Symbolism In Portraiture: Elizabeth's Image

While researching for the presentation today, I became rather engrossed in studying the symbolism used not only in Elizabeth's portraits, but in Tudor portraits as a whole. Several of the symbols were unfamiliar to me: the sieve, the armillary sphere, the pelican, the ermine, etc. Perhaps the people of the time would have caught on to the symbols more quickly than I did; however, after a bit of reading, I was on the same page as the Elizabethan portraitists.

The most surprising aspect of the portraits of Elizabeth, to me, was the amount of Greek mythology symbolism. In the Rainbow Portrait, especially, there are several references to Astraea and the goddess Diana. With the religious atmosphere being what it was in England at the time, I would have assumed that anything other than strict Christian (Protestant) imagery would have been taboo, but clearly I was wrong. I find it interesting that a country so concerned with the Christian faith would have been so accepting of a "heathen" religion's symbols. I wonder whether if the painter had surrounded Elizabeth with Catholic imagery, the public would have had a different reaction.

Post 4

Looking back at Elizabeth's letter to the Duke of Anjou, I find it very difficult to believe that Elizabeth had any deep, personal, or emotional attachments to Anjou whatsoever.  The clip we watched in class on Wednesday romanticizes the pair's relationship to a level that we as an audience would want to believe the Queen loved Anjou. It is after all very nice to imagine that even a woman so distinguished in intelligence, character, and rank in society can find someone to love and cherish. However, the historical evidence, in the form of Elizabeth's letters to Anjou, seems to suggest to me that she speaks in an odd manner that straddles the line of being fake and slightly awkward. The stickiest part of her letter to the duke in late 1579 is her "confession" that she would rather spend her life with him than any other prince in the world. Using such strong language to  encourage the duke's affections invites readers of this letter to  believe that Elizabeth truly loves Anjou. However, it must be noted that Elizabeth never takes the time to write anything intimate or personal about the duke that she loves or admires. In fact, she says "I cannot recite them for their number nor dare to make mention of them for the length of time it would take me." I would think that had she truly felt the level of love she speaks of in this letter, the entire document would be more personal. In addition to this point, in one instance Elizabeth refuses to put in writing the debate over Anjou's public practice of Catholicism that exists between the two of them. She mentions previously the objections raised by the french ambassador about the duke hiding his practice of Catholicism, but is not willing to associate that issue with as something that she personally objects to. Obviously, Elizabeth is Protestant and though is may not be as zealous as her sister was about keeping company with her own faith she will not give her kingdom an opportunity to be over run by the Catholic church. These facts and speculations fuel my suspicion for her "loving and true" intentions towards Anjou. A number of things may be counted in much of her writings pertaining to the Duke of Anjou to further the theory that Elizabeth was a ruler and a monarch who knew how to play her cards without giving up her hand.

Post 4

While we marvel at Elizabeth's long and successful reign, we also continue to question why she never married. In our class discussions, we have wondered at a plethora of reasons she avoided marriage throughout her life. Elizabeth found her success as a monarch in her independence. The explanation for her actions seems simple to us now because it represents "the deliberate, rational response of an intelligent woman to the practical problems of being a female ruler." The Privy Council believed Elizabeth's refusal to marry to be a "token of God's displeasure." These thoughts indicate that her advisers hoped to use her as a pawn to secure the bloodline and an alliance. It baffles me that many of her advisers and subjects were personally offended that she refused to conform to the traditional role of a submissive wife. However, as Susan Doran recognizes, Elizabeth's marital negotiations "reveal [her] great strength as a ruler."  While she remained well-advised in all her decisions, she is perhaps most admirable for her refusal to be manipulated and defined by the standards of her age.

The Elizabethan Temper Tantrum

I was really fascinated by all the tantrums we say from Elizabeth in the film and the text (who just breaks people's fingers?). I know that rulers are people too, but how does God's appointed minister get away with flying off the handle in this manner. Do the temper tantrums get in the way of her masculine positioning, or does it reinforce it. To me, a temper tantrum is more weak and feeble, coming from a lack of self control. I certainly wouldn't want to find out that our male president was having public freak-outs. Then again, maybe the ability to express your anger is powerful and masculine. I can't picture Renaissance women having the freedom to have a tantrum. Still, I wonder if her advisers ever suggested that she calm down (or were they too afraid of getting their ears boxed).

Classical Images as Instruction

While in class we all decided that the pageants for Elizabeth in Norwich were boring to read (and probably boring for her to sit through), the use of Classical gods struck me as interesting. The people in Norwich seem to use the Olympian gods as a tool for chastising Elizabeth. She, of course, was undergoing her marriage negotiations with the Catholic Duke of Anjou at the time, of which the highly Protestant Norwich people did not approve. They make this clear many times, especially when the actors portraying all of the major gods presented gifts to her. The final two to speak were Diana and Cupid. Diana praises the queen for her virginity: "Whoever found a body and a mind / So free from stain, so perfect to be seen." She also refers to her as a friend, a fellow virgin abstaining from male contact. This seems to be a chastisement from the Norwich people. They praise her for being perfect as she is, without a male to compliment her. She is on the level of Diana and other virgins (although they praise her as being as beautiful as Venus), and she will lose this by marrying Anjou. However, one cannot truly chastise a queen - without an echoing of supporting whatever her actions may be, since she knows best. This happens when Cupid follows, saying that she would be able to win any man she desired. To be smart, they have to end with at least a little support, after all.

Post 4: Interpreting Emotion in Text

Did Elizabeth love the Duke of Anjou? As we established in class this week, there really is no way of knowing for sure. Today, evidence of this royal courtship exists in the form of letters and poems; but the written word can often be misleading. Taken at face value, these texts indicate that Elizabeth's love was not only genuine, but also strong and passionate. She claims that there is no other man in the world with whom she would rather spend the rest of her days! The sentiment is lovely; however, it is possible that Elizabeth simply wanted to produce a beautiful text. A Queen could not just jot her thoughts down on paper - lofty, flowery language was mandatory. After all, it is unlikely that this letter would be read by Elizabeth and the Duke's eyes alone. So, the question remains: is Elizabeth writing from the heart, or is she driven by social convention? I'll never know. For some unexplainable reason, I get the impression that Elizabeth truly was taken with the Duke of Anjou. Suave, royal, and 22 years her junior - what's not to like?

Post #4

I really enjoyed looking and the portraits on www.marileecody.com. I thought it was really cool that she included short bios and background information with each of the pictures to put them into context. I found myself spending a lot of time just looking at them, and all week I was going back to examine the Tudor Dynasty more in depth to try and glean a glimpse of what makes this family so extraordinary. My favorite image what that of Katharine of Aragon as a pretty young woman looking pensively downwards. I have always thought of Katharine as an older woman desperately clinging on to her faith and a husband who wants nothing more than to be rid of her. But this portrait of her really moved me and changed my entire opinion of her. I see her here as a young woman who was born and bred absolutely to be a Queen. It makes me so angry that Henry wanted to take away from her her sole purpose for living. Its amazing how an image can evoke such strong feelings.