Queen Elizabeth I’s Iconography in the Imaginary: The Virgin, the Mother, and the Ruler
 

Abstract

Queen Elizabeth I’s image is captured in hundreds of portraits, coins, and pieces of jewellery commissioned to glorify her reign and to consolidate her influence and power. So effective was the influence of her image it still resonates nowadays being characterized in numerous films where her persona is recreated based on her portraits. This paper looks into the way the overuse of symbolism makes the iconography of Queen Elizabeth I a representation of the Nocturnal World of the Imaginary that mingles at times into the Diurnal world in order to demonstrate her omnipresent power. Three portraits are analysed using Gilbert Durand’s views on the imaginary. It is concluded that the Queen’s image was forged under an iconological symbolism iconography. The image of the virgin was represented in the Coronation portrait (circa 1600) which possesses elements that belong to both regimes. The mother was depicted in the Ditchley portrait (1592) which illustrates the idea of Elizabeth being England, and England being Elizabeth. Finally, the Armada portrait (1588) develops the image of Elizabeth I as a strong ruler who had both male and female virtues. Overall, the forgers of the images used symbols from both regimes which worked together to build Queen Elizabeth I’s iconography.

Keywords: Elizabeth I, Iconography, Nocturnal Regime 

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About María Francisca Díaz:

María Francisca Díaz is enrolled in the MA English-Speaking Cultures program at University of Bremen. She is part of the MasterVision 2.0 Online-Conference Team. She holds a Bachelor of Education from the Universidad Austral de Chile. María worked as an EFL teacher in Patagonia before moving to Germany to continue her postgraduate studies. Sometimes she works translating and interpreting Eng-Sp and Sp-Eng. Her main fields of interest are literature, theatre, autobiographical narratives, psychoanalysis, and horror. Doglover.