Love is No Game

In "The Marriage Game", Alison Weir writes skillfully to turn something small into something that will surely stick out to her readers. This is displayed in a scene where Elizabeth reads the letter Robert sent her stating that he married Lettice and they are having a child.Weir makes sure that the importance of this moment is illuminated. In this section of the story, she uses imagery, word choice, rhetorical questions, and stylistic choices to make the readers feel Elizabeth's pain. Imagery is created when she states "...which made her cry out in agony. Weeping torrents, she sank to the floor, beating her breast" (Weir, 304). Not only can we picture Elizabeth on the floor sobbing, but we can hear it. Weir also uses particular diction to emphasize Elizabeth's feeling of betrayal. She refers to Robert's actions as "treachery"(303) as she cries out in "agony"(304). Weir uses her own linguistic style to portray Elizabeth's thoughts on what Robert has done as extreme and completely unforgivable. "He should not have it this time. He would never have it again"(303), "she would go right now and do that, and let him know how deeply he had hurt and displeased her, and that nothing would ever be the same again, ever" (304). She asks rhetorically, "Did he not know how much she had loved him, and still did love him, God help her"(304)? Weir creates a dramatic, human-like, relatable version of Elizabeth's heartbreak using all these components. Pointing out how hurt Elizabeth was shows that she did not see this as some "Marriage Game", she really did love and care for Robert. Someone that only keeps these men close to the kingdom for fun, sure was heartbroken when she found out she was left for someone else.

Peering Through

(When Lettice meets with Robert to tell him she is having his child and they should get married)

"That's true, said Robert. I will arrange it...There will be no more delay". (Holt 222)

Listening through the crack of the door Lettice and Robert were in, Elizabeth heard every word. She gasped when she heard that Lettice was with Robert's child. She had realized she had lost her one true love. She broke down in tears. All this time she had wasted on Robert, never truly going after what she wanted. She was not surprised that Lettice and he had been lovers because she always noticed the way those two looked at each other. It was the same way she would look at Robert. She thought for a second if there was a way for her to stop everything and turn back the clock. She could banish Lettice and their unborn child, and finally give into Robert. She could confess her love to Robert and put herself first for once. But she wouldn't, and she didn't. As much as she wanted too, she knew she was better off without him and would not let herself be with him. She had decided to pretend as if she never heard their conversation and let the two lovers be. Although the sight of Lettice made her nauseous and hateful, she had bigger things to worry about. And so she walked away from her regret hoping that one day if it was meant to be, Robert would find his way back to her. Until then, she spent her days in love with England. 

If Only You Would Have Told Me...

Major Challenge- FanFiction
 I  really  liked  reading  "My  Enemy  the  Queen"  by Victoria  Holt,  so  much  so  that  I  could  not  stop  reading  once  I  started.  Regardless,  I  felt  like  a  lot  of  the  conflict  in  this  book  could  have  been  avoided  if  Lettice  and  Robert  Dudley  had  told  Queen  Elizabeth  the  truth  about  their  love  affair.  This  is  how  "My  Enemy  the  Queen"  should  have  ended...

I  wanted  to  see  Robert  to  tell  him  that  I  was  with  child,  for  I  was  certain  of  it.  I  was  thrilled  to  be  a  mother  again,  and  bare  the  child  of  the  handsome  Robert  Dudley,  Earl  of  Leicester.  But  I  was  too  anxious  to  be  happy  now.  I  wondered  what  Robert  would  do  when  I  told  him  the  news.  Would  he  be  thrilled,  as  I?  Or  would  he  disown  the  child?  Then,  the  most  dreaded  anxiety  of  all:  telling  Queen  Elizabeth,  my  cousin,  that  I  was  going  to  bare  the  child  of  the  man  she  loved.  Although  my  love  for  Robert  was  as  deep  as  the  ocean,  and  I  knew  he  felt  the  same  way  about  me,  I  feared  the  queen's  wrath  worse  than  death.
When  Robert  finally  arrived  at  Durham  House  and  I  told  him  the  news  of  our  child,  his  smile  lit  up  the  room.  We  embraced,  and  in  that  moment  I  knew  that  everything  would  turn  out  okay  if  Robert  would  take  me  as  his  wife  now,  before  my  pregnancy  began  to  show.  I  told  him  this,  and  he  readily  agreed.

"I  will  arrange  it.  Come  to  Kenilworth  and  the  ceremony  shall  take  place  there.  There  will  be  no  more  delay."  I  knew  he  meant  what  he  said  this  time.  There  was  no  doubt  in  my  mind  now  that  he  would  take  care  of  my  children  and  I.  That  was  the  biggest  blessing  of  all:  knowing  my  children  would  not  live  without  a  father.

Before  I  could  make  the  journey  to  Kenilworth  to  get  married,  there  was  something  I  had  to  do.  I  knew  Robert  would  argue  with  me  and  possibly  break  off  our  engagement  if  I  told  him  my  plans,  so  instead  of  rushing  to  Kenilworth,  I  went  to  the  queen's  bedchamber.

"Your  Majesty,"  I  began,  feeling  butterflies  dance  a  waltz  inside  of  my  stomach.  "There  is  a  pressing  matter  in  which  I  need  to  discuss  with  you."

"Yes  Lettice?  What  can  I  do  for  you?"  she  asked,  sounding  bored.  I  took  a  deep  breath,  and  said:

"Your  Majesty,  I  have  a  confession  to  make.  I  am  with  child,  your  grace.  The  father  of  the  child  is  Sir.  Robert  Dudley.  Before  you  speak,  please  let  me  explain."  Her  eyes  widened  and  her  face  began  to  turn  red,  but  she  held  her  tongue  until  I  was  finished  telling  her  Robert  and  I's  love  story.  "Your  Majesty,  I  could  not  help  falling  in  love  with  Robert  anymore  than  you  can  help  breathing.  If  you  call  him  here,  he  will  not  deny  his  love  for  me  either.  Please  let  us  be  married  in  peace.  If  you  wish,  I  will  step  away  from  court  forever  and  you  will  never  see  my  face  again.  Just  please,  your  Majesty...please  let  us  be  married.  I  can  not  have  my  child  be  a  bastard  or  I  a  common  whore."  Elizabeth  was  quiet  for  several  minutes,  but  her  stony  glare  told  me  she  was  thinking  my  request  over  grudgingly.

"I  should  have  you  banned  from  court  forever,"  she  began,  and  my  heart  dropped.  "I  should  wish  that  your  child  will  be  stillborn  or  a  hunchback.  I  should  whip  Robert  'til  the  point  of  death  for  betraying  me.  I  should  have  you  jailed  for  life  for  betraying  me.  But,"  she  paused,  with  a  frown.  "I  will  not.  I  can  not  let  my  people  see  me  in  such  a  way.  You  are,  however,  banned  from  this  court  forever  and  I  will  speak  to  Robert  on  this  matter.  If  he  doesn't  deny  you  or  your  child,  you  can  do  whatever  you  want  with  each  other.  Frankly  I  don't  care  so  long  as  your  traitors  are  removed  from  my  presence.  I  never  what  to  see  your  faces  again.  Do  you  understand?"

"Yes  your  Majesty,"  I  replied,  dumbstruck.

"Now  go.  Take  my  words  as  a  blessing  from  a  death  sentance."  I  turned  and  hurried  out  of  the  bedchamber.  Down  the  hall  I  heard  her  add  loudly:  "And  don't  you  ever  come  back!"

It  didn't  matter  to  me  whether  or  not  I  came  into  this  place  again:  I  had  everything  I  could  ever  want  and  more.  I  was  finally  going  to  have  the  happiness  I  deserved.  I  walked  out  of the  castle  a  happy  woman,  and  I  never  looked  back.

Meanwhile,  in  the  queen's  bedchamber,  Elizabeth  began  to  cry.

A Lover Scorned

      Queen Elizabeth, in My Enemy the Queen, is yet again twisted into a caricature of herself. In this novel, she's a name-calling, desperate, and lonely scorned lover who depends entirely on Robert. Holt even wrote: "The Queen was never happy when Robert wasn't with her."
      So, what is the reason these novelists have used Elizabeth as a focal point? How do they change her personality for the novel? What kind of pattern do we see in these changes? Particularly, why is it that Elizabeth is used mainly for romance novels? (This brings us back to history's strange obsession with her 'sex life'.)

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c5/8a/53/c58a5340af62100c19d160994f2cb382.jpg

Exposure

I chose this gif of roses dying because I believe it represents Elizabeth's life as a whole.  She starts off as a beautiful teen who can be described as pure and youthful. Due to exposure to the position of power she is placed in and all the duties that came along with it, she slowly "wilts" and becomes aged and worn out until it eventually kills her. 

‘Queen’ Elizabeth? Hardly

“Robert, I don’t know how to do this.” she said, in a small voice. “I can’t even remember how to get to the King’s rooms from the great hall. If someone doesn’t walk before me I’ll get lost. I don’t know how to get to the gardens from the picture gallery, or from the stable to my rooms. I... I’m lost here.” (Gregory, Pg. 35)

This quote was the moment I realized there was something very wrong with this novels depiction of Elizabeth. The way she delivers this line- ‘in a small voice’- paints her as helpless and frightened, which is the complete opposite of Queen Elizabeth. We see her here, nervous and quivering and relying on a man to guide her. Granted, it’s in a fairly mundane situation, and it’s entirely possible that the real Elizabeth could plausibly have gotten lost; but I refuse to believe she would openly act so helpless. This is where I realized Elizabeth in this book was going to be nothing but a typical helpless damsel, and it only gets worse from here...

Elizabeth, Nice For What?

While reading Queen Elizabeth's letter to the King of Scotland I could not help, but be reminded of this song. When she said she had his best holds in her hands, and conserved them and rendered them to him she had to be nice, for what?

In Her Own Words...

      I found several fascinating trends/patterns in Elizabeth's speeches: 1.) She always brings up princes, particularly when referring to herself, 2.) has a teasing tone (seemingly reminiscent of Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth in the film Elizabeth), and 3.) she constantly refers to giving her all to her throne and England, thanking her people for their understanding and effort when she sees fit. These two quotes stuck out to me as great summaries both for her attitude in these speeches and her persona as represented by the other texts we've read/watched:

      "How have I governed since my reign? I will be tried by envy itself. I need not to use many words, for my deeds do try me" (Greenblatt, 692).

      "I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too" (Greenblatt, 700).

https://witneyman.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/golden19.jpg

God Forbid Women are Single *eye roll*

Although the full  reasoning behind Elizabeth not wanting to marry is never know in full detail, we know it worked for her.  Why though, would she not marry, never have children,  never have a "love"?  She probably never knew a "family life" (although being queen she most likely wouldn't have had much time).  Did she do this only for the good of her kingdom, so she could be the best leader they needed? Or did she have other private intentions that haven't been reveled?  Was she afraid of her husband overtaking her power? There's many reasons, some we know for sure, but maybe there are others that have never been revealed. 

Bloody Elizabeth?

Class Question:

Queen Elizabeth's predecessor, Mary I of England, is referred to by historians as 'Bloody Mary' because of persecution of Protestants in England.

Upon succeeding Bloody Mary, Elizabeth I established Protestantism as the official religion of Great Britain. She began her long persecution of the nation's Catholic's immediately after.

Question: Why is Mary I notorious for her persecution of Protestants, and referred to as Bloody Mary? Yet, Elizabeth I is referred to as Good Queen Bess, despite her long persecution of Catholics? Is this another instance of Tonypandy?

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/50912

Can They Be Similar?

Major  Challenge:  Reflective  Paragraph

Although  I  was  not  happy  with  either  of  the  two  president  candidates  for  our  most  recent  election,  and  I  despise  politics,  after  reading  about  Queen  Elizabeth  I  almost  immediately  thought  of  Hillary  Clinton.  If  Hillary  Clinton  had  become  president,  I  feel  as  if  she  and  Queen  Elizabeth  could  learn  something  from  each  other.  It  appears  that  Mrs.  Clinton  is  as  independent  as  Queen  Elizabeth,  which  I  admire  about  Queen  Elizabeth,  especially  in  a  time  where  not  many  people  wanted  only  a  Queen  to  rule.  Mrs.  Clinton  would  have  faced  the  same  criticism  and  struggles  as  Queen  Elizabeth  if  she  had  become  the  first  woman  President  of  the  United  States.  Mrs.  Clinton  would  have  had  to  defend  her  femininity  and  show  masculinity  at  the  same  time  in  order  to  run  the  U.S.,  similar  to  how  Queen  Elizabeth  used  her  femininity  and  masculinity  to  win  wars  and  make  decisions  for  England.  Many  people  are  scared  of  change,  especially  after  our  country  had  already  faced  a  change  in  pattern  when  former  President  Obama  was  elected  into  office;  therefore,  allowing  a  woman  to  take  charge  of  the  United  States  could  have  possibly  upset  a  large  number  of  people.  Despite  the  challenges  the  people  of  the  U.S.  would  have  posed  to  Mrs.  Clinton,  if  she  had  won  the  election  she  would  have  to  earn  the  trust  of  not  only  the  people,  but  her  staff  as  well,  much  like  Queen  Elizabeth  did  so  long  ago.  Perhaps  the  staff  at  the  white  house  would  appreciate  Mrs.  Clinton  the  same  as  the  staff  in  England  appreciated  Queen  Elizabeth,  maybe  not.

I  chose  the  two  pictures  below  to  show  that  despite  the  different  time  frames  these  two  women  are  in,  they  have  faced  similar  challenges.

Pictures  from  Google