Branding is not a 21st-Century invention! In the 1500s, English Queens knew better than anyone that image could make or break a monarch. Dr. Allen’ FYS courses have been analyzing the ways in which British female rulers cultivated their own public images to either promote or detract from the historical truth of their reigns. Part of understanding this cultivated power is through examining the different art and cultural forms queens used to disseminate their image. No one did this better than Queen Elizabeth I who used all sorts of media to promote her vision as England’s “Virgin Queen” and “Gloriana.” One such media form she used to her benefit and made wildly popular: the Sonnet.
William Shakespeare is often created as the English Master of the Sonnet. But he was by no means the man who created the genre and was only one amongst many who took up the literary art form beginning in the late 1500s. In fact, the English Sonnet is often referred to as the Elizabethan Sonnet for two reasons: first, because it was created in Elizabeth I’s reign and, second, because many sonnets were dedicated to or directly about the queen herself. Thus, it could be argued that it was Elizabeth I and not Shakespeare who truly made this new literary style all the rage- Shakespeare was merely following the trendsetting queen. For more on Shakespeare’s Sonnets check out the British Library which houses some of his original manuscripts: https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/first-edition-of-shakespeares-sonnets-1609
Queen Elizabeth I, unknown artist, c. 1600, oil on panel,
National Portrait Gallery 5175, London.
Historians today still discuss the power Elizabeth I held over her own image and the dedication to such she demanded from her people. The Cult of Elizabeth, as this system is often called, required her courtiers, or anyone else who wanted anything from her, to praise the queen using the latest trends- from fashion to literature. The Sonnet, then, became a way for courtiers to praise the queen, earn favor, and gain influence in the late 1500s. Yet, some also used this style to subtly criticize the queen while praising her on the surface. For example, in a sonnet praising her beauty Sir Walter Raleigh also criticized her fickle “love” during a period when he was cast out of court. For Raleigh, this subtle criticism worked out well as he eventually won back favor. For others if the criticism went too far, the result could be detrimental. Just ask the Earl of Essex, Robert Devereux, who lost his life for abusing the influence she had given him.
Below, check out the ways in which some of Dr. Allen’s FYS students took their knowledge on Elizabeth and harnessed her important media literary form to analyze whether the positive image she cultivated was accurate, or sometimes criticism was due her.
Oh! So Pure and Heavenly
Carly McNamara, Sara Fallon, Beverly Yarborough
(FYS 1000-18)
Oh! So pure and heavenly
You inspired the men to defeat one of the greatest naval powers of the time.
Flame haired, white-faced and dressed incredibly,
The “Virgin Queen” has a nice chime.
The Church of England you would help
So keen on wearing a large dress.
You are seen as strong, never see you whelp-
She is seen as a queen to not stress.
You’re the eyes and ears of the world
Need no help from a man,
Your admiring jewelry consists of many pearls,
You are a strong woman that we all stan.
We praise your ways, in time to come we need your genes.
You raise the standards, every girl wants to be you, the queen!
Devious Queen of England
Maddie Kiessling, Teresa Blanco, Ash Parker
(FYS 1000-18)
Her skin was perfectly white,
She wore her pearls to represent purity,
Showing immense delight,
Yet costing her nation’s security.
With her hand on the globe and ruler of the sea,
But a mask on her face overlooking the crowd,
She shows the world what they want to see,
Her true intentions hidden in a shroud.
She resides upon her throne,
While her subjects beg and plead,
Leaving a path of chaos, she made their problems known,
Realizing too late: This woman could never lead.
Through her convincing speech full of lies and deceit,
She led her troops into a battle with an uncertain feat.
The Armada Portrait, attributed George Gower, ca. 1558,
oil on panel, Woburn Abbey Collection, Woburn, England
God’s Virgin Queen
Mia Miller, Jade Harloff, Anastasia Avlonitis
(FYS 1000-19)
Oh dearest Elizabeth, the highest most mighty fairy queen,
Who rules over England and conquered the ships of Spain,
Even God himself has blessed the ageless beauty in every gene,
You have healed the hearts that Mary made tremble with pain.
Your divine soul has graciously set these troubled Protestants free,
You are a gift from God himself, oh our ever so precious virgin love,
When Spain came to take your throne, you calmed the raging sea,
Your everlasting purity and angelic wings were truly blessed from above.
Your wisdom spreads far beyond the English crown and throne,
You have blessed the order of the garter, the knights fight in your name,
Your influence has spread far beyond the Kingdom you so graciously own,
Your Ikon will last far beyond the title you have earned and became.
You have proved time and time again to possess “the body of a woman, stomach of a king,”
You are far above the concept of marriage, as God has granted you his most holy ring.
The Virgin Rose
Halldora Thorsdottir, Liv DiStefano, Tyler McBride
(FYS 1000-19)
Astride a vast ocean
The sea breeze begets,
Grand flowers in motion
Where the sun never sets.
Within this garden filled with life,
Stands an elegant white rose standing strong and lone;
It grants relief, protects from strife,
Upon its roots the meadow is grown.
Around the rose lies a myriad of colors
An abundance of red and white surrounding from far and wide,
Drawing the eyes of all her lovers
To heighten the beauty in one’s eye.
No one can resist her aura she permits,
She is the flower that never quits!
Further Reading:
Strong, Roy. The Cult of Elizabeth: Elizabethan Portraiture and Pageantry. London, UK: random House, 1999.
Strong, Roy. The Elizabethan Image: An Introduction to English Portraiture, 1558-1603. CT: Yale University Press, 2019.