Ruler of England from 1558-1603, Queen Elizabeth I, in her “Speech to the British Troops at Tilbury”, attempted to uplift the spirits of her soldiers and create a sense of hope and positivity before they went into battle. The Queen’s purpose was to establish trust and boost the morale of her soldiers so that they would courageously defend England from foreign invasion. She adopted a passionate tone not only to appeal to the patriotic feelings of the soldiers but also to kindle unity in battle. Queen Elizabeth I began her speech by refuting the argument that she should “take heed how [she] commit[s] [herself] to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery” and by “assuring her soldiers, [she does] not desire to live to distrust [her] faithful and loving people.” The Queen utilized different types of register to connect with her soldiers on different levels. Words such as “treachery”, “armed multitudes” and the majestic plurals -“we” and “our” indicate a use of formal register that show the Queen’s sophistication and maturity towards her duties as the Ruler Of England. Through the use of very formal language, she adapted to the gravity of the situation while addressing something that was under speculation: her loyalty to England. This establishes ethos by getting rid of all skepticism in order …show more content…
It can be noted that although all of the sentences are of considerable length, the first few are periodic in nature. In the first of the speech, the Queen proclaimed, “Let tyrants fear, I have always so behaved myself that… my honor and my blood, even in the dust.” Sentences such as this one are used to explain Queen Elizabeth’s beliefs and establish some context. They help the Queen manifest her emphatic tone and immediately grab on to the attention of the audience. Additionally, these sentences help bring about a level of formality required in an