LaDissertation.com - Dissertations, fiches de lectures, exemples du BAC
Recherche

Myths And Heroes

Compte Rendu : Myths And Heroes. Recherche parmi 297 000+ dissertations

Par   •  25 Mai 2014  •  640 Mots (3 Pages)  •  843 Vues

Page 1 sur 3

The notion I am going to deal with is Myths and heroes. A hero is someone who inspires people thanks to his noble qualities. A myth is a traditionnal story related to a country's culture and history. I would like to illustrate this notion through the theme of English Queens. Elizabeth I, Victoria et Elizabeth II are symbolic figures of the British monarchy and history. To what extend these Queens are regarded as myths ? What do they embody ? Despite their official roles, do they really have a private life ?

Despite being public characters, being a queen seems to have affected those three queen's private lives.

These Queens really embody the monarchy, they are charismatic figures of the British royalty. The three Queens had the longest reigns of the British history as they were crowned when they were young adults. Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth I are related to the glory of the British Empire. The Elizabethan era is often depicted as the Golden Age of the English history. During this era England experienced peace and prosperity while the arts (poetry, music, theater) flourished. The Victorian era was a period that brought England to the status of world power, thanks to the industrial revolution. George Gower portrayed Queen Elizabeth I at the high point of her reign, as the painting also depicts the defeat of the Spanish Armada. These periods of wealth and power explain the myths that surrender both monarchs. These myths are intensified by Queen Victoria's love story with Albert, and by the tumultuous life of Elizabeth I 's father. Moreover, despite a weaker power, Elizabeth II is admired as she managed to maintain the monarchy alive. Plus, she used to be a real fashion icon. Neverthelesss, it seems that their status of Queen overshadows their private life.

Indeed, Elizabeth I was dedicated to her role, she never married and had no children. Moreover, the personnal motto of Queen Elizabeth II is “Duty first, self second”. Thefore, we can say that her private life is put aside. Indeed, it must very difficult to be a Queen. The Queen has to follow a very strict protocol. For instance, Elizabeth II can't talk about her hobbies during a public event, and the people who meet her can't ask her questions directly. Indeed, Sally Bedell Smith details in her book the severeness of the protocol, as her husband met Elizabeth II during a garden party. Furthermore, the Queen is expected to be perfect at every occasion, as she is the showcase of Great Britain. She must contained her feelings and her bevahiour must be respectful of the conventions. . For instance, the Queen has to preserve a particular image, so she can't be seen with anyone. Indeed, Queen Victoria had a strong friendship with one of her Indian servants named Abdul. She treated him as if he were a member of the Royal family, she sent him letters, gave him cottages... When Queen Victoria died, the Royal family burnt all their letters and Abdul was sent back to India. The royal family wanted to suppress all signs of their relationship because they couldn't bear Queen Victoria's relationship with a commoner. Finally, a Queen may wish to be anonymous, to feel free and to to get rid of the constraints of the protocol.

To conclude, Queen Victoria and both Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II are symbolic figures of the British History. They

...

Télécharger au format  txt (3.7 Kb)   pdf (61.4 Kb)   docx (9 Kb)  
Voir 2 pages de plus »
Uniquement disponible sur LaDissertation.com