Queen Elizabeth Research Paper

Marry! I think not! Queen Elizabeth I stands out in history as the first queen of England never to marry. (“Elizabeth I”) Elizabeth was given many chances to marry and was in no way in short of suitors, some of those men were as follows: Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Walter Raleigh and Robert Devereux. (“Elizabeth I”) Elizabeth’s refusal of so many suitors is indicative of a resolve not to marry, but the 1998 film “Elizabeth” depicts the Queen as ambivalent, debating the allure and risks of marriage, even to the point of offering a ring to the Duke of Anjou (Kapur). While the conflict between romance and stately responsibilities makes for entertaining Hollywood drama, a closer look at Elizabeth’s personal history and lengthy tenure as

Elizabeth goes to the Duke of Anjou to offer a ring, but when Elizabeth finds out Anjou enjoys dressing in women’s clothing, she withdraws her offer. This was not the only secret Elizabeth had learned. Elizabeth also found out that Robert Dudley is already married. Elizabeth is not only fighting a broken heart, but also for her Kingdom and her life. After discovering that some of her own advisors were conspiring to murder her. Elizabeth puts the issue to rest by executing the conspirators and displaying their heads for all to see. The film concludes with Elizabeth grieving in the church, near a statue of the Virgin Mary. She resolves to remake herself like the virgin. In the last scene, Elizabeth appears before the court and declares herself married to

That was Queen Elizabeth’s past. As a result of the death of her mother and the countless step mothers, Elizabeth had to suffer through her wish not be married can be seen in her past alone. Elizabeth’s father, King Henry VIII, married a total of six times according to Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. (“Elizabeth I.”) Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth’s mother, and King Henry’s VIII second wife, was beheaded on charges of adultery and incest with her brother. (“Anne Boleyn”) Prior to her death, her marriage was voided by the church of England, some say that this was King Henry’s plan due to his dissatisfaction with Ann being unable to produce him a son. As a result, Elizabeth was considered an illegitimate child of the King. To make matters worse, Henry XIII started courting his third wife during the trial of his second. According to Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, the pursuit of Jane Seymour more than likely began during Jane’s tenure as lady in waiting for the first and second queen (“Jane Seymour”). After Jane Seymour, King Henry took his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, but divorced her because she was not attractive enough, contending that his impotence was a result of her lack of physical appeal. The church granted him an annulment on the grounds that the marriage was never consummated. According to Retha Warnicke, Anne