Long Live the Queen, Vivat!

Elizabeth Tudor and Mary Stuart. Queen of England and Queen of Scotland. Protestant and Catholic. Two rivals, two opposites, two legends. Two women who never met, yet left a huge mark on each other's lives, as well as on European politics. On the other hand, it is also true that politics had been interfering in their lives since birth. British playwright Robert Bolt (1924-1995) describes his heroines like this: “Elizabeth is an extraordinary woman, peculiar, nervous. She had a hard, lonely childhood full of danger. This instilled in her discipline and the ability to look clearly at many things. [..] the strength of her character lies in the fact that she brilliantly copes with the demands imposed by her high position”, while hiding her relentless and passionate desire to be happy, whereas “Mary is a capricious, refined, passionate woman, beautiful, [..] sensual and very subjective. She is a queen by birth and has been accustomed since the cradle to people bowing to her.”

This vivid, sharp play, full of intrigue and sudden twists, could also be compared to an adventure novel or a spy thriller: whims and conspiracies, recklessness and calculation, sacrifice and advantage, love and jealousy... Elizabeth chooses duty, power, and England under any circumstances, while Mary chooses the element of feeling even when the crown is at stake. It is no accident that one biographer of the Queen of Scotland called Mary's story a history of “murder, passion, religion, and unsuitable lovers.” And yet, if not for politics... Even though that is exactly what the story is about. There are relationships in which it is impossible to avoid the poison of politics, whether in the 16th or the 21st century.

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