Anthony Boyle

Daniela Castellazzo

The biography of Elizabeth I, Queen of England from 1558 to 1603. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn. From an early age she was psychologically marked by her father’s wish to have a son, heir to the throne.
 Under her reign England enjoyed a period of great splendour: it established itself as a naval power, laying the foundations of the future British Empire, it developed trade and economy and lived an age which, for its art and culture, was defined the Golden Century with authors such as Edmund Spenser, Ben Johnson, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare.
 A stimulating reader that also offers information and in-depth analysis of the period. 
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Transcripts - Summing-up Activities
 
 La biografia di Elizabeth I, regina d’Inghilterra dal 1558 al 1603. Figlia di Enrico VIII e della sua seconda moglie Anna Bolena, fu segnata psicologicamente sin da piccola dal desiderio del padre di avere un figlio maschio erede al trono.
 Sotto di lei l’Inghilterra conobbe un momento di grande splendore: si affermò come potenza navale, gettando le fondamenta del futuro impero britannico, sviluppò l’economia e i commerci e visse quello che per l’arte e la cultura fu definito il Secolo d’Oro, con autori come Edmund Spenser, Ben Johnson, Christopher Marlowe e William Shakespeare.
 Una stimolante lettura che offre approfondimenti, conoscenze e curiosità sul periodo.

Chapter 1 – The Lady Elizabeth

Extension: Elizabeth’s Christening

Chapter 2 – Bess' troubled teens

Extension: Women in Elizabethan Times

Chapter 3 – The Virgin Queen

Extension: Elizabethan Literature

Chapter 4 – The heart of a King

Extension: Elizabeth’s Sea Dogs

Chapter 5 – Death of a legend

Extension: Screen Queens

Summing-up activities

Glossary

E X T E N S I O N WOMEN IN ELIZABETHAN TIMES Chastity was the highest value for Elizabethan women and few women were given much freedom while growing up. Young girls were taught to obey their parents, their brothers, and their husbands. Among the moneyed1 classes, they stayed at home and learned housekeeping and the other skills that would make them good wives and mothers. Among the poor, they also toiled2 with their parents in fields or in markets and shops. Despite the example of Elizabeth, the A merchant s wife, a servant, view of the times was that women were a townswoman (1590). not capable of learning. Many held that women would use their skills for silly ends if they were taught to read or write. Elizabeth herself banned women from universities, fearing that they would distract men from the serious pursuit of 3 learning. The age had not liberated itself from the consequences of the belief that Eve was the cause of man s expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Women were therefore held to be a source of temptation and sin. After the destruction of the nunneries4, the destiny of most Elizabethan women was marriage. In most cases, marriage was arranged. Despite the love poetry that we have inherited from the poets of this period, most marriages had little to do with a woman s feelings. Marriage was a practical affair. Among the aristocracy, it was used to strengthen relationships between families. For the lower classes, females were often seen as a burden5 to be passed off6 in marriage. Sex was for reproductive purposes and was only sanctioned7 in marriage. Given the anxiety over witches in the period, there probably was a fear that women might actually enjoy sex. It is unlikely, however, that men gave much thought to a woman s feelings in this or other matters. Once married, a woman was subject to her husband. Her duty was to serve him and produce children. In a time without much medical knowledge or attention to hygiene, childbirth was difficult and dangerous. Married just out of childhood8, a woman usually faced death by the age of thirty. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. moneyed: rich. toiled: worked hard. pursuit of: the effort to achieve. nunnery: convent. burden: weight, problem. 6. be passed off: get rid of, deliver. 7. sanctioned: permitted. 8. out of childhood: when she was no longer a child. 38 

3  The Virgin Queen Chapter BEFORE READING 1 Test your knowledge of Elizabeth I s life. Decide if the following statements are true or false. After reading the chapter, check if you were correct. T F a. Elizabeth is remembered as the Virgin Queen because she never married. b. She intended her rule to outshine her father s. c. Life at court was very austere. d. She usually dressed very simply. e. Songs were sung in her honour and poems were written to celebrate her many gifts. f. Elizabeth loved music and dancing and was a patron of arts and literature. g. Throughout most of her reign, she played the marriage game, both with domestic and foreign suitors. h. She had a lifelong lover. 2 c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c After looking at the painting of Elizabeth in her coronation robes on p. 41, complete the descriptive passage by using the words that follow. bony   crowned   painted   dye   gown   orb   thin   thread rouge   displayed   marked   sign   symbols   reddish This is a copy of the portrait made to commemorate Elizabeth s accession in 1558. Elizabeth is lavishly dressed. Her .......................... is gorgeously handembroidered with many coloured .......................... . She is wearing an ermine mantel and she is holding her .......................... head high. She is carrying the other .......................... of her divine right to rule, a golden .......................... and sceptre. Her lips are .......................... . Her golden hair is loose, as befits her unmarried state. Its colour is more .......................... than yellow. Her face is .......................... with white lead and vinegar, and her cheeks are .......................... by a .......................... made of red .......................... . And, once again, Elizabeth s much-admired hands are prominently ........................... . Her long, somewhat .......................... nose is a .................................... of her Tudor ancestry. 39 

Elizabeth I, regina d'Inghilterra (1558-1603), figlia di Enrico VIII e Anna Bolena, segnò un'epoca di splendore, facendo dell'Inghilterra una potenza

Elizabeth Regina - Collana Rainbows

Level C1 • Post-Intermediate - Collana RAINBOWS

Elizabeth Regina

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