对伊丽莎白一世与武则天不同评价之文化比较.docx

1、对伊丽莎白一世与武则天不同评价之文化比较对伊丽莎白一世与武则天不同评价之文化比较作者：admin来源：hq 时间：2010-6-21 点击： 标签： 分页： A Cultural Comparison of Different Comments on Elizabethand Wu ZetianI. IntroductionIn the long humans history, there rarely appears famous women or even the female rulers. Most of the countries on the earth are ruled by

2、men for they are poweful and ambitious. So it is very difficult for those women who want to rule a country instead of men. There were two women who were both intelligent and fabulous. Their names are Elizabeth and Wu Zetian. China and England were both Feudal countries, however, their womens social

3、status and education were so different.The two women both made significant contributions to their countries such as economy, politician, arts, etc. Though they were two intelligent female rulers under whose reigns their countries appears flourishing people have different attitudes towards them. This

4、 article is written to analyze the deep reasons which formed these phenomenons in England and China from different perspectives.II. Comments on Elizabethand Wu ZetianElizabeth and Wu Zetian are both great females who made contributions to each countries. But their people have different comments on t

5、hem. A Brief Introduction to Elizabeth The first Queen Elizabeth, whose name has become a synonym for the era which she dominated (1558-1603), was born in 1533 to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Called “Gloriana” by Edmund Spenser in “The Faerie Queene”, Elizabeths deft political skills and strong perso

6、nal character were directly responsible for putting England (at the time of her accession in 1558 a weak, divided backwater far outside the mainstream of European power and cultural development) on the road to becoming a true world economic and political power and restoring the countrys lost sense o

7、f national pride. Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of theTudor dynasty and her reign is known as the “Elizabeth Era” famous above all for the flourishing of , led by playwrights such as and , and for the seafaring prowess of English adventurers such as . Under her reign England strengthened

8、its marine militaty and domestic union . Positive Comments on Elizabeth IMost of English historicians think Elizabeth are great, intelligent, pure Queen. Within 2o years of her death, she was being celebrated as the ruler of a golden age, an image that retains its hold on the English people. During

9、Elizabeths 44 years on the throne provided welcome stability for the kingdom and helped forge a sense of national identity.In 2005, the History Channels documentary that historicians analyzed the twelve England monorchs and graded them depending on their military force and influence, etc. Elizabeth

10、ranked number 1 and was thought as the greatest monarch of England. As a woman how did she manage England so well and led England to the flourishing road? Just like most historicians praise her that she is a intelligent woman. In fact she was a brilliant woman who showed great wisdom by refusing to

11、directly antagonize Parliament. One of her mottoes was “video et taceo”(I see, and say nothing). This strategy, viewed with impatience by her counsellors, often saved her from political and marital misalliances. She acquired undying devotion from her advisement council, who were constantly perplexed

12、 by her habit of waiting to the last minute to make decisions. She used the various factions, playing one off another until the exhausted combatants came to her for resolution of their grievances. Few English monarchs enjoyed such political power, while still maintaining the devotion of the whole of

13、 English society.Elizabeths reign was one of the more constructive periods in English history. Her intelligence and courage also could be found in her attitudes towards domestic religious problems and aboard affence. Elizabeth inherited a tattered realm: dissension between Catholics and Protestants

14、tore at the very foundation of society; the royal treasury had been bled dry by Mary and her advisors, Marys loss of Calais left England with no continental possessions for the first time since the arrival of the Normans in 1066 and many Catholics doubted Elizabeths claim to the throne. Continental

15、affairs added to her problems - France had a strong foothold in Scotland, and Spain, the strongest European nation at the time, posed a threat to the security of the realm. Elizabeth proved most calm and calculating, employing capable and distinguished men to carrying out royal prerogative. Her firs

16、t order of business was to eliminate religious unrest. She was, however, compelled to take a stronger pro-Protestant stance when events demanded it. The situation with Mary Queen of Scots was most vexing to Elizabeth. Mary, in Elizabeths custody beginning in 1568, gained the loyalty of Catholic fact

17、ions and instituted several-failed assassination plots against Elizabeth. After irrefutable evidence of Marys involvement in the plots came to light, Elizabeth sadly succumbed to the pressure from her advisors and had the Scottish princess executed in 1587. She made the first church of England a pro

18、testant denomination and avoided a war with the Roman Catholic nations.But the persecution of continental Protestants forced Elizabeth into war. The situation came to head in 1588 after Elizabeth rejected a marriage proposal from Philip II of Spain. The indignant Spanish King, incensed by English pi

19、racy and forays in New World exploration, sent his much-feared Armada to raid England, inadvertently providing Elizabeth with an opportunity to put on public display those qualities of heart that one might not expect to find in those days, in a small, frail woman. At that time, defeating Spain was a

20、 dream, howevet she traveled to Tilbury, Essex, to address her troops as they awaited the coming battle with the feared Spanish naval forces. She told them: Therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the

21、battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust. 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, and think foul scorn that Par

22、ma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm. ( Strachey, L, 2005: 95)She encouraged the army which at last defeated the strongest Armada. The English won the naval battle handily, aided by some fortuitous inclement English Channel weather, and emerged as the w

23、orlds strongest naval power, setting the stage for later English imperial designs. Her courage was respected by her people and thats why she became a great ruler.People know that Elizabeth reined the country for 45 years and never married. Some historician such as Guy, Haigh, Ridley analyzed it. The

24、y said that although Elizabeth entertained many marriage proposals and flirted incessantly (her closest brush with marriage came with Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester). Despite several petitions from parliament and numerous courtships, she never did. She wanted a marriage, however there was a dilemm

25、a that whomever she would marry: a Cathlic man or a puritant there could not avoid a battle between the two religious factions. Whats worse, a civil war may happen if she choose any one of them. To some degree, she sacrificed her happiness to keep England united. Hence her virginity is valued by peo

26、ple. She excelled at rising to challenges and emerging victorious Elizabeth, “Gloriana,” the last of the Tudors, died without leaving an heir at seventy years of age after a reign that had exceeded all realistic expectations for it and qualifies her to be considered in the top rank of British monarc

27、hs. She used her great courage and intelligence to give England a good start. Just as Dr David Starkey paised her: Elizabeth is extraordinary. She looks extraordinary. She behaves in an extraordinary way. And as a woman moving so effortlessly in mans world, she so doubly extraordinary. Negative Comm

28、ents on Elizabeth IThough some historians are more reserved in their assessments. They depict Elizabeth as a short-tempered, sometimes indecisive ruler, who enjoyed more than her share of luck. The war with Spain made England have a great debt, whats more the soldiers could not get their salaries so

29、metimes. The economy was weakened and there appeared more poor people. Because towards the end of her reign, a series of economic and military problems weakened her popularity to the point where many of her subjects were relieved at her death. Many historicians criticize Elizabeths era. Some mordern

30、 Eropean historicians such as Somerset, Elton begin to be suspicious of the long-time active comments on Tudor era. They mainly criticize her because she supported slave traffic for high profit although she knew that was inhuman behavior. Under her reign, England extended its exploration and slave t

31、rade. A Brief Introduction to Wu ZetianThere are more than 400 Emperors in the history of China. There was only one female Emperor in the history of China. She was known as Emperor Wu Zetian. She lived during the Tang Dynasty and was born to a wealthy and noble family and very well educated. Wu Zeti

32、an (: 武则天) (62516 December 705, personal name Wu Zhao (武曌), often referred to as Tian Hou (天后) during Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu (武后) in later times, was the only woman in the to assume the title of . She broke all precedents when she founded her own dynasty in 690, the Zhou (周) (interrupting the ), and ruled personally under the name Sacred and Divine Empress Regnant (聖神皇帝) and variations thereof from 690 to 705. In the year 690, she dethroned the puppet emperor, declared herself as Sacred and Divine Empress Regnant and founded her own Dynasty. She passed away in 705, livi