Rhetorical Analysis Of Queen Elizabeth I

During the late 1500s, a period of militaristic upheaval and societal fear in Britain, Queen Elizabeth I controlled the British throne and armed forces. Europe’s major Catholic leader at the time, King Philip II of Spain, saw the Queen, being a staunch Protestant, as a threat to Catholicism and the Roman Church, inspiring him to launch a major naval invasion against Britain. In July of 1588, Queen Elizabeth I awaited the arrival of the Spanish Armada in Tilbury, Essex along the Thames River. In early August, with a loving and motivational tone, Queen Elizabeth I sought to rally the British troops stationed at Tilbury towards halting Spain’s invasive intentions. Throughout the speech she gave, Queen Elizabeth I capitalizes upon her appeals to ethos and pathos, attempting to establish herself as a strong leader who is one among her soldiers, and she consistently uses schemes of repetition, in an effort to emphasize these patriotic claims she makes. Within her speech, Queen Elizabeth I vouches for her relatability in hopes of solidifying her position as both a decisive leader and an Englishwoman
She does not utilize the schemes to increase the poetic nature of her speech, but rather crafts the argument for her credibility and inserts the repetition to reinforce said argument. For instance, Queen Elizabeth assures, “. . . we shall shortly have a famous victory over those enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people.” In this phrase, Queen Elizabeth I’s use of polysyndeton is intended to restate the idea that all of Britain is under her jurisdiction and that she holds utmost responsibility for its protection. Queen Elizabeth I utilizes polysyndeton in an effort to strengthen the climax of her sentence and instill unity among religion, the crown, and her