Thesis
Statement:
Queen Elizabeth
I had a prosperous effect on the late 16th century England because she demonstrated a keen ability to rule alone in a man’s world, encouraged the flourishing of literary genius, and, with the aid of privateers, expanded the empire’s colonies and riches.
Achievement: Thinking / Inquiry TOTAL: marks
1. Topic:
Queen Elizabeth I
2. Controversial Questions:
Was Queen Elizabeth I a strong ruler of England?
Would the arts have flourished under another ruler?
Was Elizabeth’s decision to name James I as successor cause the downfall of the British monarchy?
Who made the decisions for England, Elizabeth or her advisors?
Would have Elizabeth been a better ruler if she had married?
Did the decision to support privateers indirectly help England colonize the Americas?
Argument 1
1.Elizabeth effectively displayed her capabilities of a female ruler in a society which assumed that females were naturally inferior to males. Elizabeth was bound to prove them wrong, thus changing the status of women. She is known for being one of the world’s first feminist because she showed that women’s involvement in politics was natural.
2.Elizabeth proved her skill to lead a country by creating an image of herself as both king and queen. She express her unique status using the notion of ‘two bodies’, meaning she would describe herself in feminine and masculine terms.
She dramatized the masculine qualities she shared with her father, yet she also capitalized on her feminine characteristics.
3. Courtship had a complex significance for the queen as a game, and strategic political tactic. The fact that she was a “virgin” made her desirable to many suitors. She managed to use her single state to benefit the country by using the bait of marriage to draw in enemies, or to frighten them by suggesting she would marry one of their foes.
4. Women had more freedom in the
Elizabethan period than they did in pervious centuries. Since Elizabeth came to rule she brought with her a new way of thinking. It was thought men and women could do anything and be anything they wanted to be, that their capacity for knowledge was limitless.
Evidence(s) to support Arg#1
1.Therefore throughout Queen Elizabeth’s reign she was able to change the status of women and prove to the world how successful a country run by a single woman could be. Perhaps she could not surpass her father as a king, but she did just that as a queen.
2. In masculine environment like the battlefield, Elizabeth allowed her “male” qualities to emerge. The queen’s famous remarks allegedly addressed to the troops at Tilbury in 1588, she highlighted her manly attributes: “I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king.” On this occasion she further dramatized her male persona through visual imagery, by wearing breastplate and helmet, mounted on a charger. Her virginity served as a potent symbol of female power, enhancing the magical and religious atmosphere that surrounded her.
Elizabeth used imagery in her accession portrait, in which she was shown with her hair down, representing as a virgin maiden. At times she would depict herself as the Virgin Mary. Overall by presenting herself as the unattainable mistress, the Fairy Queen, the chaste goddess Diana, she encouraged her courtiers to woo and worship her. By presenting herself as the Virgin Mother, she reached out and offered understanding and hope.
4. Women were educated in the classics, math and other academic subjects, and with the presences of their very intelligent and highly educated queen, women did not want to appear dim.

Argument 2
1.Elizabeth welcomed to her court the intellectuals, artists, poets and musicians who would spread the image of artistic genius projected throughout the era.
2.The flowering of Elizabethan drama in the
1580s is credited to court sponsorship of professional acting companies, the building of the first public theaters, and the dramatic innovations of the new group of young university educated playwrights.
3.Encyclopedist Charles Boyce says that,
“Elizabeth herself was the most important patron of the Elizabethan theater; her influence was essential in protecting the theatrical profession from prohibition, and her court provided an important source of income and prestige for the London acting companies.”
4. Elizabeth herself spent little money on patronage, but instead demanded that her courtiers promote the writers who supported her own social and political goals (Civil order, obedience, and a patriotism focused on the crown).
5. The sudden flowering that took place during the last twenty years of Elizabeth’s reign was promoted by these four factors; the energetic spirit of an age that was celebrating the Queen, the nation, and exploration; the fashion for poetic drama in the theaters; the growth of the printing industry; and a new national school of musical composition.
Evidence(s) to support Arg #2
This was the era which William
Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe acquired a reputation for creating English literature masterpieces.
The first public theater, called Theatre, was built in 1576, followed by the
Curtain, Rose, Swan, Globe, and the
Fortune.
William Shakespeare acquired a reputation that few other writers can claim. In the 1590s he completed his sonnet cycle and two long narrative pomes; he also wrote history plays, comedies, and early tragedies that have been ranked among the masterpieces of
English literature and are studied in all major English speaking schools around the world.

Arguments 3
1. A Privateer is a person who has a commission from a recognized authority to take action against a designated enemy.
2. Privateering contributed to the English sea strength meaning the interest of private shipping, and the queen’s policy encouraged the use for expeditions of plunder. With the vast amount of English ships in the northeast Atlantic and the growing amount in the Americans, Elizabeth was able to exercise her sea power.
3. The Spanish economy suffered from the consequences of English privateers, such as
Sir Francis Drake whose mission was to
“interrupt the flow of treasure to Philip’s war machine.”
4. In 1585 Sir Walter Raleigh’s established an English colony, of Virginia (after the
Virgin Queen) in the New World. He convinced Elizabeth that colonization of
America was in England’s national interest.
Evidence(s) to support Arg #3
The Queen was astounded by the tremendous quantity of silver, gold and jewels Drake had taken from the Spanish.
Because she had personally invested
1,000 crowns in the venture, she received
47,000 crowns in return. This was enough money to pay off England’s foreign debt as well cover future expenses of the country for several years.
Drake was now a national hero but was ordered by Queen Elizabeth to keep a very low profile to avoid antagonizing the
Spanish. After several years in Ireland helping to colonize English settlements,
Drake presents a plan for a world circling voyage to influential members of Queen
Elizabeth's court. The Queen secretly invests 1,000 crowns in the 5 ship expedition. Publicly, the ships are said to be bound for a trading voyage to
Alexandria, Egypt but the real purpose was to raid Spanish treasure in the New
World
3. FORMULATING THE THESIS
4.
FOOTNOTES FOR EVIDENCE 1, 2, 3 etc…:
Evidence Footnote (proper format)
1 Turning Points. Elizabethan England. San Diego, Ca: Greenhaven
Press, Inc., 2002.
2 Jokinen, Anniina. Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603). 28 Sep. 2006. 15 Oct.
2006 <http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/eliza.htm>.
3 Harmon, Melissa. "Queen Elizabeth I." Biography 4.4 (2000): 96.
5. Write down 3 counter-arguments that you will be refuting in your essay:
How did the Spanish view privateers? As pirates?
Was it truly Elizabeth making the decisions for England or was it her all male Privy Council?
England was not the only European country that was flushing with art, so how would have
Elizabeth influenced all of the 16 th century culture?
The privateers were not the only ones who affected the economy, “ London in the 16th century underwent a transformation. Its population grew 400% during the 1500s, swelling to nearly 200,000 people in the city proper and outlying region by the time an immigrant from Stratford came to town. A rising merchant middle class carved out a productive livelihood, and the economy boomed.”

6. Please attach a TYPED updated list of sources (full bibliographic MLA format)
• Ridley, Jasper. The Tudor Age. Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press, 1988.
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• Weir, Alison. Elizabeth the Queen. Great Britain, London: Pimlico, 1998.
•
• Starkey, David. Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne. Great Britain: Chatto & Windus,
2000.
•
• Coote, Stephen. Drake: The Life and Legend of an Elizabethan Hero. New York, New York :
Thomas Dunne Books, 2003.
•
• Lacey, Robert. Sir Walter Ralegh. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1973.
•
• Hibbert, Christopher. The Virgin Queen: The Personal History of Elizabeth I. London
England: Viking, 1990.
•
• Smith, Lacey B. Elizabeth Tudor: Portrait of a Queen.Canada, Toronto: Little, Brown &
Company, 1975
•
• Somerset, Anne. Elizabeth I. Great Britain, London: Butler & Tanne Ltd., 1991
•
• Thomson, George T. Sir Francis Drake. New York: William Morrow & Co. In., 1972.
•
• Turning Points. Elizabethan England. San Diego, Ca: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 2002.
•
• Plowden, Alison. Elizabeth Regina. New York, New York: Times Books, 1980.
•
• Ridley, Jasper. Elizabeth. New York, New York: Viking, 1988.
•
• Harmon, Melissa. "In Search of Elizabeth." 4.4 (2000): 5.
•
• Harmon, Melissa. "Queen Elizabeth I." Biography 4.4 (2000): 96.
•
• Adams, Simon. "The Succession And Foreign Policy." History Today 53.5 (2003): 7.
•
• Heydt, Bruce. "The Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake." British Heritage 25.51 (2005): 2.
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• Lewis, Brenda. "Elizabeth I: The Reality Behind the Mask." British Heritage 24.4 (2003): 18.
•
• "Elizabeth I," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2006 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2006 Microsoft Corporation. (October 5, 2006)
•
• Jokinen, Anniina. Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603). 28 Sep. 2006. 15 Oct. 2006
<http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/eliza.htm>.