Interpreting Elizabeth post 1

Following our discussion of history being an interpretation rather than a wholly accurate account of what happened, I became in the examination of Elizabeth I as a literary figure, particularly as Helen Mirren and the makers of Elizabeth I chose to interpret her speech at Tilbury. While I haven't seen any other production of this speech, her portrayal of Elizabeth didn't match the narrative that I created while reading the speech initially. In mind mind, Elizabeth was firm and entirely serious. In my interpretation, she was much more demonstrative of having the heart and stomach of a king. I didn't care much for Helen Mirren's delivery because she was so smiley and emotional. I thought it highlighted Elizabeth's femininity in a way that wasn't appropriate for the situation the way her humor and charm worked for other situations. Most importantly, the disparity between my interpretation and Elizabeth I's interpretation of the speech at Tilbury shows that history is something that we cannot not interpret. I think the way we interpret these texts and queenship will actually say more about us than the history and people by whom they were written.