原初王権の歴史としての「妖精の系譜」 : 『妖精の女王』第2巻第10篇の「妖精国のいにしえ」の寓意(上)
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概要
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The aim of this paper is to give an exposition of the mystical significance of "Antiquitee of Faery lond," an episodic chronicle of the Fairy/Elfin race, which forms the inmost core of the whole poem of The Faerie Queene. Since it is evident that Spenser intends it to bear witness to the glory of the British monarchy, especially of the Tudors, the Elfin genealogy must allegorically reenact a series of the most glorious scenes of world-wide fame in human history. If there is any extant record of such a history, it must be Holy Scripture. Those renowned prophets, priests and kings of incomparably arduous piety and unswerving righteousness illustrated there had since olden times been deemed most suitable for an ideal ruler to model himself on in his administration both temporal and spiritual. In the Elizabethan England confronted with various difficulties, such as the post-Marian situations and the queen's marital problems, it must have been most effective for the government to idealize Queen Elizabeth as a legitimate successor to the throne of David, by means of which newly arisen Protestant England could consolidate its church and state, coping with those troubles at home and abroad. Along this line of argument Elfe and his six descendants, namely, Elfin, Elfinan, Elfine, Elfinell, Elfant and Elfar are identified respectively as Shem, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Elijah and Josiah. Thus the Elfin genealogy can be proved to be an allegorical representation of that of the Israelite kingship, which laid the basis for the medieval notion of the divine right of kings. Last but not least, I shall demonstrate that Elfinor assumes the role of Constantine the Great, who, as the first Christian Emperor, Spenser asserts, transferred the universal kingship established and maintained by those Biblical eminences in due course to the British-Tudor Dynasty.