Alexandra+R.

Alexa Richards and Connie Shen 20 March 2008 Mrs. Ficca H English 12 Who in history is similar to Malcolm? Explain your choice thoroughly and use the text of the play to make your comparison.

**Queen Elizabeth I of England **
During the reign of [|Queen Mary I of England], [|Queen Elizabeth]was imprisoned for speculation of supporting Protestant reformers. Elizabeth was incarcerated on March 18, 1544 in the [|Tower of London] ("Elizabeth I of England"). The would-be heir, [|Lady Jane Grey], was executed only a month before the imprisonment to deter the Protestant rebels ("Elizabeth I of England"). During her trial, Elizabeth’s supporters convinced Mary to allow Elizabeth to go free; given there was no hard evidence. Instead of releasing Elizabeth, Mary sent her to [|Woodstock], where she was under house arrest for a year ("Elizabeth I of England"). This story is strikingly similar to how Macbeth tried to get the other lords to believe that Malcolm and Donalbain killed Duncan. Macbeth maliciously accused the brothers of killing their father, thinking that they would no longer be a threat to his throne, or be killed, just like Mary figured the same for Elizabeth. This was not so**(delete "so")** the case, as we learn that Malcolm becomes the King of Scotland, and Elizabeth the Queen of England. In addition, Macbeth realized that Malcolm would be king because two of the three apparitions deceived him, **(change comma to a colon)** “I will not yield,/ To kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet,/And to be baited with the rabble’s curse” (5.8 27-29). Coincidently, towards the end of Mary’s reign, Queen Mary realized she could not have children and her grasp on the throne started to slip. It was at that time that she fell ill, and accepted Elizabeth as her heir ("Mary I of England").
 * Obstacles on the way to the throne**

Queen Mary was welcomed into **(use "to" not "into")** the throne by the English people due to sympathy, much like Macbeth’s warm welcome due to the preceding tragic event of Duncan’s death. Queen Mary was supported by the Catholics who lost their power when her brother, [|King Edward VI,] took power with the Protestant church. Mary was also supported because of the issues she encountered with her brother Edward not allowing her to take the throne and allowing Lady Jane Grey and her husband to take over power. Mary’s story is similar to Macbeth’s in that she was at first so kindly welcomed due to the turmoil in English politics. Macbeth was hailed in as king because of a misfortune of events, and people saw him as a hero because of him killing the traitor, the Thane of Cawdor **(Macbeth did not kill the Thane of Cawdor. Duncan has him executed.)**. As Macbeth’s tyrannical shift was ruining Scotland, he lost his favorability. Macbeth was now looked at as a traitor and that he was making Scotland into such disarray **(awkward phrasing)** that Macduff had to call upon English forces for assistance. In this conversation between Lennox and another Lord, they clearly explain the state of Scotland,**(use a colon not a comma)** “Thither Macduff/ Is gone to pray the holy Kings, upon his aid/ To wake Northumberland and warlike Siward;/ That by the help of these, with Him above/ To ratify the work, we may again/ Give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights,/ Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives,/ Do faithful homage and receive free honors:/ All which we pine for now” ( 3.6 29-37) **(This quote needs to be set off as a long quote. It is more than three lines.)**. Just like Macbeth, Mary lost her support from the English people. She married a Spanish prince, [|Phillip II of Spain], much to the dislike of the people. It is said that she professed her love after looking at a picture of him, and they were married just two days after their first meeting ("Mary I of England"). Mary was never able to gain the trust of the people back, just like Macbeth. For Queen Elizabeth I and Malcolm, they both took power after a tyrant who was once welcomed into **("to")** the throne, then despised by their followers.
 * The realization of defeat by the tyrants**

"And, in the end, this shall be for me sufficient, that a marble stone shall declare that a queen, having reigned such a time, lived and died a virgin". Queen Elizabeth I was often referred to as the Virgin Queen. Like Malcolm, both were virgins when they ascended the throne. Elizabeth became known for her [|virginity] and it came to be a symbol of her purity and metaphors were made that Elizabeth was not married to a man, but rather married to the people and the state. That her virginity was like a sign of commitment and how dedicated she was to ruling [|England], she referred to, "all my husbands, all my people", emphasizing her commitment to the people. Of course this is similar to Malcolm in terms of virginity and being fit to rule. When Macduff travels to England to try to convince Malcolm to help save [|Scotland] from Macbeth, Malcolm tests Macduff to see if he is trustworthy. During this test Malcolm claims to be lustful and that no number of women could satisfy his lust, **(Use a colon not a comma)** "In my voluptuousness: your wives, your daughters,/ Your matrons and your maids, could not fill up/ The cistern of my lust" (4.3 61-63). At the end, however, Malcolm reveals that he was simply testing Macduff and that, "I am yet/ Unknown to woman" (4.3 125-126). Both Elizabeth and Malcolm refer to virginity/lust as a characteristic of being fit to rule a country. Malcolm claims his lust for women would make him a bad ruler, and Elizabeth's image as the Virgin Queen refers to a great ruler that was committed to her country. Virginity is a characteristic that both rulers placed an emphasis on. **(very interesting analysis!!!)**
 * Role of Virginity**

Another similarity between Elizabeth and Malcolm, **(delete comma)** is the amount of reform they bring to their countries. When Elizabeth comes to power, she immediately establishes a [|protestant] church, the [|Church of England], and has England break away from Catholicism. Under Mary, many protestant believers were killed. Mary passed the [|Second Statute of Repeal Act], which basically established religious Catholic laws and allowed the persecution of protestant believers. But Mary didn't only kill protestants, but also those that she feared would try to usurp her power, much like how Macbeth killed those that he feared would jeopardize his rule. When Elizabeth took to the throne, she severed England's communion with the [|Roman Catholic Church] and established the [|Act of Supremacy]. This act was a huge religious reform for England. It basically took away all of the religious laws that Mary made. The reform brought about by Mary **(don't you mean Elizabeth?)** is comparable to the reform that Malcolm brings. When Macbeth is killed, Malcolm declares that, "My thanes and kinsmen,/ Henceforth be earls, the first that ever Scotland/ In such an honour named" (5 62-64). Malcolm completely reforms the system of [|peerage]. By changing the peerage system, Malcolm starts a "clean" system. He dissociates from the system used by Macbeth, since that system led to Macbeth becoming king. Much like how Elizabeth dissolved the communion between England and the Roman Catholic Church, because Mary would kill many protestants under the Catholic laws associated with the church.**(fragment)** Both Malcolm and Elizabeth bring about reforms that completely changed the existing systems of their countries.
 * The Reforms Established**


 * Wonderful analysis!**