Gloriana Summary and Analysis

In Chapter 13, Elizabeth believes herself appointed as monarch by God. She wanted to give England stability and retain her peoples' love. As much as possible she put herself on display for the public to see, though Elizabethan society was still discriminatory against female monarchs because of Queen Mary Tudor's reign. Elizabeth encouraged the Virgin Queen image, claiming she was married to her people. This idea provided poets and dramatists with imagery galore, and Edmund Spenser referred to Elizabeth as Gloriana in his epic poem, The Fairie Queen. As she aged, Elizabeth turned to wearing makeup and incredible costumes to keep up her image. The Virgin Queen had passed into legend, and she intended the public to continue thinking of her as the young, ageless beauty. Of course, this was also for the Queen's own vanity, but it was a brilliant plan...