『페어리 여왕』5권의 이시스:브리토마트의 신화적 변용의 정치성 = Isis in Book 5 of The Faerie Queene: the Political Implications of Britomart's Transfiguration

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Britomart's repeal of the female rule in Radigund's amazonian kingdom, probably one of the most controversial episodes in Book 5 of The Faerie Queene, happens right after her transformation into Isis in her dream vision of marriage in the Temple of Isis. Her action seems to be quite contradictory to her images as a queen regnant-to-be. From a contextual point of view, the figure of Isis seems to be crucial to the understanding of the allegorical inscrutability of Britomart's action. This paper explores the political implications of the myth of Isis and their relations with Britomart's repealing of female rule. It also aims to illuminate how Spenser's concerns with the issue of Elizabeth 1's marriage are engaged in Britomart's transfiguration into Isis and her vision of marriage.
The two queens regnants, Mary and Elizabeth 1 in early modern England respectively posed urgent political problems: the problem of the authority of a married queen regnant to her husband, her social and political superior, in the case of Mary whose husband tried to gain control over the internal and diplomatic affairs of the realm, and the problem of the dynasty without an heir in the case of the virgin queen Elizabeth. Spenser seemed to find a role model of female ruler in the figure of Isis in his attempts to solve the problems of female rule.
Isis was established in the Egyptian and the Greco-Roman myths as the loving and faithful consort and the dynastic mother. She resuscitated the dead Osiris who was killed by his brother Setth in their power struggles, helped her son Horus to regain the kingship from his uncle, and so was worshipped as the dynastic mother of all the pharaohs in Egypt. She also ruled Egypt on behalf of her husband, when Osiris was away from his country. In Spenser's representation of Isis, she shares the power of justice with Osiris and suppresses the violent aspects of his power. However, she reveals herself more prominently as the loving and all-embracing mother and the faithful spouse than female ruler.
Britomart's identification with Isis as wife and mother has the effect of reducing her role of a queen regnant, suggesting that her regal power could be considerably transferred to her consort Artegall after their marriage. Her repeal of female rule and her making all the Radigund's magistrates subject to Artegall strongly imply her future uxorial subjection to Artegall, and anticipate her share of the regal power with her husband, which Elizabeth 1 would never have had hoped. Britomart's roles as the ancestral mother of the Tudor dynasty and more a queen consort like Isis than a queen regnant seem to be the ones that Spenser expected the queen should have chosen for the future of England.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Britomart's repeal of the female rule in Radigund's amazonian kingdom, probably one of the most controversial episodes in Book 5 of The Faerie Queene, happens right after her transformation into Isis in her dream vision of marriage in the Temple of Isis. Her action seems to be quite contradictory to her images as a queen regnant-to-be. From a contextual point of view, the figure of Isis seems to be crucial to the understanding of the allegorical inscrutability of Britomart's action. This paper explores the political implications of the myth of Isis and their relations with Britomart's repealing of female rule. It also aims to illuminate how Spenser's concerns with the issue of Elizabeth 1's marriage are engaged in Britomart's transfiguration into Isis and her vision of marriage.
The two queens regnants, Mary and Elizabeth 1 in early modern England respectively posed urgent political problems: the problem of the authority of a married queen regnant to her husband, her social and political superior, in the case of Mary whose husband tried to gain control over the internal and diplomatic affairs of the realm, and the problem of the dynasty without an heir in the case of the virgin queen Elizabeth. Spenser seemed to find a role model of female ruler in the figure of Isis in his attempts to solve the problems of female rule.
Isis was established in the Egyptian and the Greco-Roman myths as the loving and faithful consort and the dynastic mother. She resuscitated the dead Osiris who was killed by his brother Setth in their power struggles, helped her son Horus to regain the kingship from his uncle, and so was worshipped as the dynastic mother of all the pharaohs in Egypt. She also ruled Egypt on behalf of her husband, when Osiris was away from his country. In Spenser's representation of Isis, she shares the power of justice with Osiris and suppresses the violent aspects of his power. However, she reveals herself more prominently as the loving and all-embracing mother and the faithful spouse than female ruler.
Britomart's identification with Isis as wife and mother has the effect of reducing her role of a queen regnant, suggesting that her regal power could be considerably transferred to her consort Artegall after their marriage. Her repeal of female rule and her making all the Radigund's magistrates subject to Artegall strongly imply her future uxorial subjection to Artegall, and anticipate her share of the regal power with her husband, which Elizabeth 1 would never have had hoped. Britomart's roles as the ancestral mother of the Tudor dynasty and more a queen consort like Isis than a queen regnant seem to be the ones that Spenser expected the queen should have chosen for the future of England.

참고문헌 (Reference)

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