Elizabeth I: A Difficult Job For an Aging, Single Woman
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A History in Literature
Much is known about Elizabeth I's father, Henry VIII, and his bid to ensure his succession -- which led to the existence of the first three of his six marriages (for a full account of his prolific marital career, see this great hub by LondonGirl). And much is known about the next three monarchs: all three of Henry's legitimate children attained the throne, although the reigns of Edward VI and Mary were brief. Elizabeth, however, proved to be as stubborn and intractable as her father, ruling for forty-five years and restoring the realm to a stability that lasted beyond her death.
Her strategy was just a little different.
The loneliness and neglect of her early childhood (having been declared illegitimate by her own father) only augmented the completeness of her education. Being closer in age to her younger brother Edward, she shared his early schooling, which means she was speaking French, Latin, Italian, and some Spanish before she was eleven and knew enough Greek to write prayers in that language.
Her speeches to Parliament are famous for the determined manner in which she presented her created persona of virgin queen and her decision not to marry. But she also wrote prayers, poems, and translated Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy. Her academic accomplishments sharpened her mind and gave her a politic understanding of language beyond most of her subjects.
But none of this could have been easy. Here's a poem from her later years, that is at once both a formal nod to the advancing years despoiling her strength and beauty, and a more intimate betrayal of that creeping fear otherwise known as old age.
Now Leave And Let Me Rest
Now leave and let me rest. Dame Pleasure,
be content-
Go choose among the best; my doting days
be spent.
By sundry signs I see thy proffers are
but vain,
And wisdom warneth me that pleasure asketh
pain;
And Nature that doth know how time her
steps doth try,
Gives place to painful woe, and bids me
learn to die.
Since all fair earthly
things, soon ripe, will soon be rot
And all that pleasant springs, soon withered,
soon forgot,
And youth that yields men joys that wanton
lust desires
In age repents the toys that reckless
youth requires.
All which delights I leave to such
as folly trains
By pleasures to deceive, till they
do feel the pains.
And from vain pleasures
past I fly, and fain would know
The happy life at last whereto I hope
to go.
For words or wise reports ne yet examples
gone
'Gan bridle youthful sports, till age
came stealing on.
The pleasant courtly games that I do pleasure
in,
My elder years now shames such folly to
begin.
And all the fancies
strange that fond delight brought forth
I do intend to change, and count them
nothing worth.
For I by proffers vain am taught to know
the skill
What might have been forborne in my young
reckless will;
By which good proof I fleet from will
to wit again,
In hope to set my feet in surety to remain.
From Will to Wit
From folly to wisdom, from youthful sports to wise reports -- the several iterations of growth from young woman to "elder years" are not redundant: there is a natural progression of time, of superficial traces, of assessment of her own character.
The movement of awareness "from will to wit" is finally at once both a recognition of the realities of old age and a resolution to "set her feet" in a surety of moral rectitude -- and there to remain (for ever and ever, amen).
"Remain" is deliberately the last word; the changes from folly to wisdom are past, and she now faces an eternity, after death, unchanging.
The internal rhymes help the poem turn on itself in a spiral of sense that moves like the treadle on a loom -- the mechanics are visible, creaking, relentless, just like time. So each line has a cesura, drawing emphasis to certain words:
And from vain pleasures past I fly, and fain would know
The happy life at last whereto I hope to go.
It sounds simplistic, until you realize who is speaking, and whereto she hopes to go. Not one Christian reference anywhere in the poem; she was circumspect with her Anglicanism and after what she regarded as necessary punishments for the many atrocities committed against the Church during Mary's reign, she followed a widely received "live and let live" policy in religious matters.
Elizabeth died in 1603 and had wisely chosen James VI of Scotland to succeed her. He was crowned James I of England, a Stuart king after the long Tudor dynasty, and ruled until 1625. Here are links to her speech to her last Parliament, the so-called "Golden Speech," and the text.
The Golden Speech
More on the Tudors
- The Virgin Queen: I, Elizabeth
A wonderful review of the book I, Elizabeth (by Rosalind Miles) in a Hub by gracenotes. - Bloody Mary - Mary Tudor
Mary Tudor's story begins with King Henry VIII of England. Mary was Henry's eldest child, born to Catherine, the first of his six wives. Mary's brief reign was one of blood & terror. - King Henry VIII and his six wives - love, marriage, and children
very English schoolchild knows the rhyme, "divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived", about, in turn, Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr. This article is about Henry the
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Comments
Tereasa - that was great! I know some about Elizabeth I - but for sure, I didn't realise she was such an educated and accomplished woman. I was more aware of her strengths as a monarch and what she brough into being, than of her scholarly pursuits.
Thankyou.
Teresa, wonderful and informative Hub. (Of course, I'm always kind of partial to material that reminds us that strong, intelligent, women were around long before the 1960's. :) )
All I know about Elizabeth is from Black Adder, and didn't she have a thing for Francis Drake?
Elizabeth: the golden years 2007 starring my favorite actress Cate Blanchett; this movie, not sure if you've seen, touches upon this most exquisitely. Wonderful read. Read the poem in Major Brit. Writers years ago. Thanks for bringing it before me again. Elizabeth is my most favorite figure of all time.
Wasn't Miranda Richardson silly in Black Adder? I know she died recently, leaving kids and a husband (Liam Neeson); even so, she would have been the first to admit that her rendition of Elizabeth I was nowhere near plausible, never mind regal.
Generique -- I replaced the video clip with a link --
Frog -- thanks for stopping by-- Yay, Lisa: strong women rule!
Cindy -- Blackadder -- some witty stuff in the Restoration Period and of course the excellently satirical WWI Frieda -- I just came across this poem for the first time, and loved it.
Twas a good poem, Teresa, didn't even know she wrote poetry
I had no idea Elizabeth was so well-educated, let alone a poet. Great hub, Teresa!
I loved the poem. Truly shows the aging process using her wonderful choice of words portraying the twists and turns that affect the eventual fate of all of us. You brought this lady alive with your writing. Thanks! Thumbs up!
Thank you for this. I'm always astounded at the language skills that people seemed to possess during that era. I couldn't write a poem like that to save my life, and she apparently did it as a matter of course, as though everyone could of course do that. Also, sadly, I can relate to the sentiment expressed. Except I still love cookies.
I had heard a lot of this over the years, this whole family was so sad and really epitomized the word "dysfunctional". You are incredible my dear Teresa! Brilliant!
Thank you for a look into the past. I loved it.
Really interesting read - she was some woman ! A surviver and a fighter - When it was obvious that she was dying she refused to go to bed but sttod for hours on end, then spent 4 days on cushions on the floor until she was so weak that she couldn't argue when her attendants finally moved her to her bed. BTW - Liam Neeson's wife was Natasha Richardson - not Miranda Richardson - they are not related.
Hell yeah! She rocked the frock! I think the depiction of her here is more in line with Dame Judi Dench's starturn in Shakespeare in Love! Great read!
So what can't you hub about? LOL :D
Cool hub, very interesting and informative
Good one! I hadn't read any of Elizabeth's poetry before. Her father was a songwriter too. Pastime with Good Company is Henry's and very typical of the man. I've linked to your Elizabeth hub from my Bloody Mary - Mary Tudor one, as they are closely related.
Teresa, what a gal to gain such power back then. Elizabeth was a totally interesting person, just amazing. Some say (the people who say these sorts of things) that Elizabeth was 'really' Shakespeare.
Teresa, found this hub amazing , I have learnt more history and geography in the past two months than I ever did at school. Her poem too is timeless.
Dolores that is a very interesting concept.
Jama, Peggy, Grundy, Candy, Smireles, Iphi, Cris, Sixty, Paraglider, Dolores, Hawkes: thank you all for stopping by. Natasha Richardson, right -- thanks. Cookies! with ice cream. Dysfunctional: hell yeah. Rocked in a frock? LOL. Nah: Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare (grins). I'll link to Mary Tudor -- cool.
Hope all that made sense. Can';t wait to type again properly! Sorry for the lumped comment.
You have written an excellent article about a fascinating woman. I enjoyed reading it. Elizabeth's poem is great and goes to show that while the human race progresses in technology, we can't top many of the old-timers when it comes to understanding what it means to be human in this world. Your own eloquent use of the language brought a smile to my face. Thanks.
Thanks Teresa :)
I didn't know that Elizabeth wrote poetry, although, why wouldn't she, as she was very accomplished in so many other directions. That whole era was one of great change in both Britain and Europe. It must have been a very exciting time to live. I love all this Tudor stuff that's around at the moment.
Didn't know she wrote poetry. Interesting look at her life, especially her academic achievements.
Hey Teresa, what a great Hub! I only writing I knew of Elizabeth's was the "general thanksgiving" in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer which was allegedly written by Lizzie 1. Whether or not that is true I don't know, but it is a very beautiful prayer, whoever wrote it: "give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we shew forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives..." etc.
On a visit to England some many years back I went to the stately home where she was staying when she heard of her accession to the throne. Can't think of the name right now but it had a beautiful garden and apparently an oak tree under which she had been seated when she heard the news had only recently had to be chopped down because of some tree disease or other.
Thanks for a typically well-written and -researched Hub. Most enjoyable.
Love and peace
Tony
Hey Tony, yes: she wrote prayers -- several in Latin. She was way more prolific than I've really mentioned, here, and I plan to add to this hub systematically, and append a bibliography, as it's all fascinating.
Thanks for your comment -- LondonGirl will know the name of the estate you're thinking of, I'll bet!
She crafted a divinity for herself, wrought by genius and guile (and some gifted contemporary poets), but I still say the fact she liked a stout beer makes her almost as human as that gift you gave us in her own words. Man, you can feel the misery, the strength. How much would it suck to have that life. So amazing in a history book, so awful in long stretchs of actual, breathing human days.
What'd you think of the recent Elizabeth movie (2007)? (I thought she was so hawt too... my depraved male thing coupled with my love of history, particulary English... so, I might not be the right person to comment). They do her justice?
Ok I confess when they were teaching this History I was probably sitting in the stands watching rugby and stuffing my face with a hotdog.It is so much more interesting to learn about now. Thankyou Teresa.
This is really something!!! Never known before that Elizabeth I was poetic. I like her poetry.
What a wonderful hub! I loved it, and I love your writing style, too. I think Elizabeth did an amazing job of welding the country back together after the upheavals of Edward VI's and Mary's reigns.
Tonymac - Elizabeth was at the Palace of Hatfield, now Hatfield House, when Mary died and she became Queen Elizabeth I.
Thanks -- I 'd like to add to this hub, with reference to other stuff she wrote.
Let me know if and when you add stuff?
who ever is reading this is a freaking NERD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
queen elizabeth is a faggett fire crotch!
Thank you, Lydia and Lila, for taking time out of your no-doubt whirlwind schedules to post comments of such perspicacity and wit. I'm sure your kindergarten teachers are very proud.
Thank you Teresa for a wonderful hub! She was quite a woman, wasn't she? I wonder if you ever watched the series Elizabeth R with Glenda Jackson - I thought she fitted the role so well!
Glenda Jackson was great in that -- yes, I remember! Thanks for reminding me, Shalini.
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GeneriqueMedia says:
7 months ago
Nice! Great 'fo.
Unfortuantely, though, the video you picked disallows embedding. I've tried a lot of tricks to get around it (for DL) but...I've yet to truly find a way.
Keep'em coming!
G|M