Even autocrats suffer discrimination. In a time when kings could permit\u00a0themselves as many mistresses as they wanted without endangering their\u00a0power base, a reigning queen had to be far more careful. It was concern for\u00a0her popularity that made Elizabeth I to advertize her virginity to gain some\u00a0kind of cult status. But why should she rule by celibate for real in a century\u00a0when not even the Pope was inclined to?<\/p>\n
Marriage, however, was no option. A legal husband would take over\u00a0power to begin with. It is now evident why the sex in\u00a0Mistress<\/i>\u00a0is extramatrimonial. If this song had been linked convincingly to the Queen, the\u00a0impact on her political position would have been devastating. In consequence no Stratfordian should have objected the Baconian claim on this\u00a0particular song ever after. And would even be willing to surrender the entire\u00a0play to the rival.<\/p>\n
It would be a shame though,\u00a0Twelfth-Night<\/i>\u00a0is an unique masterpiece.\u00a0Nevertheless, the Baconians would return it to sender forthwith, despite the\u00a0fact it is out of the question to remove the play from the canon for lack of\u00a0quality. This because this is no Comedy but a Problem Play. If Queen\u00a0Elizabeth had noticed the punch line of\u00a0Mistress<\/i>, the trial would not only\u00a0have resulted in the most famous chapter of the author\u2019s biography, it could\u00a0easily have been the final chapter as well: close reading of\u00a0Twelfth-Night<\/i>\u00a0by\u00a0a suspicious prosecutor would have resulted in a warrant for high treason.<\/p>\n
Linking Francis Bacon to the partsongs has its drawbacks; I have just\u00a0added another society to the ones already after my blood. My only\u00a0protection being the fact that because of a fundamental misinterpretation of\u00a0Richard II<\/i>, no expert will ever accept the result of following analysis:<\/p>\n
With the presence of Elizabeth I in\u00a0Twelfth-Night<\/i>\u00a0as Countess Olivia firmly established, the fuse is lit in Act One; scene five; exactly thirty-three days\u00a0before certain political tensions exploded in the Essex rebellion;<\/p>\n
Cesario \u00a0: \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (…)\u00a0Are you the lady of the house?<\/i> From this point onward, all the play\u2019s dialogue is designed to discredit Olivia\u00a0as a lady. The ambiguity is far more sophisticated than in\u00a0Mistress<\/i>, but the\u00a0layers underneath still make mincemeat of her reputation. Take for instance\u00a0her servants to get out of favour (II; v). Olivia\u2019s alter ego Elizabeth Tudor\u00a0had the habit to favour her courtiers with well-paid offices, as reward for\u00a0their merits to the realm or to herself. Offices that could be taken from them\u00a0at every whim. And only a fool would risk to antagonize her by neglect of\u00a0duties. For which offence the play\u2019s clown faces punishment in scene 1 ; 5:<\/p>\n Olivia\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 : \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Take the fool away.<\/i> Ignoring the insult, she decides to deny the offender for a while the\u00a0pleasure of her company. Not as bad a repercussion as could be expected in\u00a0real life. To emphasize this, Feste gets a little earlier in the same scene the\u00a0warning that Olivia is prepared to hang him. Which in turn seems a little\u00a0overdone, the Queen herself was in any case exceptionally angry when she\u00a0in 1589, for once, promised instant death in connection with a similar\u00a0offence. Good reason for Feste to make in his reply a joke of the prospect.\u00a0Or does he really?<\/p>\n Clown \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 : \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage.<\/i><\/p>\n When Olivia finally meets a suitor to her taste, the first thing that catches\u00a0the eye is the proposal not exactly to follow the usual pattern (IV; ii):<\/p>\n Olivia\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 : \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Nay; come, I prithee; would thou\u2019dst be ruled by me!<\/i> The reversion of r\u00f4les, may be fully consistent with her previous behaviour,\u00a0but not quite the same with the traditional virtues of a lady. Apart from that,\u00a0her choice of words turns a man of great birth simply into a servant. As far\u00a0as I am concerned, a proposal should show a little more respect (unless he\u00a0is a servant, payed to take care of\u00a0all\u00a0<\/i>her needs, of course). Anyway, it is\u00a0obvious who will be the boss in this partnership, and therefore its patriarchal environment has good reason to call this a bad marriage.<\/p>\n The next problem in connection with this fragment, is her to confuse\u00a0twins, for which reason she does not propose her \u2018true\u2019 love. Evidently this\u00a0does not bother him, but is that enough to decide he indeed truely loves\u00a0her?<\/p>\n She proposes him at their first meeting, which happens to be outdoors.\u00a0Therefore her face is veiled (see I; i, lines 26-27), and eye-contact is\u00a0impossible. This makes it very doubtfull that Sebastian\u2019s immediate respons\u00a0is caused by love at first sight. Love at first hearing is more likely. But her\u00a0choice of words does not really explain their impact; the charm must be in\u00a0her voice then. Making it a matter of intonation, which in a printed dialogue\u00a0is recorded as punctuation. Another look at Olivia\u2019s line now reveals the\u00a0venom in its tail; her words are not leading up to a question mark, as to be\u00a0expected, but to a note of exclamation! What looks like a sweet proposal,\u00a0therefore sounds uncanningly like a command.<\/p>\n This is all we need to know: Olivia, the alter ego of Elizabeth I, is\u00a0absolutely\u00a0n\u00f3<\/b>\u00a0lady. And if she is no lady, she must be an usurper; she has\u00a0told Cesario\u00a0as much the moment they first met.<\/p>\n Therefore she is according to\u00a0Richard II<\/i>\u00a0not entitled to rule.<\/p>\n —<\/span><\/p>\n —<\/span><\/p>\n go to next chapter<\/a>\u00a0– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –<\/span>\u00a0back to the previous chapter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Even autocrats suffer discrimination. In a time when kings could permit\u00a0themselves as many mistresses as they wanted without endangering their\u00a0power base, a reigning queen had to be far more careful. It was concern for\u00a0her popularity that made Elizabeth I to … Continue reading
\nOlivia \u00a0 \u00a0 : \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0If I do not usurp myself, I am.<\/i>
\n<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n
\nClown\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 : \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Do you not hear, fellows? Take away the lady.<\/i>
\n<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n
\nSebastian \u00a0:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Madam, I will. <\/i>
\n<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n