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How has Boudicca been represented over time? - Coggle Diagram
How has Boudicca been represented over time?
representations in antiquity (1837-1901)
political agenda/motives:
criticising the rule of nero
criticising julio-claudian emperors
exposing provincial mismanagement
disliked one man rule
tacitus
exposed the brutality of Roman treatment of the Iceni
'the king's own relatives were treated like slaves' (Annals)
portrayed Boudicca as a wounded mother - a victim of Roman brutality
'his wife Boudicca was flogged and their daughters raped' (Annals)
cassius dio
portrays boudicca as powerful/vengeful
'she sacked and plundered two roman cities and wreaked indescribable slaughter' (roman history)
portrayed as a masculine woman to emphasise Nero's effeminacy - juxtaposes her masculinity with his portrayals of nero as a lover of the arts etc
'in stature she was very tall, in appearance most terrifying'
modern views
johnson
hingley and unwin
Snyder: 'She has become a tool for political commentary'
representations in victorian england (1837-1901)
motives/agenda
trying to justify the British invasion, colonisation and territorial expansion which occurred in that era
poetry
william cowper's poetry - the ode
justifying territorial expansion and linking her to british imperialism
'the progeny that springs from the forests of our land, armed with thunder, clad with wings, shall a wider world command.'
'portrayed her as a champion of british imperialism and linked her to the expansion of the british empire'
statuary
thornycroft's statue
simultaneously portrayed as a military leader (able to control chariot without holding reigns) and a maternal figure (shielding her daughters behind her)
paintings/artworks
'boudicca haranguing the britons' - john ope 1793
assertive, standing in a position of power
wearing a helmet and showed as militant
Snyder: 'A symbol of British imperialism'
representations in the women's suffrage movement (c. 19th-early 20th century England)
motives/agenda
feminist political agenda
link to the more violent methods of the suffragettes - a violent approach by women for rights - inspiring and justifying the violent/radical methods used to gain suffrage
e.g. bombs in postboxes, stoning politicians
portrayals
martyr figure
justified in her actions
strong and vengeful
maternal figure
feminist icon
Suffrage Banner designed by Mary Lowndes
violent ancient chariot, her name and weapons
cartoons
cartoon in the daily mirror 1913
portrays her as militant and justified
uses her as a criticism of suffragettes
portrayed as an exemplar of patriotic violence, leadership and heroism
Sylvia Pankhurst speech
'everyone has heard of Boadicea, Joan of Arc, and probably a score of other great and famous women generals'
Modern Historian: Johnson
the Boudicca statue was a 'symbolic rallying point for the women's rights movement'
'as a role model she symbolised suffrage ideologies that challenged traditional definitions of femininity'
Snyder: 'She has become a tool for political commentary'