Royal Diaries: Elizabeth I

I have always been a reader even when I was a tiny human. So, imagine my surprise when I read Queen E's letters and I'm flash-backing hardcore to my childhood. "Why?" you ask? Because Elizabeth's letters remind me of the greatest books of my youth. The Royal Diaries series. And isn't it just a pretty damn good coincidence that I thought of that because guess who is one of the royals that starred in this series?

That's right, ladies and gents! Childhood meet Real Life. 

Now, it's been YEARS since I've read the Royal Diaries but I still was feeling some pretty strong nostalgia. 

The Royal Diaries are complete tonypandy. Sure, it's historical fiction so there's obviously some things that have been moved around a bit to fit the mold. But it's also historical fiction catered to children and young adults. That series laid a foundation for my reading habits and interests as I became older. I wouldn't have developed a love for Cleopatra if I hadn't read her Royal Diary. Same for Anastasia, Marie Antoinette, Mary Queen of Scots, etc. etc. etc.

There is no way to know what these young women thought when they were in their tweens but they plant a seed for kids to find out more.

So Queen E's letters were like candy for my inner child. But instead of complete tonypandy, these letters are R.E.A.L REAL!! Like, actual facts from the woman herself. Actual words! HNNNGHHGH I LOVE IT!

But what makes these letters even more awesome than they already are to me, is that we finally get a "voice" to this historical figure. We can listen to her talking when she's young, old, being a bad-ass, or trying to save her ass. We get a sense that she is a human being that we can tangibly see actually existing.

Obviously, Richard III existed. And obviously so did Caesar, but to see real paintings of Elizabeth and also read her speeches and private letters add a more colorful dynamic to her character that makes her more real. yes Yes YES! And now for my favorite E meme:

The Powerful Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth, intelligent, witty, and to the point. As one can see from these letters that Elizabeth was able to express herself at any age. She is aware of the power that she holds and is not afraid to use it. She has the world at the palm of her hand.

Although at times is hard to understand, and we just want her to get to the point, she completely honest in how she is feeling. When addressing people, she is both direct and indirect. At times she approaches people in a way that she does not want them to fell as if she is stepping on there toes (with her brother and sister). She is always aware of her position of power in a situation and approaches these them in the correct manner.

This is a nice change to actually see information from a historical character, from there view. These letters let us see inside of Elizabeth’s mind. To see her sass to Mary Queen of Scots, but her calm approach to King Edward.

From reading a wide range of letters from before her time on the throne and also during many years of her reign, we are able to see the progression of Elizabeth growing as a leader of England.

Queen Elizabeth: a woman of many hats

Queen Elizabeth is a very interesting woman. After having read her speeches and her letters, you get to understand a lot about her personality . Elizabeth was a woman of many hats because she was able to carry herself in a different manner based upon the situation she was in . she was able to put on a strong face when in front of the military and yet be gentle enough to her sister and powerful enough while speaking to England. This is a skill that not many can do well. Most people would find themselves getting mixed up while trying to speak to certain crowds . I believe this quality was shown throughout the movie , the letters, and her speeches. This is why I believe she was a very effective leader.

 I also love how throughout her speeches she used all different kinds of pronouns. The fact that she knew when to use certain pronouns and how to use those to her advantage was truly amazing. her letters really gave me a sense of her life outside of all of the drama that came with being a queen. 

Powerful Queen

Queen Elizabeth is certainly unapologetic in her writing. She asserts her power through her words and indirect. As I read her personal letters, we get a sense of who she is a person. The way her letters show her power is inspiring. It is clear who holds the upper-hand in her relationships. I feel like we get to see a different side of the fierce queen through her words.  

I really enjoyed getting to read her personal letters, especially the ones that took on a romantic tone. It opens the door into her life outside of being the Queen everyone expected of her. Although at times her words were hard to comprehend, I felt like I was able to get a sense of how much she enjoyed her powerful position. From her persuasive letters to her sister, who locked her away in a tower. The movie did a good job of giving us a visual. She was trying to appeal to her sister through their family relationship, rather than as one of her loyal subjects. She was careful not to offend her sister but make her point known.  

Elizabeth has been my favorite avatar to date. I've always found her to be one of the most interesting monarchs. 

Can you not?

            Elizabeth is quite the eloquent writer. Is eloquent the right word? Maybe manipulative is a better word choice. I have to admit, reading Elizabeth’s letters was pretty torturous. Between her intentions and prose-style writing I found it nearly impossible to follow her ramblings. Maybe I’m just not adept to reading Elizabethan era writing; however, I’d be interested to know how everyone else felt about her writing. Her sentences seemed to drag on and on… and she really has a knack for dragging out her point. This is especially evident in her letter to Mary, Queen of Scotts (letter 29). Maybe it wasn’t that long given the context and severity of the situation, but it seemed infinite when I was reading it. In the letter, she spends a great deal of time contrasting all the ill wills of Mary and her humanitarian responses to said actions. Although crafty and well written, I felt as if I had to reread the letter four or five times to really understand what she was conveying. By the end of the letter I was more or less content with the idea of never having to learn more about Queen Elizabeth past this course.

A little extravagant, huh?

            I’m not quite sure what it is that deters me from Queen Elizabeth. Her portrayal in the movie, along with my perception of her from her letters just really bothers me; however, I definitely see the importance of studying these avatars and understanding the context in which their actions took place. I feel as if most of my blog posts have been complaints about the literature; however, that being said, I have enjoyed this class and the concepts we have been studying. Deconstructing literary avatars do their “core” has been interesting and is a useful skill to hone. Through reviewing my blog posts, I’m learning that I should try to put more effort into being open minded to things I’m not particularly fond of (i.e. Shakespeare, the Elizabethan-era). There is a lot to learn from things you don’t take a particular interest in. It’s just a matter of sticking to it.  

Keep Your Opinions to Yourself

I had hopes for Elizabeth but I don’t think I could’ve been any more disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, I think that beginning was very powerful and set the tone for the rest of the movie and I don’t think production could’ve done a better job picking music that made every scene feel complete but I was still disappointed.

The purpose of the movie was to depict Queen Elizabeth’s journey from being a shy, soft-spoken queen to a more powerful queen. You can see her maturity as you see the difference in how she addresses her people and how she addresses the military. She went from not being able to get the point across clearly to being able to be confident and believe in what she’s saying. The only think I could focus on was how quick Sir Williams was to tell her that she needed to find a man. Queen Elizabeth had bigger and better things to worry about and he Sir Williams had the audacity to throw in finding a man on top of that saying that “she is only a woman.” I have never rolled my eyes so hard. She is a strong, independent women who don’t need no man. *inserts crown emoji* 

Seriously, what’s up with that? I get the whole find love and be happy sappy shit but a woman can only run a country if a man is by her side? Complete bullshit, count me out. I didn’t even want to watch the rest of the movie because I was so angry. Sir Williams can go fall into the gates of hell. I, personally, think that Queen Elizabeth did an exceptional job especially when we’re so used to seeing rulers taking advantage of their power. Kudos to her for not being a distorted ruler. Maybe I would be more thrilled about the movie if Sir Williams would have kept his unwanted/unneeded suggestions to himself but I was not a fan of this movie.

Get to the point Elizabeth!

Ok, I get it Elizabeth.

   You're educated and empowered.  Were I to have 5 lifetimes to compile knowledge, I'm sure you'd still possess more than I.  However, I don't care! 

Girl, you really need to wrap up your letters in a neater package!

Yes, you can write.  

Some of your lines are ridiculously good.  But more is not more! It doesn't matter what you say at the end of each one of your multipage novellas if I fall asleep before I get there!

You've established that you can speak to the masses... your pen and your mouth need to get together because when your thoughts go from mind to paper rather than mind to mouth... well, it runs on and drags out a bit.  You bury the lead constantly.  

JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT!!!

...And that's fine.  You don't have to be amused.  I know I'm not.  I really think you should apply your tactic for speaking to the military to how you talk to everyone.  You saw no need to boor your troops. Why punish everyone else?

I do like how your tone changes.  You can be a sweet kiss ass or a bold brazen bitch.  That's rather commendable; congrats on the carrying a pen for each personality you've got hidden under those massive sleeves.