My Enemy, The Queen (and other thoughts)

So, the first thing I noticed about this book was how old it looks. I know that's irrelevant, and it doesn't even really pertain to the class, but that really intrigued me. The book was published in 1978, and the cover art certainly reflects that. Like I said, not super relevant but it's interesting that something has peaked interests not only over centuries, but in recent decades as well when, like, everything is changing.

Something I don't like about books like these are the general use of fluff. It's a book about Queen Elizabeth (kind of) and her lover's lover (I think), and the use of adjectives is overwhelming. The author uses a ton of alliteration, and rhyming at some points. I have a few examples here: 

• "I went angry, hurt and humiliated," (p 94).
• "I must have looked stricken and shown I looked sick," (p 96).
• "Servants were scurrying up and down to the sickroom," (p 240)
• "Both girls were excited and delighted," (p 234). 

This use of alliteration and rhyming and excessive adjectives distracts me from the story, and seems like a technique I was taught in middle school. Obviously adjectives add a lot to an otherwise bland story, but using them with every other word is distracting and unnecessary and detracts from what could have been a great story if I wasn't so busy counting fluff words. I see the irony in me using a lot of adjectives in that sentence. Also, I don't like the weird phrasing, a lot of which makes me super uncomfortable. Example: 

• "I had to witness my husband making verbal love to my rival," (p 230).

Regardless, I do prefer this portrayal of Queen Elizabeth. Sure, she was the villain, but she wasn't the weak woman we saw in The Virgin's Lover. It seemed that this would have been more accurate, even though it was exaggerated. I'd rather see a tough, dominant, bitchy queen over one who makes all of her decisions to help other people (read: lovers). 

Another aspect of us looking into Queen Elizabeth is that she literally has nothing to do with us. Like, sure America comes from England, but I find it super fascinating that this interest has not only lasted centuries but it has crossed continents, and people all over want to read a fictitious story about an old queen who wasn't even theirs. I asked one of my good friends who was born and raised in England, "What are your general thoughts on Queen Elizabeth I, go" and he responded with a kind of mundane answer of, "From what I remember she was considered to be one of our greatest monarchs in a time of general male dominance, she was strong minded, and she ruled well." Now, I don't know about you, but that kind of boring answer is so interesting to me! He doesn't even mention her virginity...whether that be due to the fact that maybe some people couldn't care less about history, it wasn't taught, it wasn't important enough to stick--regardless of the reason, all he remembered was her dominance and the fact that she is remembered as a really great leader. 

Considering all of this, it makes sense why people would write about her. So many thoughts, perspectives, and a woman who is interesting to many people for various reasons, why not write books which depict her as various versions of the truth? A virgin, a bitch, a lover, etc. There is not truth, so I understand why the authors are happy to experiment, as well as make a ton of money off of other people's interests. Even in a fluffy book about lovers and weirdly phrased euphemisms.

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:

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.

Elizabeth

At the beginning of the movie Elizabeth, I felt like I knew very little about Elizabeth. Traditionally, my interests follow King Henry VIII and his legacy, having watched The Tudors and reading up about them. So, I knew about the basics.

This movie gave me a fleshed out version of what I knew, and it was interesting to watch. The big issues with Elizabeth's reign as detailed by the movie were her religion and who she'd marry. These topics were practically all that were discussed. Not even 40 minutes in, lines such as "Marriage is politics, no time for following one's heart," and "Her majesty's body and person are no longer her own property" can be heard. Lines such as these spoken to day would cause about 50 news articles, 30 YouTube videos, etc, just due to the sexist and degrading nature of them; it is shocking to us now to see that they were common and accepted at the time, which gives another look at why Elizabeth potentially chose not to marry in order to keep power.

From the very beginning, the word "tonypandy" came to mind. It's a concept which we have discussed in great depth, both in class and previous blog posts. When Queen Mary asks Elizabeth to uphold the Catholic religion, Elizabeth seems to weasel her way around it and give a really half-assed answer. She says to Mary, "I promise to follow my heart" which is neither here nor there. I sort of understand why Mary was so reluctant to choose a successor when Elizabeth was being so shady! Elizabeth is, for the most part, portrayed as the queen of queens, dedicated to religion and England for her entire life. In the movie, we see a different side of her, and in class we discussed an even different side yet. The glorification of her reign is tonypandy that works to Elizabeth's advantage.

What I really enjoyed about this movie was the transformation from cheeky, red-blooded and young Elizabeth, to the end where she is the Queen of England and it shows in her expression. Cate Blanchett did a really nice job portraying the transformation that was probably difficult to execute, and as a realistic fiction I think this movie did an excellent job of showing what might have been. 

You Go Girl!

The whole time I was watching this movie all I could think was, "YASSS QUEEN!" Elizabeth from the beginning did not care that she opposed the views of others. She was sentenced to prison and almost death by her own sister for not viewing religion in the same way. She couldn't even lie to her sister and promise her to keep England Catholic after her death to ensure that she becomes Queen. Elizabeth was strong-willed, and had good ideas to make England better and to win the war with Spain, but the men in her court refute her commands, which of course make things worse.

Throughout the movie, Elizabeth tries to remain her kind and loving self, which nobody took seriously. The plot shows that in order for her to get her way, she had to change her appearance and demeanor to prove she did not need a husband or an heir. I feel that this dramatic switch also follows the portraits we were showed in class. The first couple portraits are soft; she also is not wearing wigs or make -up, then she has the large luxurious wigs and pale make-up to emphasize her stoic face. The movie shows us what led to the look she was known for, and it was because she was heartbroken and taken advantage of.

But her personality itself had always been sassy and strong. She had perfectly timed comebacks, she flaunted Lord Robert around even when she was supposed to be getting to know the Duke of France, and she killed those who wanted to overthrow her. She also was forgiving and compassionate. She remembered the good deed one lord made towards her when she was being sentenced to the tower, and spared him and his family when she sentenced to kill everybody else. She was able to laugh and dance regardless of the situations she was in, such as the time she came back from seeing the Duke of France in a dress and wig pretending to be a woman, she came back, laughed it off and started to dance with Robert. Queen Elizabeth in this movie constantly surprised me with her reactions, especially since we only know the one face she makes in the portraits, and I absolutely loved it.

Queen Elizabeth

So in all honesty, I did not leave the film feeling like I had a good sense of who Elizabeth really was. I understand that the film was only focused on the early years of her reign, but I felt like there could have been a little less dance scenes and a little more badass Elizabeth scenes. The film intended to depict Elizabeth’s evolution from a timid, nervous, young queen to a more assertive, powerful queen. But even until the end when she orders the murder of all those bishops, it was Sir Francis that orchestrated it. The end was definitely her taking control of her identity by cutting her hair and all that business, and we are left to assume that following what was depicted on film, she finally took control.

The film was entirely focused on Elizabeth’s gender and the constant pressure on her to find a man. The “you are only a woman” lines were really, really annoying.

 By the end, I felt just as exhausted from hearing Sir William reminding her she needs to lock it down with someone. Not only was there pressure to run a country that as it war, but to then find a proper suitor on top of it! That is still extremely difficult in 2016! (Enter exhausted face emoticon).  So in that way, the film felt a little bit like a romance story with a monarchy in the background. But I must say the scene where she catches Duke Anjou in drag was pretty hilarious! He added some much needed comedic appeal.

One aspect I thought was interesting about the film was how they depicted Elizabeth as no virgin at all! I went in with an expectation that there probably were going to be sex scenes, but none that involved Elizabeth, so that was a little shocking. But it made the character seem more likable; she wasn’t as frigid as I thought she was. The first scene where she is dancing around outside with her ladies in waiting helped with that too. She actually seemed playful and free-spirited. I wonder if she kept those qualities after she was ‘re-born’ into the Elizabeth we now know; the pale-faced, wig adorned “virgin” queen we know now.

THE SASS OF IT ALL

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"Lord Robert, you make whores of my ladies, but you will not make one of me"

 Our first female avatar for this class, Queen Elizabeth, who from this movie has grown to be a very sassy person.

"I may be a woman sir William, but if I so choose it I have the heart of a man." 

If that does not scream extreme sass then I do not know what else will. Oh yeah the first quote in this post. I mean she, one does not want a man who makes her feel guilty, and two at the end she literally says she is married to England. She needs no man!

 Anyways, the start of the movie where the Catholics are preparing the Protestants to be burned at the stake gave me a really American Horror Story: Coven vibe there goes Mat referring to AHS again... #NOTMYFAULT

Like do you not see the resemblance? 

Also I really liked how the costume designer really matched Elizabeth's Coronation Outfit to the t.
Another thing I noticed while watching is the it seems that the movie follows a pattern of alternating between light and dark scenes. While watching I was wondering why they kept doing that. Then again I was wondering why they needed to torture people or burn people at the stakes like... why? Also they captured Elizabeth to imprisoner for having conspiracy to murder but then release her to become Queen of England like...

WHAT IS YOUR LOGIC PEOPLE?!?!?!

In all this movie was all over the place...no wonder I fell asleep while watching it ( Ok for the record everyone was speaking very softly and it bored me to sleep like it is not my fault if they decide to speak softly and then out of the blue just be loud again...) 

(Sorrynotsorry)