THE LONG QUEEN
By Jean-Louis , Anthony and Rachel
ACTIVITY
ANNOTATION
1 ST STANZA
 ‘The long queen couldn’t die’
• She is the longest reigning queen, which makes it seem as she can’t die.
(hyperbole)
 ‘Young when she bowed her head’
• Bowed her head is referring to her coronation. She had to take on the
responsibilities of her father
 ‘Long live the queen’
• Common phrase synonymous with referring to the reigning monarch
• Also a term that has been around for many years reflecting the title, ‘Long
Queen’
2 ND STANZA
 ‘women, girls, spinsters and hags, matrons, wet nurses, witches widows,
wives…’
• Implication that the lone queen is goddess to all women.
• Also in the form of a list, therefore more people not mentioned can be
included
 ‘mothers of all these’
• Gives the idea that the woman is all-loving and compassionate.
• Willing to serve and personally care for all women
 ‘no girl born wasn’t the long queen’s always child’
• Specific to females creating a matriarchal element to the poem
3 RD STANZA
 ‘Unseen, she ruled and reigned’
• Gives a sense omnipotence, and holy powers.
 ‘Disguised, sorting the good from the bad’
• Juxtaposes she ruled and reigned.
 ‘All hail to the queen’
• Continues the common trend of each stanza ending with a praise.
4 TH STANZA
 ‘No girl’
• Repetition from the second stanza suggests continuity, reflecting the
title of the poem and the endurance of the queen's rule.
• Motherhood is constantly insinuated because the term girl is always
used as opposed to the word female or woman.
5 TH STANZA
 ‘Blood’
• Used for imagery within this stanza:
• Used to signify something regal
• Also used as a colour which is a connotation of menstruation, danger and
passion
• blood is used to show a girls coming of age
• Vaguely relates to idea of Christian teachings
 ‘Tears’
• The inclusion of 'tears' implies that suffering is a universal female
experience.
6 TH STANZA
 'sore flowers‘
• References a female’s genitalia after childbirth. Flowers is the
traditional term for genitalia
 'the room screamed scarlet‘
• Personification of a room. Emphasizes pain
 'godmother, aunt, teacher, teller of tall tales‘
• All categorize as mentor figures contrasting the earlier mention of
women
7 TH STANZA
 ‘Light music of girls’
• The metaphor of music is employed to depict how the queen is
'tuned' to the world of women
CONTEXT
 This poem links the queen Elizabeth I as she ruled alone from
1558 to 1603. Her reign was marked by great advances in trade,
exploration and literature.
 Also in the first stanza, it describes a queen who considers several
suitors but does not marry any of them.
SUMMARY
 The long queen is an extended metaphor to Elizabeth I but can
also be linked to our reigning monarch.