反抗與順服：新教女君王治國之辯

The Rhetoric of Resistance and Obedience Concerning the Rule of a Protestant Female Monarch

伊莉莎白女王以擁護新教的女君主之姿繼位，然而她的治國能力因其性別及宗教立場仍受到反對者的質疑，本文從修辭的角度切入，探討反對者及擁護者所寫的文章，從中找出雙方如何各自運用的修辭技巧，表達反抗或順從的論調。守舊派多強調女性不夠理性，無法承擔治國重任；擁護女王者，甚至伊莉莎白女王本身，則一再強調神意，以模糊性別的議題，將女王的身份轉化為上帝的代行者，因順服上帝的的旨意，獲得特別恩寵，得以由一個柔弱女子，變成足以承擔大任的治國之君。不但不避諱性別的問題，伊莉莎白女王更自比為上帝的女兒、人民之母親，以家庭的觀念突顯女性治國就像治家一樣具有正當性。強勢的女王刻意以退為進，強調自己對上帝之順服，進而建立自己的權威，要求人民的臣服。

The legitimacy of Elizabeth I to rule over England was challenged due to her gender and religious stance. This present study adopts a rhetorical approach to investigate into the strategies employed in the political debates with regards to women regiment as well as those used to represent Elizabeth’s own perception of a female regime. A comparative study is done to elucidate the rhetorical devices commonly used in the controversy over the Protestant female rule. The rhetoric of resistance and obedience not only demarcates the writers' political and religious stance, but also reveals major strategies exploited to defy or uphold the rule of a Protestant female monarch.