Elizabeth I “The Heretical Virgin”

Elizabeth I Film is a clear interpretation of a historical event, which narrates the struggle of power among Philip II of Spain and Elizabeth I of England in the early 18th Century. In fact, the whole movie is a religious war, where the main issue is to preserve faith as tool of power and control. The Conservatism Protestant has taken for Spain, like a political threat and the whole film is about how Spain tries to exile the Queen Elizabeth I whom is the maximum example of power.

Marie Stuart, who was Queen of Scotland and Elizabeth I cousin, fervently wants to be the new queen of England. This situation generates a strained relationship among them. Because of her desire of being a queen, Spain manipulates Marie Stuart as a political strategy to attack or overthrow England. In other words, Philip II of Spain recognize in Marie Stuart’s faith, the protection to the Catholic integrity.

On the other hand, the tense relationship among Philip II and Elizabeth I generates a territorial threat and ethical climate. For this reason, Elizabeth as a clever and sometimes dictatorial woman, takes a difficult but right decision, and decides to fight against Phillip II of Spain. Clearly, this fact lets us know her strong personality in those times.

Finally, we can appreciate Elizabeth that adopts a virginal image, hieratic and sacred as the only way to preserve power. Probably, this is the most interesting of the Film, because Elizabeth I, as the Queen of England, postponed her human passions in pursuit of cohesion to the English people. Through the auto- imposition of a virginal image, Elizabeth I replaces, from her woman's role, the absence of the feminine catholic divinity, that gets lost in the Protestant morality. In other words, she tries to replace the virgin Marie absent, in the transition to Lutheran faith.

The Resurgence of English 1200-1400

The resurgence of English is the most important and remarkable event which still have an important and enormous influence in this modern age. Reading the text I have realized how powerful and influential could be a country in terms of its culture and language among other countries. During that epoch England and France were the biggest powerful countries and both had a turbulent relationship. However, the onset of the hundred years of war was an important issue that brings to England a sense of identity. This big issue makes declines French as the most common language spoken in those times and English started to increase as the language of power. Many French words had an impact on English because 10.000 of its words were entered to be part of English as well. Nowadays, English is the most common and popular language spoken around the world. For this reason I think how powerful could be just one success in the history of any country. In a certain way, an event from the past can enormously change the perspective, the culture, and the language of the world as is in this case English like the Universal language.

Stonehenge

Regarding to C. Hibbert article, I would say Stonehenge was and still is quite interesting and important part of England history. Particularly, it is because we can realize how some civilizations or specific groups of people can disappear but, they are still alive through time. Clearly, Stonehenge is a representation of it. Thanks to this magic ruins; nowadays we are able to access to this culture which calls the attention of many people around the world, including myself.

Regarding to Stonehenge’s mystery, it has been claimed by experts and archaeologists that this was a place of healing where people used to go there to obtain recovery because of its medicinal properties, transforming this place as a temple. This is particularly interesting to me. Reading the article, I could not stop to think in how wonderful could be the relationship among human beings and nature and also how as humans we build our life within it. Stonehenge is a clear demonstration of it because we realized the important role of the man in the construction of the history in terms of his beliefs.

Thanks to the text, I travelled through time. I imagined people from that ancient time doing those sorts of rituals to invoke the power of nature as a special energy belonged to the Universe. I feel as though it is a love demonstration of Cosmos to them. It remains me that the relation we have with nature, encourages us to find a place in the history that we have been building for long centuries. For this, Stonehenge is important to me. Probably, these ruins has a secret meaning related to our spiritual essence as human beings that we have not been able to discover yet or probably, it invites us to know more about our past to understand how we should understand nature.