Thursday, March 14, 2019
"Mary, Queen Of Scots" Is Newly Relevant In The Age Of #MeToo
The Theatre Times: The dramatic life of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots is a hot topic in popular culture. Josie Rourke’s 2018 film Mary Queen of Scots has reached wide audiences, while the Sydney Theatre Company play Mary Stuart is playing to packed houses. What fuels this interest in a queen who died over 400 years ago?
As the differing treatments of her life in the film and play demonstrate, Mary Stuart is a figure open to opposing interpretations of what it means to be a powerful woman. They explore deeply held cultural anxieties over what might happen if a woman holds the role of head of state, which resonate today.
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2 comments:
I saw the movie and while I never got the “women can’t rule” and James as a man can easily rule and unite the two, I agree that the play is probably much better. I loved the ending with James sitting on the throne because to me it felt very sad that Elizabeth never saw her son become a true legitimate monarch that she had always hoped to be. As a Catholic I was always raised with the noble martyr view of Mary, but I guess I can understand the Protestant view, even though their wrong. Either way she got screwed over by men. I was also raised with the view that Elizabeth I was a very strong monarch, she just loved dragging catholics through the streets before executing them. I would really like to see the play, because the ending seems interesting. But if I see it or not, it will be my excuse now that it is for sure better than the movie, which I finally realized what the issue was because it just did not sit well enough with me.
Mary Queen of Scots is truly a fascinating historical figure. In a very historical nerd way I think that the perspectives and retelling of her stories in such polarized views is absolutely fascinating and is such a demonstration of the nuanced story-telling and constant questioning that needs to be done of what we consider “historical fact”. That movie that the article discusses though is not good in any way shape or form for women empowerment, to depict neither female leader as strong and successful in more facets than one is a real one dimensional view of the female characters. The play does sound much better and much more in-depth and engaging. I think that acknowledging the strong religious influence that was largely responsible for empowering leaders in this time wasn’t something one individual could control it was a greater movement in society is important in understanding the power shifts. Also thinking women can’t be powerful and successful leaders isn’t merely a conservative viewpoint it is an incorrect one.
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