Royal We: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|-- [[HM The Queen|ELIZABETH THE SECOND]], by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her Other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth}}

When royalty speak on behalf of their office (at least in Western systems) they tend to use the [[Royal We]] or ''Pluralis Maiestatis''. This was most famously used by Queen "We are not amused" Victoria, who believed herself to be the avatar for the British Empire. This happens in fiction as well. A good way to show when the monarch in question has had enough and demands obedience is to have them switch to this form of address. Another way is to use this comedically, have a monarch use this in informal contexts or have people confuse the majestic plural for the regular one. ("Where are the rest of them?")

When royalty speak on behalf of their office (at least in Western systems) they tend to use the '''Royal We''' or ''Pluralis Maiestatis''. This was most famously used by Queen "We are not amused" Victoria, who believed herself to be the avatar for the British Empire. This happens in fiction as well. A good way to show when the monarch in question has had enough and demands obedience is to have them switch to this form of address. Another way is to use this comedically, have a monarch use this in informal contexts or have people confuse the majestic plural for the regular one. ("Where are the rest of them?")

The origin of this tradition is the idea that the monarch in question is speaking for the nation, although it was also used by religious officials in times gone by. (Although using that phrase when discussing your breakfast can be a bit strange.) Sometimes other characters will reinforce this by referring to the monarch by the name of their country; in ''[[Hamlet]]'', for example, Claudius and the dead king are both referred to as Denmark, and another king is only ever called Norway.

Also, some European languages use the plural to address other people formally. Even English does this, in a ~~way -- originally~~, "you" was only used as a plural objective; the nominative was "ye" and the singular equivalents were (nominative) "thou" and (objective) "thee". However, using "you" as a formal term for a single person, even as subject, became so commonplace that it replaced "ye" and "thou" entirely. Yes, [[Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe|"you" was MORE formal than "thou", regardless of how it sounds to the modern ear.]]

Also, some European languages use the plural to address other people formally. Even English does this, in a way—originally, "you" was only used as a plural objective; the nominative was "ye" and the singular equivalents were (nominative) "thou" and (objective) "thee". However, using "you" as a formal term for a single person, even as subject, became so commonplace that it replaced "ye" and "thou" entirely. Yes, [[Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe|"you" was MORE formal than "thou", regardless of how it sounds to the modern ear.]]

Of course, if the royal in question is a [[Hive Queen]], [[Voice of the Legion|it all makes a lot more sense]]. Finally, note that no matter how many times she refers to herself as "We", the Queen of England does not like being addressed as "Y'all".

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'''Mr. Lebowski:''' ''We?!''

''(beat)''

'''The Dude:''' ''I!'' The [[Royal We]]! You know, the editorial... }}

'''The Dude:''' ''I!'' The Royal We! You know, the editorial... }}

* ''[[The Last Emperor]]''

* In the Cinderella film musical ''The Slipper and the Rose'', as part of his song "Why can't I be two people?", the Prince argues that since it is natural for royals to use the plural, he should have the right to be more than one person.

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** "We are the Empress Jadis," though, spells it out pretty clearly.

* Used very occasionally by Emperor Gregor Vorbarra in the ''[[Vorkosigan Saga]]'' and usually only when he's making a point of speaking officially. In this case it's particularly obvious, because the plural pronouns are capitalized.

* Tenel Ka uses this on very rare occasion in the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] ~~-- it~~ works specifically because she is generally informal (especially with the Jedi).

* Tenel Ka uses this on very rare occasion in the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]]—it works specifically because she is generally informal (especially with the Jedi).

** [[X Wing Series|Runt]] calls himself "we", and in ''Wraith Squadron'' he's specifically asked if it's a royal "we". It's [[Split Personality|plural]].

* A more literal use of the plural pronoun is seen in ''[[A Madness of Angels]]''. The narrator switches between singular and plural pronouns frequently, sometimes in the middle of a sentence and even during dialogue. This is because he's {{spoiler|sharing his body with the blue electric angels. The choice of pronouns indicates which part of their collective personality is talking.}}