The Queen's Poets

Abstract

THE QUEEN’S POETS

A History of MonarchicalMystique and Literary Development in the Age of Elizabeth

Thesis under the direction of Olga Valbuena, Ph.D., Professor of English

During the second half of her reign, Queen Elizabeth I of England used what would, in the current century, be considered modern public relations techniques to promote the Cult of Elizabeth. This cult depicted the queen as virgin goddess, superior to mere mortals in power and beauty, and was designed to support Elizabeth’s choice to rule alone in an age when the prevailing climate of political, religious and cultural thought dictated that her gender made her ineligible to do so. It was also a period when the literary flowering of Renaissance Europe made its belated way to England, creating what is recognized as a Golden Age of Literature. The relationship between the promotion of the queen’s cult and an emergent pool of talented writers available to celebrate it was a symbiotic one, contributing to the success of both.