Not Everybody's a Critic: The Functions and Limitations of Performance in Elizabethan England

Date
2010
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Videographer
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Department
Haverford College. Department of History
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Thesis
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Award
Language
eng
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Open Access
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Abstract
In Elizabethan England, political participation required access to the Queen. As a point of contact, performances staged for Elizabeth reveal how the Queen engaged with her subjects. The nobility in both the court and country used shows to convey advice on affairs of state to Elizabeth, but they had to balance this council with confirmations of the Queen's authority so as not to anger her by undermining her power. While enacting affection and loyalty for their Queen, the common people engaged in a more general dialogue with Elizabeth that mimicked the consultation of the nobility creating a political outlet in lieu of popular revolt. These political discourses generated through performances complicate the image of Elizabeth as an authoritarian Queen by showing her level of engagement with her constituency.
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