After reading the introduction, I found it interesting that Queen Eliazabeth, although initially met with a great amount of opposition, became quite successful and revered. The text states that "in England [...] there remained a widespread conviction that women were unsuited to wield power over men. Many men seem to have regarded the capacity for rational thought as exclusively male; women, they assumed, were led only by their passions" (493). But this information isn't too surprising, is it? After all, misogyny was not at all uncommon in that era (and most others for that matter). But perhaps what is most interesting is that she reigned for 45 years - without having to entirely "unsex" herself. She maintained a lavish, feminine style, "adorn[ing] herself in dazzling clothes and rich jewels" (494), and she was also sought after by many men (who perhaps wanted a share of her wealth). But despite the fact that she was rich, womanly, and associated with a "religious cult of love," she was tough. She didn't encourage change or dissent and punished those who spoke or acted against her. It is very likely that she was fully aware of the fact that she had to display her power in the same manner that a king would; she could not afford to appear weak or sensitive in any way.
She became very popular, and it seemed that both the men and women of England could identify with her in some way. She even appeared before her soldiers preparing for battle and gave them a motivating speech (all while wearing a "white gown and a silver breastplate" - I do think it's ridiculous that because she was a woman the editors focus on her fashion sense and other feminine virtues. Would they have written something like that if a king showed up to rally his soldiers wearing silky, black pants and an exquisite golden amulet? Probably not - sorry for the rant). Either way, Queen Elizabeth became very respected and feared, and most importantly, she remained beautiful while having people's hands chopped off.
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nice post. were you making an allusion to lady macbeth's "unsex me here" in the shakes play?
you bring up some really good questions about the representation of power and gender here. very interesting.
i do think we talk about men's clothes as well: henry viii and charles especially. but i grant you that there was/is a double standard -- hillary clinton cries in new hampshire and it's news, but the week before 3 republican men broke down and cried and nobody said anything. and all the talk about nancy pelosi's clothes at her speaker installation... we've still got a long way to go to promote equality.
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