Shakespeare’s Other Tyrant

Abstract

In approaching the basic historical question of the Tudor tyranny, by which England was transformed from a predominantly Catholic country, as a constituent part of Christendom, to a largely conforming Protestant country, in the process of becoming a British Empire, it is of no small importance to consider how the great dramatist of the age, William Shakespeare, presented the situation as he saw it from a basically Catholic viewpoint – not directly, when he might well have incurred the charge of treason, but (as he says) “by indirections”, for which one has to read between the lines, according to the literal meaning of “intelligence”. From this viewpoint, one may see in almost all his plays, whether history, comedy or tragedy, reflections of his deep, personal response both to the memory of Henry VIII and to his experience of Elizabeth I in terms of the theme of “tyranny”. Hence, after having presented my article on “Shakespeare’s Portrayal of a Tyrant” with reference to Henry VIII, I may now present this further article on “Shakespeare’s Other Tyrant”, namely Elizabeth I, as it were following a postmodern trend in the academic world of “dissing Elizabeth” – while drawing attention to the contrast between the plays presented in the reign of Elizabeth Tudor herself and those presented (in greater safety) in the subsequent reign of James Stuart.