Who Is The Protestant Church Of England Depicted In The Film Elizabeth?

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In the film, Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth’s early reign is followed as the young ruler transforms from a self-conscious, young girl to a strong, ruthless queen. After the death of Mary I of England, the young Elizabeth Tudor is thrusted to the throne of England. While dealing with England’s considerable debt and instability, Elizabeth soon learns that she has inherited many enemies among the English court. Distracted by a young passionate lover, an army of available suitors, and the pressure to marry and produce a heir, Elizabeth suffered many defeats by the Catholic Church and her enemy, Mary of Guise. To the dismay of the Catholic Church, Mary manages to pass the Act of Uniformity to reunite England under one central religion. This angers …show more content…

For example, the Protestant Reformation is constantly intertwined with the film’s plot. In the beginning of the movie, the audience sees the struggle protestants endure in England under the rule of Queen Mary. As Elizabeth ascends the throne, viewers witness the acceptance of the Protestant Religion through the open prayers and establishment of the Protestant Church of England. As discussed in class, the movie accurately depicts the fight for power fought by the Catholic Church. While the film does illustrate the conflicts between Catholics and Protestants, it fails to include the many Elizabethan Age achievements made in art, exploration, and colonization discussed in the class textbook, Traditions and Encounters. Despite this, the movie manages to combine the material discussed in class with a charming coming-of-age …show more content…

The unflattering depiction of Queen Mary’s english court, and the many scenes that suggest corruption in the Catholic church make it apparent that the filmmakers were biased towards Queen Elizabeth. This is because, the writer, Michael Hirst, is of English descent. In England, the multiple deaths that were caused by Queen Mary impacted the nation's view of the ruler negatively. Since Hirst was raised in a nation that hated Queen Mary, he was influenced to despise the ruler. This caused him to write a film that represented Queen Mary and her court in a negative light. This point of view can be seen throughout the

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