Discuss the representations of Queen Elizabeth I in contemporary literary works and art - Essay Example

Elizabeth I in Contemporary Art and Literature Introduction Even after 4 centuries Elizabeth Tudor continues to inspire depictions in various media such as film, pub signs, drama and art. This is a continuation of what happened when she was alive. The depictions of her were more than mere pictures, but served various purposes, usually political. These cannot be mistaken for just any aristocratic lady of the period. These are portraits in almost every case of a sovereign of power. ArtSteven van de Meulen, a Dutch artist painted the portrait of the young queen known as Barrington Park portrait in the 1560’s in which she is wearing a rich red satin gown.

She had come to the throne following the death of her half-sister Mary in 1588. It can be seen on the Art Web site Steven van der Meulen. It was possibly painted as part of Elizabeth’s quest for a husband as it was common to send such pictures to possible suitors. Earlier there had been the beautiful coronation portrait by an unknown artist, now in the National Portrait Gallery, in which she holds firmly the symbols of her power – the orb and sceptre. There are many more portraits of the Queen further on in her reign.

Two portraits of 1565, linked to the web page Portrait of Elizabeth I, show her as almost masculine, perhaps because it was necessary to emphasize that this young woman was as capable as a male monarch.John Bettes the Younger painted a stern picture in the1580s. The queen’s gown, as in many other portraits, is covered with symbolic meaning – Tudor roses. In her hand she holds a staff with the fleur de lys at the top – symbol of the connection with France.In the Rainbow portrait by Isaac Oliver, now to be seen at Hatfield House, she is posing as Astraea, a virginal heroine.

Her gown is richly embroidered with English wild flowers. Her pearls are a symbol of virginity and the crown symbolizes her royal status. The crescent above her crown is symbolic of the goddess of the moon. On her left arm is a snake, symbolizing wisdom and in its mouth a ruby, which represents the queen’s heart – the queen’s wisdom holds her emotions in check. The celestial sphere again is a symbol of wisdom and shows again that the Queen is in control of nature. All these works can be seen on the web pages ‘Portrait of Elizabeth I’.

These are only a sample of many visual depictions.One of the most famous literary references to Elizabeth is in Spenser’s ‘Faerie Queen’ where she, as well as being in several allegorical roles, appears as the queen of the fairies. Fairies in Elizabethan times were not thought of as tiny do-gooders, but huge creatures with great power. In ‘The Fairy Queen Figure in Elizabethan entertainments’.- ( page 97, chapter 6 of ‘Elizabeth I: always her own free woman’ editors Levin, Carney and Barrett Graves) Matthew Woodcock mentions a long list of ways in which the queen was depicted in the literature and drama of her time – as Biblical heroines such as Esther and Deborah, even as the Virgin Mary, but also as the chaste Diana of mythology or as a Vestal virgin.

Woodcock includes in his essay the argument put forward by Susan Frye that there was not one united effort to portray the queen in a particular way, but that the various representations represent factions and their ideas, including those of the queen herself.Conclusion The various portrayals, both visual and literary, serve a number of purposes and so could also be seen as various aspects of promoting the queen – as a suitable bride, as a strong monarch, as her father’s daughter, as a wise person and so on.

Elizabeth was a complex character and her portrayals reflect this.Works Cited Electronic SourcesCody, M, Portrait of Elizabeth I, 11th December 2008, http://www.marileecody.com/eliz1-images.htmlSpenser, The Faerie Queen, 1596, Renascence Edition, 12th December 2008, http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~rbear/fqintro.htmlVan der Meulen,S. Portrait of Elizabeth I, Art Net, 2008, 12th December 2008 http://www.artnet.com/artist/668538/steven-van-der-meulen.htmlWoodcock, M. ‘The Faery Queen in Elizabethan Entertainment’ Chapter 6 of ‘Elizabeth I: Always Her Own Free Woman’, editors, Levin,C, Carney,J.

, and Barrett-Graves,D. Hampshire, Ashgate Publishing, 2003 12th December 2008 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oUv9anLw9GYC&dq=Elizabeth+I+in+literature&pg=PP1&ots=mCMw0hpBj1&source=in&sig=_tq_HAFEhUv4rzfBLITQHPGoxqE&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=12&ct=result#PPT1,M1