nomanselizabth

( When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Show us a picture that reflects your self-image. )

Of all the portraits that were created before and during my reign, i would have to say that this one is most in keeping to how I have always seen myself. And as the Latin inscription indicates, 'Non sine sole iris' ('No rainbow without the sun')., I find that has always been true.

Mun prompt: How much research is too much research for a new muse? How much is not enough? When do you know the difference?

Admittedly, as a muse, I have not had Elizabeth Tudor (Elizabeth I) very long. In spite of my almost lifelong interest in the Elizabethan period, and endless reading on the subject, it sort of snuck up on me that I might consider taking her up as a muse in the various groups on LJ.

How much research is too much research?

As far as I am concerned, that depends on a number of factors. Of course, when you are writing an historical personage, you want to avail yourself of as much of the most current research into that person. With someone as well known and as beloved as Elizabeth is, the temptation is to read everything there is out there to read. I have read a great deal and when you do that much research you run the risk of letting it interfere with the actual act of writing. It is too much when your research actually blocks you from the act of writing. Because even though research is part and parcel of the craft of Writing, it isn't the act of writing itself. You still have to sit down at the page and write out, from the character's perspective, what those historical events might translate to. When the history and the documentation gets in the way of the voice of the person behind the events then you have gone too far into the research.

I worry about that sometimes with Elizabeth, because the history of the period and the events that happened during her reign were many and staggering. Of course, various historians have different opinions as to the motivations of any of the players within the series of events. For Elizabeth, I wanted her to talk about it. At the core of her reasons for how she ruled, why she never married, how she conducted affairs were simple human emotions and motivations. And even with these still underneath it all, she knew first and foremost that she was entrusted with the goodwill and the good stewardship of her People and her Kingdom. A writer must have an eye and a bit of sympathy toward these sorts of underlying motivations. It's hard to do that if all you are doing is quoting, facts, figures and dates.

To the anonymous person who has given me two more months of paid time and extra icons:

We are most grateful for your generous gifts!

Thank you!

For four years after the death of my brother, Edward, after foolish attempt of a few to raise our cousin, Lady Jane Grey to the throne for a mere nine days, my sister Mary reigned as Queen of England. During that time England ran red with the blood of Protestants martyrs and my sister bled dry our treasuries for her devotion to her husband, Philip of Spain and their shared fervour toward the papacy in Rome.

In the evening of Hope Wednesday, November 16, 1558, word came that my sister, Mary I, Queen of England would not last much longer. I made every effort to downplay the rising tide of revelry that was going on around me. In fact, at Hatfield, where I had been allowed to retire away from my sister's court but yet under guard, I had forbade my ladies and as tactfully as possible sent away the stream of delegates and nobles that sought to ingratiate themselves to me even before my sister had departed this world. To my mind, these things were inappropriate, even though for the last four years we had all been walking on the precipice between life under Mary and Philip and death. I spent the greater part of that day and through the night in prayer and reading scripture. It was all that I could do to occupy my mind and keep my wits about me.We had all lived under such strain for so long, would the day dawn and it would be over at last?

It was Kat who announced to me at mid-morning that the Earl of Sussex was there to see me. I remember elation, relief and especially terror at this news. Was I going back to the Tower? Had the Lord intervened to grant my sister the recovery that those around her had been praying for? I walked into the very bright sunlight that November morning, clasping Kat's hand in mine. We walked across the gardens and there beneath the large ancient oak, Sussex held out in his hand the ring that had been my sister's. "The Queen is dead," said that same voice that had once interrogated me in the Tower, "Long live the Queen!" Sussex sank to his knees in obeisance, as did the men in his retinue. Kat, the rest of my ladies and those in attendance also sank to their knees.

"Long live the Queen!"

I stiffled back a sob of relief and finally managed to speak in Latin, my eyes welling with tears. *"A domino factum est et mirabile in oculis nostris!"

The long, four year night of suffering was now over. I, Elizabeth Regina, daughter of Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boelyn was now Queen of England.




* "This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes."


Muse: Elizabeth I
Fandom: RPF / Historical / "Elizabeth", "The Golden Age"
Word Count: 457
crossposted to theatrical_muse