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

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