by Susan Kay
After Robin’s death, almost everyone at court assumes that the Queen will find a new man to have as a companion. Do you agree with the court that Elizabeth could not rule without a man at her side? Does this belief discredit her as a ruler since she was never married nor had a king to rule with her?
Robin Dudley and William Cecil, the two men that Queen Elizabeth trusts and holds most dear, are constantly pitted against each other. In what ways are these two men similar? Are there any qualities the two men share besides the fact that they are both loyal to and worship the queen?
What drives Queen Elizabeth’s sudden, powerful, and unnatural interest in the Earl of Essex? When she looks at him she sees brilliant red hair and other Tudor family traits. Is it because he looks as though he could be her son, the child that she always longed for, that for once she succumbs to the will of a man? What other factors play a role in her out-of-character behaviour?
It is said many times throughout the novel that “the Queen destroys every man she sets her eyes upon” (604). Is this true? Does the Queen destroy those who come in close contact with her, or is it their unrelenting desire to do whatever it takes to gain her attention and stay in her favor that is their downfall? Are these characters to be pitied or do you think they deserve their fate?
Upset by the constant death and betrayal of those close to her, Elizabeth finally decides to maintain a distance from all those around her. Does her adherence to this restriction allow Elizabeth to become the powerful queen that she is? Or did her decision not to love, trust, and grow closer to people hold her back as a ruler? Do you think that this is a healthy way to live your life?
Though many try to win the queen’s heart, Raleigh asserts that England was her lover and that no one else ever had a chance to win her over. Do you agree with Raleigh that the queen only ever loved her throne and kingdom? What do you make of her relationships with the Lord Admiral, Robin Dudley, and the Earl of Essex?
Though her behaviour and emotions are erratic, Elizabeth is steadfast and confident in each choice that she makes. Regardless, several members of her court follow her into perilous situations simply because they believe she is lucky. Do you think that luck is the reason Elizabeth was such a successful monarch? If not, do you think she may have cultivated that impression intentionally?
Elizabeth had an affinity for playing chess, and the game is used throughout the novel to describe her relationship with Robin, her plans for Mary Queen of Scots, and her manipulation of men. How does this symbolism affect how you perceive Queen Elizabeth? Was she cold and calculating, thinking of people’s lives as a game, or did she have to keep herself isolated, always forced to strategize and guard herself against manipulation?
Queen Mary of Scotland is a great danger to Queen Elizabeth and the English kingdom, yet Elizabeth refuses to kill her rival once she is captured. Do you agree with Cecil who guessed that Elizabeth could not bring herself to sentence someone to the same fate that claimed her mother, her stepmother, and her first lover? Or is there a different reason that she does not sign the death warrant?
Robin Dudley believes that “perhaps in every thousand years the world produced one man or woman to live in incandescence, enshrined within their span of time. What else would men call this era but Elizabethan?” (535). Do you think there are any personas in modern day that are comparable to Queen Elizabeth in their power and influence—is there anyone important enough to name an entire era after? If so, who? If not, do you believe that that is a benefit or a detriment to society?
About the Author
Susan Kay’s first novel, Legacy, won both the Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize and the Betty Trask Award. This novel was followed by Phantom, which won the Parker Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 1991. Kay worked as a primary school teacher until leaving to bring up a family, and she now lives with her husband in Cheshire.