In Shakespeare’s lifetime, one of his most esteemed supporters was Queen Elizabeth. She watched several of his plays, invited him to her Court, and there is even a centuries-old rumour that she asked him to write The Merry Wives of Windsor! Her reign lasted for 45 years (1558 – 1603), and certainly Shakespeare is one of the defining figures of the Elizabethan era. (You can read more about Queen Elizabeth here, via the Folger Shakespeare Library.)
This Valentine’s Day, Shakespeare For Our Children wanted to pay tribute to Elizabeth’s own love story – one that played out not on stage, but across virtually her entire life. Elizabeth had known Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, since childhood, and they remained close friends and allies until his death in 1588. Indeed, though Elizabeth never married, the received wisdom of the age tells us that she wanted to marry Dudley… but various circumstances, including the scandal around the death of his first wife, made this impossible. (Read more here.) Yet in 1575 – as depicted in the illustration above – Dudley invited Elizabeth to his glorious Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire to try to win her hand one last time. Even though Dudley was unsuccessful, Elizabeth’s visit to Kenilworth remains one of the most compelling, and poignant, chapters of their relationship.
Clearly, there is enough drama here to fill several plays – and in fact, if your students are drawn in, they may wish to write out their own scene between Elizabeth and Dudley! But as a place to begin, we at SFOC especially love this episode of the English Heritage podcast in which historian Dr Jeremy Ashbee explores Elizabeth and Dudley’s story. Happy Valentine’s Day!