he one hand, this epigram functions like an advised legal statement. It offers a resistance against false accusations whilst withholding specific details and emotion. The eight words voice Elizabeth’s potency whilst concealing accusation. But this poem is not completely passive; on the contrary, it rather turns the finger of allegation. Indictment is implicitly placed onto those falsely accusing the speaker as she asserts nothing can be “proved”, a denunciation of the case. Of course, this is an ambiguous interpretation – but this is vague writing. What Elizabeth cannot do is regulate her audience, or their interpretations, but what she can do is position herself as innocent through a suppression of direct language. Bell similarly comments on how Elizabeth possesses power whilst retaining a nebulous tone: “This fundamental hermeneutical assumption – a foundational principle of modern critical theory – was a central guiding principle of Elizabeth’s rhetoric and reign” . The nature of Elizabeth’s reign – dangerously interpretative – was the nature of literature too, and, I suggest, a result of her gender.
The opening line’s ambiguity stems from its syntax and grammar, without even delving into the possible semantics. ‘Much suspected’ subverts the auxiliary verb ‘is’ (of the conjunction ‘to be’). The employment of the preposition ‘by’ is most interesting as it allows for two, rather significant, interpretations. Undeniably, the preposition ‘by’ refers to ‘the doer of the action’, and in the Elizabethan era it also had the meaning of ‘referring’ (OED). So, ‘much [is] suspected by me’ can refer to Elizabeth herself being suspicious of others. This is a subtle jab at the prejudices and injustices filed against her. This interpretation is hidden behind the guise of the alternative reading. Elizabeth is being held under suspicion herself, much is suspected ‘of’ her. Crucially though, Elizabeth is saying that despite the fact that her name is admittedly under fire, she is not guilty because the claim has no substance. The past tense of the verb ‘suspected’ could also imply that ever since her birth Elizabeth has been guilty of something; namely, preventing one of her male counterparts to the throne. Moreover, by placing the pronoun (very personally in the objective form of I, ‘me’) at the end of the line reverses the blame to those who ‘suspect’ Elizabeth. It confuses the typical ‘subject-verb-object’ order and cleverly fuses who the oppressor of blame is.
The cohesion between the two lines establish that though there is an act of resistance against false claims, Elizabeth is placed in a submissive position. She must act, and write, with a docile quality
