Literary magazine
Walsingham. Therefore, set-
from their femininity and fo-
obean audience’s sympa-
ting the able and sharp-
cus instead on their capacity
thies to humiliate the pomp-
tongued Vittoria against the
to put on an impressive per-
ous lawyer by asking that
corrupt establishment in
formance in a style associat-
the trial be delivered in a
Rome may be a whimsical
ed with manly virtue. This
tongue that everyone can
nod back to better times un-
illustrates the limits of social-
understand. When asked if
der Elizabeth. It is important
ly gendered roles that were
she understands Latin, she
to note that Elizabeth was
constructed for men and
responds, “I do, sir, but
still very much a gendered
women of the patriarchal pe-
amongst this auditory which
figure, carrying such names
riod and how these bounda-
come to hear my case, the
as the “virgin queen,” but
ries had to be blurred if a
half or more may be ignorant
that her most
woman
in’t.” Vittoria is thus depicted
famous words
wished to act
as the defender of the com-
“….I have the heart and stom- ach of a king,” -Elizabeth I
involved her
decisively.
mon layman who will speak
rejecting her female attrib-
The example of Elizabeth’s
out against the tyranny of
utes in favour of those vir-
highly successful 45-year
the establishment, which
tues more closely associat-
reign, within living memory
has been assisted by the
ed with classical Kings and
for most of The White Devil ’s
obfuscation of legal jurisdic-
heroes, "I know I have the
original audience, and her
tion and religious authority
body but of a weak and fee-
own personal abilities as a
and is symbolically present-
ble woman; but I have the
monarch would have been
ed by the Catholic Church.
heart and stomach of a king,
important in getting the
She also humorously com-
and of a king of England
crowd behind this female
pares Latin to Welsh, de-
too". This is particularly in-
character who sets herself
mystifying its authority and
teresting with regards to Vit-
against a corrupt patriarchy
paralleling it with another
toria, as she does something
which was in turn legitimised
non-English language. Just
very similar during her battle
by religion. King James justi-
a few lines later she goes
of words with Monticelso,
fied his absolutist style rule
on clearly and hu-
“my modesty and woman-
through his faith in the divine
morously
to
hood I tender; but withal, so
right of kings. Vittoria manip-
identify herself
entangled is a curs’d accu-
ulates the crowd and her ac-
as the target,
sation that my defence, of
cusers effectively through
which would have
force, like Perseus, must
rhetorical skill to gain their
resonated with the
personate masculine virtue.”
support and the arraignment
audience
as
Both women, the real and
scene presents Vittoria’s
they knew that
the fictional, understand the
verbal wit in its full glory.
the blame for
need to draw attention away
Firstly, she plays on the Jac-
the murder of
16
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