Virgin Queen Elizabeth I - Essay Example

Thesis statement: Virgin Queen Elizabeth I’s fame/ notoriety is interconnected with her hatred to marriage, her controversial relationships with a number of noble class men, and her manipulation of relationships for political purposes. Virgin Queen: biographic information One can see that Virgin Queen’s life history is interconnected with the history monarchy in England, especially the history of Tudor dynasty. She was born (say, in the year 1533) to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Lehman made clear that “Elizabeth was born at Greenwich Place on September 7, 1533, and Henry VIII was so certain that the child would be his longed for son that announcements were printed for the birth of a prince” (396).

But her childhood was not so peaceful because her mother’s execution and related issues (say, the declaration of illegitimacy) deeply influenced her character and behavior. Later, in the year 1558, she was able to be the queen regent of the British Empire. As pointed out, her ability to manipulate relationships helped her to be a strong and able ruler. Besides, she connected her political supremacy with the religious context of England. For instance, she made use of her status as the regent queen of England to control the Protestant Church in England.

This is important in her growth and development of a mighty ruler because she was able to settle the clash between the state and the religious authorities. On the other side, she was not able to maintain discipline in her personal life. She never tried to act according to the opinion of her well-wishers, but decided to remain unmarried. From a different angle of view, she celebrated her status as a virgin queen and it deeply influenced her character. Virgin Queen passed away in the year 1603.

Queen Elizabeth I: virgin or not From a different angle of view, Queen Elizabeth I is considered as virgin because of her decision on marriage. One cannot prove that her status as a virgin is interconnected with her virginity because she used to maintain intimate relationships with a number of male friends. So, her virginity is not an important factor of her status as a virgin. Pratt made clear that “Elizabeth did not feel the same sense of urgency to marry, declaring in 1559, “In the end, this shall be for me sufficient, that a marble stone shall declare that a Queen, having reigned such a time lived and died a virgin” ” (39).

Her choice in her personal life transformed her into an efficient ruler. Besides, her eligible status (not virginity) helped her to enjoy a special position in the society. On the other side, she made use her status to fulfill her political aims. Triefeldt stated that “Having decided never to marry, the virgin queen became very good at using her single status as a political tool” (72). For instance, her eligible status helped her to create a unique persona among the rulers of Europe. Her declaration that she is not ready to marry anyone because she is already married to England was helpful to maintain her political supremacy.

To be specific, the patriarchal society in England never allowed women to be successful in the political context. So, Queen Elizabeth I decided to be single in her personal life and it helped her to be in the limelight. In short, Queen Elizabeth I’s fame as a virgin is not related to her virginity. Instead, she is generally considered as a virgin because she was not ready to marr