Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 19:11:16 -0600
To: rlstrick@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu
Christene Malley
Subject: micro-essay#4

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In Frye's "Elizabeth 1: The Competition For Representation, I discovered the power in which Queen Elizabeth had. She was a very intelligent and independent woman. She was not easily influenced and used her power to the fullest extent possible. She did not give in to the pressures of marriage. The chapter, "Turning Sixty in the 1590's" was very interesting. The fact that the Queen did not give into the social pressures of becoming married to someone she did not love. The fact that she did not have a son to take her place when she died, illustrates that she refused to live a unhappy life with someone and maintained her own personal happiness regardless of the tradition she was suppose to follow. " Although Elizabeth frequently admitted the consequences of her aging, her response to fear of premature burial was to claim herself ageless. The inherent claim was that her active virture, so often particularized as her virginity or chasity, protected Elizabeth from the normal aging process, helping preserve her metaphoric fertility in the guise of a continuing physical fertility. Her denial of old age was an assertion of her political viability, an attempt to transcend her society's tendency to desparage and ignore any woman past childbearing age-without, however challenging that prejudice" (100). The aging Queen portrayed a different image of the femime traditional role. She portrayed strength, character, independence, in other words, during this time period she conducted herself in more of a masculine manner than the submissive type of role that women had led. Furthermore, even though she was getting older, she did not become weak or vulnerable and she maintained her strength. She continued to use her powers to the fullest, regardless of the pressure she had encountered. I believe that Elizabeth's strong beliefs and attitudes displayed a great influence on many women.