Speech to the Troops at Tilbury

Elizabeth I begins the speech by addressing her subjects as “[her] loving people” (Paragraph 1). In doing so, she invokes a depiction of herself as a loving monarch to her subjects—a recurring theme in her writings and speeches. The very setting in which Elizabeth I gave this speech would have underscored this close connection between monarch and subjects. In visiting her troops at Tilbury, she downplayed the danger of any “treachery” in favor of being among her subjects, whom she calls “faithful and loving” (Paragraph 2). Likewise, she says she comes to Tilbury to “live and die amongst [them]” (Paragraph 3), mirroring the sacrifices the men are about to make by “lay[ing] down for [her] God, and for [her] kingdom, and [her] people, [her] honor and [her] blood” (Paragraph 3). Although she is royal, she portrays herself as one of the people who might die for God and England.

Elizabeth mentions God several times in the speech in an important reminder of the hierarchy they all take part in: As her subjects answer to her as their queen, she answers to God. Nevertheless, the overall tone is casual—almost cheerful—as she remarks, “I am come amongst you” (Paragraph 3), puncturing the pomp of her title and again putting herself on a level playing field with her subjects. Here on the battlefield, she implies, they are all equals. She also attempts to downplay the rift in England between Protestants and Catholics by reminding her subjects that she is a God-fearing, Christian queen.

Elizabeth uses juxtaposition to directly address the one weakness she cannot explain away—her gender—saying, “I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too” (Paragraph 4). Despite her female body, she invokes her regal lineage to remind her people who she is and who her father was. By claiming she has the “heart and stomach of a king” (Paragraph 4), she reminds them that she is Henry VIII’s daughter at a time when the idea of royal blood was paramount. Her emphasis on having the “stomach” of a monarch in particular works to assure her people that she can handle the challenging—even masculine—parts of her role. She characterizes her body as that of a “weak and feeble” woman (Paragraph 4), but she also asserts that she is not like other women—a canny way to divert criticism away from her gender. That she has traveled to a battlefield also emphasizes her physical courage, a masculine trait at the time.

As the speech reaches its climax and conclusion, Elizabeth reassures her troops that she is their defender: “I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field” (Paragraph 4). Finally, she tells her subjects that she sees their valor, nobility, and worth before summarizing the three things she fights for: “God, the kingdom, her loyal subjects” (Paragraph 4).