Power, Perception, and Performance: The Courtships of Elizabeth I (thesis)

Abstract

The courtships of Elizabeth I reveal the personal and political sides of the Queen. However, the separation between Elizabeth the monarch and Elizabeth the woman is often difficult to discern; Elizabeth would agree, as she reminded her court that she lived her life in the open. Ultimately, Elizabeth's letters, speeches, and portraits revealed a common thread. Elizabeth rejected marriage from her earliest speeches and confirmed her preference for virginity through disseminating allegorical, celebratory portraits towards the end of her reign. This image of a devoted, virtuous Queen seems ideal, even aspirational when viewing the portraits of Elizabeth. Additionally, modern interpreters favor this image of a powerful, single Queen. However, Elizabeth's courtships reveal the constant pressure and criticism which came with being an unmarried, childless monarch. However, Elizabeth possessed an exceptional skill at personal and political maneuvering that she wielded throughout her reign. Developed in her youth through a series of traumas, Elizabeth's political prowess called the Queen to wield her unmarried status as source of power. This starkly contrasted to her predecessors Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and Mary I, who placed much of their value in the traditional feminine pursuits of the time: marriage and motherhood. The young Elizabeth depicted in the portrait at Windsor Castle shattered expectations at her birth, and she carried this defiance throughout her courtships. [From concluding section]