Mary Queen of Scots

As an historical figure Mary Queen of Scots has been perpetually represented on canvas, page and stage, and has captured the British imagination since the time of her death in 1587. The “real” Mary Stuart however has remained an enigma. This text sheds light on Mary’s life and national identity by exploring four main themes: the history of Mary’s representation in Britain from the late Tudor period focusing on key periods in the formation of the British identity and closely analyzing several texts against a background of the visual, musical and literary works of each period; the reasons why those representing Mary have been so conscious that her image was a debateable fiction; the identification of distinctive symbolic styles, using Mary to reveal the formation of habits of representation in each historical period; and the link between the image of Mary Stuart and Britain’s long struggle to define itself as a single nation, focusing on the roles of gender and religion in this development.

Author Biography

Jayne Elizabeth Lewis is Associate Professor of English at the University of California, Los Angeles.