Was Queen Elizabeth A Villain

Shakespeare is considered the greatest playwright in history. His plays, sonnets, and other works are incomparable in terms of style, linguistic beauty and commanding language. However, his genius bloomed in a time when theater was considered coarse, common, and was even illegal. Shakespeare's work may have been truncated by this hostility had it not been for Queen Elizabeth I, his protector and patron. Queen Elizabeth was unique. For one, she was unmarried, and ruled England solo. Because she was the only child of her father, King Henry, she was the given the "queenship" by default. In a time when most countries were ruled by men, being a queen stood out. It was said that she stayed unmarried so she could promise male rulers her hand (and …show more content…
She was very educated in the study of the ancient classical period, and was a staunch supporter of actors, playwrights, and companies, all of which Shakespeare was a part of. She often had acting companies (like Shakespeare's) come and perform in court, so she wouldn't have to trouble herself going to a theater. The beauty of theater, as well as the escape it offered from the monotony of her "job", as she called it, lured Elizabeth to seek solace in it. She became known as the "patron" of Shakespeare, and the two developed a close and intimate relationship. Shakespeare's specific company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, was frequently invited by Queen Elizabeth to perform in court, and Shakespeare was only too eager to deliver. In fact, in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Shakespeare pays tribute to his patron. In the scene where Oberon tells Puck about how Cupid's arrow was aimed at a "Fair Vestal throned by the West", but was then "quenched in the chaste beams of the watery moon" and pierced that certain flower, this is a reference to Cupid's failed attempt to make Queen Elizabeth fall in love. In another instance, the Queen requested that Shakespeare write a play based on a character she enjoyed from "Henry the 8th". This play became "The Merry Wives of Windsor". The Queen also supported the role of women in theater, since it was illegal at that time because it was thought immodest for women to …show more content…
However, they weren't without reason. The plays of the period were often crude and rowdy, unlike the elegant Shakespearean plays that came later. The playwrights themselves were also of "questionable character", which then influenced their plays. Religious leaders also believed that the plays were used as a way to spread the writer's opinions on various subjects, and, as is well known, religious leaders never like to hear any opinion but their own. Playhouses were also thought of as breeding grounds for plague, as the people during that time lived in filthy conditions never washed, and were in very close contact with each other in a playhouse. In order to assuage the religious leaders, Queen Elizabeth enacted a law which banned playhouses inside London. This law was rarely executed, however, and playhouses, (like Shakespeare's Globe Theater) simply moved just outside London, where theater-goers could still reach it