Elizabeth: The Golden Closet

                Surprisingly or not, the red shoes are not just into fashion. I thought they would be happy with a new fashion magazine, so I bought Vogue. Wrong. Then, I bought a beautiful black velvet skirt. Wrong, again! They are not that easy to please! Yes, they love fashion more than anything but they also seem to have dozens of other interests that I’m still figuring out. On the other night they wanted desperately to watch a movie. We sat down on the couch and watched “Elizabeth: The Golden Era”. I personally think it’s a great movie and they agree. But while I was totally absorbed with the plot and the characters they seemed to be emerged in Elizabeth’s dresses. As long as they give me power and confidence, I will do anything to satisfy them. That’s why I’m writing an essay on Queen Elizabeth’s dresses in the movie.

            I have to say that at first I didn’t want to do it. That was before I closed my eyes and pictured the movie in my head. I could see that every single dress was part of the intensity of each scene. Every color had a meaning.

                CRIMSON – THE COLOUR OF POWER

                Queen Elizabeth appears as a source of hope, power and elegance. She liked to dress to impress. The chaperones used to wear all the same tone so that Elizabeth could stand out in a different color among the court. In one of the first scenes the queen wears a crimson dress while the chaperones wear white and grey dresses. Red had the symbolic meaning of fire, power and importance during the Elizabethan Age and crimson was the luxury version of the color, worn by royalty, nobility and members of the Council. As a powerful and brave woman responsible for a great empire, I’m not surprised that she liked to wear crimson dresses.

                THE PURITY OF WHITE

                White, a color that she also wears mostly in the beginning of the movie is perhaps the one that illustrates the best the cult that emerged around her as the “Virgin Queen” which is still celebrated in portraits and literature. Only the wealthy could wear white, as it was expensive and difficult to produce, as well as hard to keep clean. White symbolized purity and virtue, contrasting with the dark colors worn by Philip of Spain and her cousin Mary Stuart, the queen of Scotland. While these Catholics are depicted as obscure, as people that are too affected by emotions, unhappy and somehow fanatic and insane, Queen Elizabeth is portrayed as a rational person, as a  source of enlightenment/ elucidation. This contrast is more visible in one of the last scenes when Elizabeth appears with a simple long white dress resembling an angel and Philip seems almost like he is possessed by the devil in his dark clothes, although he is more religious than her. The movie clearly shows Elizabeth’s perspective regarding the conflict with Spain. We can relate more easily to her than with Philip that represents the enemy.

                THE COLOUR OF THE OCEAN

                One of the most remarkable scenes of the movie is the one when Sir Walter Raleigh is giving Elizabeth a speech about his trips across the large ocean, about the magic of discovering and landing on the new world and freedom. She is wearing a stunning light blue dress. Blue symbolizes tranquility and eternity and in this specific scene, of course, the ocean as well. This dress is one of my favorite in the movie (sorry Red Shoes but I also love the red one!).

                SILVER, GOLD AND YELLOW
              Throughout the movie, the queen uses a lot of jewels and accessories with pearls which are another symbol of virginity. Most dresses have silver and gold applications and embroideries. Gold represents majesty, divinity and wealth. Silver is another rich color that can also be related to power and strength. Queen Elizabeth wears a silver armor in the battle when she appears confident speaking directly to her army - «Let them come with the armies of Hell, they will not pass!». The yellow dress she wears when she yells at the Spanish servants of the king - «I, too can command the wind, sir!» - also intends to symbolize courage. The color can be a symbol of revitalization, positivism and hope as well.

                TURNING POINT

                Love and emotions are basically the source of every problems/conflicts in the movie. Philip tries to invade Spain because he believes that’s God’s will, out of religious love. Elizabeth loses control and finds it harder to deal with conflicts when she falls in love with Sir Arthur Raleigh. When emotions almost take control of her life, her clothes change. When she is betrayed by her best friend, Bess, and the man she loves, Raleigh, and she is forced to condemn her cousin to death, her dresses become simpler and heavier. The colors also change. She starts wearing darker colors such as purple, dark green and dark blue (or indigo, also known as “royal blue”), reflecting her sadness and seriousness. Purple represents the change of something and it is supposed to combat fears and bring peace. The only people allowed to wear purple during the Elizabethan Era were the members of the royal family.

                After this difficult period of her life and after England wins the war, Elizabeth returns to the grandiosity of the white color, rich and elaborate materials and dresses, showing that her mind is clear again and that she was stronger to conquer the difficulties. England won the conflict due to her mental strength, due to her ability to control emotions. When she loses control the same happens to her country and when she becomes more rational again the conflict is solved.

THEY WERE RIGHT, AGAIN

Well, I must confess that I enjoyed writing this text. I learned a lot about the importance of  color during the Elizabethan Era. Different colors represented royalty, status, wealth and position. In the movie, as I have already referred, its symbology is extremely important to the intensity of each tension and conflict. A clear example of that is the scene of Mary Stuart’s execution. She is wearing an intense red dress that represents the blood that will soon be shed in the war.

I guess from now on I won’t question the red shoe’s ideas again. They seem to know me better than I know myself. (Firstly, they made me travelling in time and now this!). I’m impressed and they seem gleeful. Now is just like I’m walking barefoot. Again, I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant… They just feel more comfortable now, they suit me better. Since we are going to work together for at least a year I suggest we can be nicer to each other. Oh, they look as if they agree! Great, so how would they feel if I bought one of those magnificent necklaces that remind me of the Golden Age that are in stores right know? Would they like it? No answer. I think we have to work on communication but if you are trying to guess, yes, I’m already prepared for another trip. 

Red Shoes