Queens on Trial: the Staging of Passions in Shakespeare’s Theatre

The essay opens with a section on “the Queen of History”, about Elizabeth I, whose presence in Shakespeare’ plays recurs only, as an infant, in "Henry VIII" (the christening scene); a second part entitled “Queens in Shakespeare’s Histories”, offers an analysis of royal female characters in "Henry III" (where the discussion of Catherine of Aragon suggests comparisons with the figures of Hermione in "The Winter’s Tale" and Cleopatra in "Antony and Cleopatra") and "Richard III"; the last section, "Queens in Shakespeare's stories" touches on several other characters such as Lears's daughters, Lady Macbeth, Hamlet's mother, Tamora in "Titus Andronicus", the Queen in "Cymbeline", examples of queens deprived of the majesty and virtues which are essential to define a real Queen.