"God knows," she said, "how entirely I am innocent. But I do not pretend that my protestations should acquit me; I rest my innocence on a plain and simple explanation of the facts which have been adduced against me, and I hope the character I have always borne will incline my judges to a favourable interpretation where any circumstance appears doubtful or suspicious."
Chapter 8 · Justine Moritz
Context
Justine delivers her defense in court, asserting her innocence while acknowledging the circumstantial evidence against her. She appeals to her past character as a basis for the judges to interpret ambiguous facts in her favor.
Analysis
Justine's phrase 'I do not pretend that my protestations should acquit me' uses the formal register of legal discourse, showing her attempt to speak the court's language of reason and evidence. Yet this very reasonableness—her refusal to insist emotionally on her innocence—becomes a trap in a system that has already decided her guilt, demonstrating how marginalized figures cannot win whether they appeal to emotion or logic.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Shelley critiques Enlightenment faith in rational justice by showing how the legal system's 'objectivity' is already corrupted—Justine's measured, reasonable defense is precisely what makes her vulnerable, because the trial is theater, not truth-seeking.