Historical Time of the Film: 1552 – Mid sixteenth century. Historical Place Setting of the Film: England Theme of the Film: How Elizabeth managed to gain the throne through turmoil, and then maintain it through even greater conflict and opposition. Greatest Surprise of the Film: The attention to detail and the symbolism employed to make the story richer than any other period piece. The script was also very well written, and very well paced making the movie much more enjoyable to watch because it was interesting and did not drag.Historical Characters Prioritized: Elizabeth I, Duke of Leicester, Sir William Cecil, Walsingham, Duke of Norfolk, Mary Queen of Scots, and the Vatican, various potential suitors to Elizabeth I.Understanding Clarified Which Would Not Be Achieved Through Reading Alone: Elizabeth’s political struggles greatly affected her personal life. Being a passionate woman did not make this easy, and she was forced to give up much, even love, for her rule and her state.Summary: The film Elizabeth is set in 1552, mid sixteenth century, when a shift in power is about to occur in the British Empire. The daughter of Henry VIII and one of his many headless brides, Elizabeth was not only outcast because of this, but because of her protestant religious beliefs and affiliations. Her half sister Mary, along with her sister’s husband Philip II of Spain, ruled the English Empire at this time. They were both strict to the catholic faith and when they felt the threat of their protestant relative. They had her arrested and brought to the Tower of London for interrogation, and hopefully a confession of treasonous heresy. But in a turn of events, Mary dies without giving way to signing Elizabeth’s death warrant. Suddenly a “protestant heretic” is upon the throne of England. So Elizabeth I, of the house of Tudor, begins her rule of the English Empire on a wobbly footing. With the likes of the Du...
