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The Cultural and Ideological Significance of Representations of Boudica During the Reigns of Elizabeth I and James I

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The Cultural and Ideological Significance of Representations of Boudica During the Reigns of Elizabeth I and James I EXETER UNIVERSITY AND UNIVERSITÉ D’ORLÉANS The Cultural and Ideological Significance Of Representations of Boudica During the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. Submitted by Samantha FRENEE-HUTCHINS to the universities of Exeter and Orléans as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English, June 2009. This thesis is available for library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgment. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. ..................................... (signature) 2 Abstract in English: This study follows the trail of Boudica from her rediscovery in Classical texts by the humanist scholars of the fifteenth century to her didactic and nationalist representations by Italian, English, Welsh and Scottish historians such as Polydore Virgil, Hector Boece, Humphrey Llwyd, Raphael Holinshed, John Stow, William Camden, John Speed and Edmund Bolton. In the literary domain her story was appropriated under Elizabeth I and James I by poets and playwrights who included James Aske, Edmund Spenser, Ben Jonson, William Shakespeare, A. Gent and John Fletcher. As a political, religious and military figure in the middle of the first century AD this Celtic and regional queen of Norfolk is placed at the beginning of British history. In a gesture of revenge and despair she had united a great number of British tribes and opposed the Roman Empire in a tragic effort to obtain liberty for her family and her people. Focusing on both the literary and non-literary texts I aim to show how the frequent manipulation and circulation of Boudica's story in the early modern period contributed to the polemical expression and development of English and British national identities, imperial aspirations and gender politics which continue even today. I demonstrate how such heated debate led to the emergence of a polyvalent national icon, that of Boadicea, Celtic warrior of the British Empire, religious figurehead, mother to the nation and ardent feminist, defending the land, women, the nation and national identity. Today Boudica‘s story is that of a foundation myth which has taken its place in national memory alongside Britannia; Boudica‘s statue stands outside the Houses of Parliament in London as a testament to Britain‘s imperial aspirations under Queen Victoria whilst the maternal statue of her protecting her two young daughters claims a Welsh haven in Cardiff. 3 Résumé en français: Cette thèse suit la trace de Boudica depuis la redécouverte de ce personnage dans les textes classiques par des savants humanistes du quinzième siècle jusqu‘aux représentations didactiques et nationalistes de ce personnage par des historiens italiens, anglais, gallois et écossais tels que Polydore Virgil, Hector Boece, Humphrey Llwyd, Raphael Holinshed, John Stow, William Camden, John Speed, Edmund Bolton. Ensuite l‘appropriation de son histoire par des poètes et des dramaturges sous Elizabeth I et James I couvre le travail de James Aske, Edmund Spenser, Ben Jonson, William Shakespeare, A. Gent et John Fletcher. En tant que personnage politique, religieux et militaire au milieu du premier siècle de notre ère cette reine celte de la région de Norfolk est placée au début de l‘histoire de la Grande Bretagne. Lors d‘un geste tragique de revanche et de désespoir elle a réuni un grand nombre de tribus britanniques afin d‘opposer l‘Empire Romain et obtenir la liberté pour sa famille et son peuple. Se concentrant sur les textes littéraires et non-littéraires j‘essaie de montrer comment la manipulation fréquente et la circulation de l‘histoire de Boudica au début de la période moderne ont contribué aux polémiques autour des identités anglaises et britanniques, l‘aspiration impériale et la politique entre les sexes ; polémiques qui continuent aujourd‘hui. Je démontre comment de tels débats ont mené à l‘apparition d‘une icône national et polyvalente, telle Boadicea, guerrière celtique de l‘Empire britannique, mère de la nation et féministe ardente œuvrant pour la défense de la terre, de la femme, de la nation et de l‘identité nationale. Aujourd‘hui l‘histoire de Boudica est celle d‘un mythe de fondation qui prend place dans la mémoire collective à côté de Britannia; la statue de Boudica debout devant le parlement à Londres, témoigne des aspirations impériales sous la reine Victoria, tandis que la statue maternelle de Boudica en train de protéger ses deux jeunes filles, prétend à un havre gallois à Cardiff. 4 CONTENTS Abstract in English P. 2 Abstract in French P. 3 Acknowledgements P. 5 List of Illustrations P. 6 Introduction P. 7 Chapter 1: Retrieving British History P. 28 Classical Visions of Boudica P. 33 Early Modern Receptions P. 38 Bookmakers and Gambles with History P. 42 Anxiety over Native Origins P. 52 Humphrey Llwyd, Raphael Holinshed & William Camden P. 59 Stow, Speed, Daniel, Clapham & Edmund Bolton P. 75 The Social Circulation of Boudica P. 88 Chapter 2: Female Emancipation: force, freedom, and fallacy P. 97 Reclaiming Women‘s History P. 101 In mirrours more then one P. 110 An Illusion of Empowerment? P. 129 The Cult of Elizabeth P. 140 Chapter 3: Unity, Harmony and Empire: an English Agenda? P. 149 King of Great Britain P. 152 The English Empire P. 160 The Historiographical Revolution P. 174 Early Modern Nationalism P. 184 Locating Cymbeline‘s Queen P. 193 The Relegation of Women P. 201 Chapter 4: Domesticating the Heart of the Wild P. 210 The Second Sex P. 214 Taming the Heart of the Wild P. 229 The Masculine Embrace P. 246 The Roman Embrace P. 267 Conclusion P. 285 Appendix : Petruccio Ubaldini's Le Vite Del Le Donne Illustri P. 302 Del Regno D'Inghilterra, & dell Regno di Scotia (Translated from Italian into English and French). Bibliography P. 311 5 Acknowledgements I need to thank a number of people for their help, advice and support; namely Dr Tracey Miller-Tomlinson, New Mexico State University, who sent me some of her work and allowed me to refer to it in my study. Dr Catherine Henze from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay gave me advice about Jacobean music particularly that for Fletcher‘s plays. For the information on education I am indebted to Professor Nicholas Orme, Exeter University, who recommended a reading list to me. Thank you to Professor Malcolm Todd for allowing me to interview him at his home in Exeter; he gave me invaluable insights into the historical Boudica and Cartimandua, as did Dr Nicola Royan, lecturer in medieval and renaissance literature at Nottingham University. Dr Royan helped me with Boece's account, and William Craw identified the French translator of Hector Boece‘s Chronicles for me. For the translations of Petruccio Ubaldini into English and French I was given advice and help from Téa Couche-Facchin, Italian teacher at the Lycée-en-forêt, and from Professor Frank La Brasca, Director of the Italian Department at François- Rabelais University, Tours. The texts were translated into English by myself and Dr Valentina Vulpi. Dr Sandrine Soltane-Castellana translated Ubaldini into French. Mrs Barraton at Orléans University library has always helped me to locate and borrow obscure documents, so thank you. I am also grateful to Dr Claire Bouchet, Lycée-en-forêt, who proofread my work and made some invaluable suggestions. Thank you equally to Dr Carolyn Lyle-Williams at Reading University, Professor Richard Hingley at Durham University, Dr Ben Winsworth at Orléans University, chantal Lévy at the Lycée-en-forêt, Montargis, and Vanessa Collingridge for ideas and encouragement. I would like to give a huge mark of recognition to my own research directors, professor Tom Pughe, who set me on the right path and was a source of great encouragement and succor, and to Dr Philip Schwyzer who has always been available, supportive and very helpful. On the home front I must say ‗thank-you‘ to my sister, Beastie, who has always put me up, and put up with me, during my stays at Exeter. And last, but not least, I am greatly indebted to my husband, Eric for his moral and domestic support over the last few years. 6 Illustrations Figure n° 1: Woodcut showing Boudica addressing her troops P. 67. just before battle is joined with the Romans. Holinshed’s Chronicles: the History of England (1577) Figure n° 2: Woodcut showing the final battle between the Romans P. 68. and the British warriors. Holinshed’s Chronicles: the History of England (1577) Figure n° 3: Woodcut showing Voada leading her army of ladies against P. 68. the Romans. Holinshed’s Chronicle: the History of Scotland (1577) Figure n° 4: Woodcut showing the execution of Voada's daughter, Vodicia. P. 69. Holinshed’s Chronicles: the History of Scotland (1577) Figure n° 5: Woodcut of an ancient British woman called Boudica. P. 77. John Speed‘s History of Great Britaine (1611) and his Theatre of the empire of Great Britaine (1612) Figure n° 6. The gold coin Speed attributes to Boudica. P. 80. Figure n° 7: Thomas Thornycroft's bronze statue in London (1902). P. 287. Figure n° 8: James Harvard Thomas‘s marble statue of Boudica and her P. 289. Daughters (1916), Cardiff Civic Hall. Figure n° 9: Newspaper cartoon of Margaret Thatcher during the Falklands P. 290. War; The Daily Express (24 June 1982) Figure n° 10: Newspaper cartoon of Margaret Thatcher; the General P. 291. Elections of 1987. The Daily Telegraph (11 June 1987) Figure n° 11: An advertisement for the Ford Motor Company P.
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