Milli mála - 05.07.2016, Page 184

MARGINALISED MONARCH

Milli mála 7/2015

189
and by implication manly, demeanour during the Chase-about-Raid.
The series thus highlights Mary’s strengths as a monarch, as well as
portraying her as witty, charming and graceful, much in accordance
with historical accounts. However, by having Mary eventually fall for
Bothwell (Kevin McKidd) and choose to have Darnley killed to protect
her infant son, the series also shows her as ruled by her emotional
and feminine side.18 Despite presenting Mary and Bothwell’s attach-
ment in highly romantic terms, the series also highlights the utter folly
of marrying Bothwell, which really spelt the end for Mary historically.
The series thus arguably presents a more rounded view of Mary’s
strengths and weaknesses as a monarch than previous portrayals.
As in other major portrayals of Mary, Elizabeth Tudor is again re-
vealed as her greatest enemy in this mini-series. Here, the narrative is
interspersed with short scenes at Elizabeth’s court, where she orders a
subservient Lord James Stuart about. Elizabeth (Catherine McCormack)
does not want Mary to have power, she is afraid Mary will become the
focus of Catholic uprisings in England and therefore she plots against
her Scottish cousin at every opportunity. She is very angry after Mary’s
son is born and rails against James Stuart, saying Mary is in “total con-
trol of Scotland, there is no challenge to her rule.” Thus Elizabeth and
the two queens’ rivalry is a highly significant framework for Mary’s
story, and Elizabeth, lurking on the periphery with her spiteful
schemes, in league with the jealous and power-hungry James Stuart,
provides a political dynamic which heavily influences the way in
which Mary is presented. Mary is not a marginalized figure in this se-
ries; she is the main subject, shown to possess determination and ac-
uity, and is played convincingly and engagingly by Poésy, who “gives
a fine performance” according to Variety (Adams 2004: n.p.). But nei-
ther is Elizabeth I a marginal figure despite being only occasionally
seen, since she is shown to be instrumental in much of what befalls
Mary during her brief reign in Scotland. It seems simply impossible to
dramatise Mary’s life without highlighting the influence of Elizabeth
and her ultimate triumph over Mary. Mary’s life on screen is therefore
continually overshadowed and manipulated by the English Gloriana;
she cannot gain dramatic life purely on her own terms.

18 This aspect of the series is discussed in more detail in Ágústsdóttir (2012: 88-89).