepping into battle. Her moving words and promises would have been just what the soldiers needed to hear at the time.
I looked for something scholarly that stated whether or not Queen Elizabeth I showed up decked out in armor, but didn't really find anything either. I did find a few movie clips that showed her both in ceremonial "armor" and not. In the movie Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Cate Blanchet) had her done up in full armor. Where they got that I'm not sure. I did find "A Children's History of England" apparently by Charles Dickens, which said the following, "So, with all England firing up like one strong, angry man, and with both sides of the Thames fortified, and with the soldiers under arms, and with the sailors in their ships, the country waited for the coming of the proud Spanish fleet, which was called THE INVINCIBLE ARMADA. The Queen herself, riding in armour on a white horse, and the Earl of Essex and the Earl of Leicester holding her bridal rein, made a brave speech to the troops at Tilbury Fort opposite Gravesend, which was received with such enthusiasm as is seldom known."
If Dickens wrote it, who knows?
i wasn't put off by her comment. In that time period woman were not respected. It was an awkward series of events that made her queen in the first place. I felt like she was saying "you may look at me like a feeble woman, but here i am fighting like a man." it seemed more like a woman using the social restrictions of her time to make a point.
thanks for the research, tarlsmith. :) Ak... Charles Dickens... had to read some in High School and HATED it. I might watch that movie you mentioned, though. Even if it isn't "scholarly". :)
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