Elizabeth I is one of England's most admired and celebrated rulers. She is also
one of its most iconic. This wide-ranging interdisciplinary collection of essays
examines the origins and development of the image and myths that came to
surround the Virgin Queen. The essays question the prevailing assumptions about
the mythic Elizabeth and challenge the view that she was unanimously celebrated
in the literature and portraiture of the early modern era. They explain how the
most familiar myths surrounding the queen developed from the concerns of her
contemporaries and continue to reverberate today. Published to mark the 400th
anniversary of the queen's death, this volume will appeal