Elizabeth

Study Guide
for the Film
of 1998

Elizabeth starring Cate Blanchett belongs to a long line of movies about Queen Elizabeth I of England. In portraying the Virgin Queen, Blanchett joins a succession of actresses including Bette Davis, Glenda Jackson, and Helen Mirren. To prepare for viewing this film, you might want to look at the Wikipedia article on the film Elizabeth. The article includes a list of some of the film’s historical inaccuracies.

As you study this film, you should research and answer the questions below. They will help you write your compare-and-contrast paper. You will also find that the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and the Historical Dictionary of Tudor England will help you with your background research.

1. Was Cate Blanchett good casting in terms of her physical resemblance to Elizabeth Tudor?

2. Do Cate Blanchett and the film’s script present an accurate portrayal of Elizabeth’s personality and character?

3. Is the film accurate in its portrayal of the relationship between Elizabeth and Robert Dudley, both in terms of its spirit and its details?

4. The film begins in 1554. How does it present the sequence of events after that point? Are events shown in proper order? Are there anachronisms?

5. How does the film portray Robert Dudley and his role in Elizabethan politics?

6. How does the film portray William Cecil and his role in the Elizabethan government?

7. How does the film portray Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, and his role in Elizabethan politics?

8. How does the film portray Sir Francis Walsingham and his role in the Elizabethan government?

9. Was there a priest/assassin named Robert Ballard (aka Daniel Craig/James Bond)?

10. Does the film portray the passage of the Act of Uniformity accurately?

11. Does the film portray the courtship of Elizabeth and the Duke of Anjou accurately and in proper chronological order?

12. Does the film portray the issuing of the papal bull Regnan in Excelsis accurately and in correct chronological order?

13. How does the film portray the end of the Duke of Norfolk and how does that portrayal agree with historical events?

14. Thanks to advice from Walsingham, how does Elizabeth decide to rule England?

The end of the film states that:

Elizabeth ruled England for forty more years.

Walsingham was her most trusted advisor to the end of her reign.

Elizabeth never spoke to Dudley again in private.

Elizabeth whispered Dudley’s name on her deathbed.

At Elizabeth’s death, England was the richest and most powerful state in Europe.

Which of these statements were true and which were not true?

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