I was struck by our conversation on Monday about the difficulty of parcing Elizabeth's personal letters to the Duke of Anjou. Much of the conversation centered on whether or not Elizabeth came across as authentic in her passion for Anjou, or if the formal tone and style of the letters negated the emotional nature of the content.
Upon first reading the letters, I was unimpressed by Elizabeth's declarations of affection for Anjou. Her writing seemed to me that of someone playing a part rather than of a woman in love. However, after further considering the role of the Queen, both as a figure of state as as a human being, I believe my original thoughts on the subject may have been too critical.
While the letters do strike me as overly formal compared to the content expressed, this is perhaps something to be expected in correspondence between two members of royal blood. With the eyes of the people, especially those of the nobles, constantly piecing apart Elizabeth's every word or action, I don't think Elizabeth could afford to falter even for a moment in her attempts to maintain composure and dignity. The court would not have respected a Queen who fawns over a potential husband in an excessive manner- in fact, Elizabeth's older sister, Mary, was criticized and even ridiculed for her attachment to Philip, who was already her husband. I think in this instance, if Elizabeth was truly in love with Anjou, she was wise to mask her emotions in a veil of formality, although it makes determining the authenticity of those feelings difficult for those of us studying her today.
No comments:
Post a Comment