Elizabeth I of England has inspired artistic and cultural works for over four centuries. The following lists cover various media, enduring works of high art, and recent representations in popular culture, film and fiction. The entries represent portrayals that a reader has a reasonable chance of encountering rather than a complete catalogue.
There have been numerous notable portrayals of Queen Elizabeth in a variety of art forms, and she is the most filmed British monarch.[1][2]George MacDonald Fraser wrote "no historic figure has been represented more honestly in the cinema, or better served by her players".[3]
Anime
In the anime Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, which is set in an alternate time line, Elizabeth (who remained single throughout her life even in this alternate history), bears an illegitimate son. The potential fathers—Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester; Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex; and Carl, Duke of Britannia—gain influence and power with this knowledge. After Elizabeth's death in 1603, the Golden Age of the Tudor dynasty begins when her son, who would become Henry IX, ascends to the throne.
The Phantom Blood arc of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure tells the story of the fictional knights Tarkus and Bruford, who served Mary, Queen of Scots. In the story, Elizabeth tricks them into accepting execution in return for Mary's safety.
Art
The Portraiture of Elizabeth I glorified her during her reign and masked her age in their later portraits. Elizabeth was often painted in rich and stylised gowns. Elizabeth is sometimes shown holding a sieve, a symbol of virginity.[4]
The installation artwork The Dinner Party features a place setting for Elizabeth.[5]
Comics
There have been numerous depictions of Elizabeth I in satirical drawings. In actual comic books and strips, her appearances include:[6]
Startling Comics #5 (February 1, 1941)
Real Life Comics #2 (December 1, 1941), #12 (July 1, 1943), #25 (September 1, 1945)
Margaret Irwin wrote the Good Queen Bess trilogy based on Elizabeth's youth: Young Bess (1944), Elizabeth, Captive Princess (1950), and Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain (1953).
Mary M. Luke wrote a definitive Tudor trilogy: Catherine the Queen (1968), A Crown for Elizabeth (1970), and Gloriana: The Years of Elizabeth I (1973), with the latter two books focusing on Elizabeth's youth and reign.
Much Suspected of Me by Maureen Peters (1990) on the early life of Elizabeth I.
Proud Bess by Maureen Peters (1990) on first years of Elizabeth's reign.
England's Mistress by Maureen Peters (1991) Elizabeth Tudor has survived uncertainty and danger in order to ascend the throne vacated by the death of her fanatical half-sister Mary. She has drawn about her men such as Leicester and Cecil, her Minister of State. But her throne is menaced from across the border by the Queen of Scots.
To Shield the Queen, a series of eight books featuring Ursula Blanchard, Lady in waiting to Elizabeth, by Fiona Buckley (1997–2006).
Elizabeth's story is told for children in Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, a book by Kathryn Lasky in the Royal Diaries series published by Scholastic (1999).
Author Karen Harper has written a mystery series about Elizabeth. Included in this series are nine fictional novels. They are: The Poyson Garden (2000), The Tidal Poole (2000), The Twylight Tower (2002), The Queene's Cure (2003), The Thorne Maze (2003), The Queene's Christmas (2004), The Fyre Mirror (2006), The Fatal Fashione (2006), and The Hooded Hawke (2007).
Beware, Princess Elizabeth is a novel for children by Carolyn Meyer (2001).
Author Robin Maxwell wrote three novels figuring Elizabeth: Virgin: Prelude to the Throne (2001); Elizabeth's story is spliced with her mother's in The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn. The story of the historic Arthur Dudley, who pretended to be a son of Elizabeth and Lord Robert Dudley, is embellished in The Queen's Bastard (1999).
A historical fantasy of Elizabeth's life, featuring elven guardians, is recounted in This Scepter'd Isle (2004), Ill Met by Moonlight (2005), and By Slanderous Tongues (2007) by Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis.
Queen Elizabeth I: A Children's Picture Book by Richard Brassey (2005)
Queen Elizabeth I and Her Conquests by Margret Simpson (2006)
The 2008 book The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir features Elizabeth as a young girl from the death of her mother to her coronation and her relationships with her half siblings and her father.
Elizabeth Bear's Promethean Age books Ink & Steel and Hell & Earth are set in the final decade of Elizabeth's reign and feature her prominently.
The Princeling, Volume 3 of The Morland Dynasty, a series of historical novels by author Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. The fictional Nanette Morland is her servant and mentor, having previously been a close friend, servant and confidante of Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn.
Virgin and the Crab - Sketches, Fables and Mysteries from the Early Life of John Dee and Elizabeth Tudor, a novel by Robert Parry (2009) speculates on the early relationship between the young Elizabeth and her 'noble intelligencer.'
The novel The Bones of Avalon (2010) by Phil Rickman describes Elizabeth visiting John Dee. It is also about her entourage and about a plot to undermine her reputation and power in order to prepare to have her eventually replaced by Mary, Queen of Scots. John Dee as the book's hero is assigned to prevent all that.
Elizabeth I (2011) by Margaret George is a novel that tracks the latter years of Elizabeth's life from 1588 until her death.
A Column of Fire (2017) by Ken Follett is the last of a trilogy of books and sees the main protagonist working for Elizabeth, helping her ascend the throne and keeping her safe throughout her reign.
Plays
The birth of Elizabeth is proclaimed and her baptism is shown in scenes of William Shakespeare's play King Henry VIII (First Folio 1623).
Elizabeth appears as a featured character in the stage adaptation of Shakespeare in Love, adapted script by Lee Hall (2014).
Elizabeth appears as a main character in Rosamund Gravelle's debut play Three Queens,[13][14] and first played by Eliza Shea, before Elizabeth has ascended to the throne. Set in 1554 the play is about a fictional encounter between Queen Mary I of England, Lady Jane Grey and Princess Elizabeth, brought together by their cousin, Cardinal Reginald Pole, the night before Lady Jane Grey is due to be executed.
Another adaptation of the Anderson play Elizabeth the Queen was broadcast on the NBC radio series Best Plays on November 9, 1952, with Eva Le Gallienne as Elizabeth.[20]
On October 11, 1953, the NBC radio series Stroke of Fate broadcast "Queen Elizabeth I" with Judith Evelyn as Elizabeth, a conjecture of what would have happened if the Earl of Essex's plot to depose Elizabeth had succeeded.[21]
Rosalind Plowright in a BBC adaptation of Donizetti's opera Mary Stuart (1982)
Sarah Walker in an adaptation of Britten's opera Gloriana (1984)
Miranda Richardson in the BBC comedy series Blackadder II (1986), Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988) and the Millennium episode Blackadder: Back & Forth (2000), where she is portrayed as childish and spoiled. In the last episode of Blackadder II the entire supporting cast is killed by Prince Ludwig the Indestructible, who impersonates her.
Josephine Barstow in another adaptation of Britten's opera Gloriana (2000)
Imogen Slaughter in the drama documentary Elizabeth (2000), in which Karen Archer played her as an older woman and Saskia Blackwell as a child
Tamara Hope as a young Elizabeth in Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor (2000), the HBO adaptation of The Royal Diaries novel of the same name.
Margot Kidder in the "Her Grace Under Pressure" episode of the American science fiction series Mentors (2001)
Angela Pleasence in "The Shakespeare Code" episode of Doctor Who (2007), appearing in the closing scene and claiming that the Doctor (David Tennant) is her sworn enemy. It is later revealed in "The End of Time" (2009) that the Doctor marries and has a sexual relationship with her right after his adventure in "The Waters of Mars". In "The Wedding of River Song" (2011), the Doctor says that "Liz the first is waiting in a glade to elope with me" suggesting a romantic as well as sexual relationship.
Joanna Page - Scenes in "The Day of the Doctor" (2013) depict the Doctor seducing Elizabeth in the hopes of foiling an alien plot. He eventually goes as far as marrying her, before leaving her at the altar.
Kate Duggan (Series 2) and Claire McCauley (Series 3) in the Showtime series The Tudors (2008) as a child. Laoise Murray in Series 4 of The Tudors (2010) as a teenager.
Anita Dobson in the BBC three part docudrama series Armada: 12 Days to Save England
Helen Bradbury in 2016 BBC documentary Bloody Queens: Elizabeth and Mary
Lily Cole in the Channel 5 docudrama series Elizabeth I (2017). Elizabeth is also portrayed at various ages in the series by actresses Summer Rose Alison, Sheya McAllister, and Felicity Dean.
Rosa Blake in the "Bloody Mary Hour" (2020) episode of El ministerio del tiempo, where the main plot revolves around the Ministry trying to prevent her from being murdered before ever being crowned queen.
Barbara Marten in "Episodes One and Nine, Season Three" of the Sky One drama A Discovery of Witches, where the lead male is a vampire who acts as a spy and advisor to her, helping carry out witch hunts (2021).
In the strategy games Europa Universalis and Europa Universalis II, Queen Elizabeth appears, as with all other monarchs of the realm, at her historical time. Her diplomatic, administrative and military skills are remarkable.
In Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, modern day adventurer Nathan Drake discovers that Queen Elizabeth had sent explorer Sir Francis Drake to the lost city of Ubar to discover the supernatural properties of the Djinn, which would give her the opportunity to expand her empire and enslave the world.
She can be seen briefly in the MMORPG game Uncharted Waters Online in the storyline event of England.
^ abcdMcGarry, Daniel D., White, Sarah Harriman, Historical Fiction Guide: Annotated Chronological, Geographical, and Topical List of Five Thousand Selected Historical Novels. Scarecrow Press, New York, 1963 (p. 101-2)
Howard, Maurice (December 2004). "Elizabeth I: A Sense Of Place In Stone, Print and Paint". Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. Vol. 14, no. 1. pp. 261–268.
Parrill, Sue; Robison, William B. (2013). The Tudors on Film and Television. McFarland. ISBN978-0-7864-5891-2.
1Overlord of Britain. 2Also ruler of Ireland. 3Also ruler of Scotland and Ireland. 4Lord Protector. 5Also ruler of England and Ireland. Debatable or disputed rulers are in italics.
