Research Paper - UCLA Library

–ss at the end. In this way, Shakespeare and Fletcher’s version of that period of history deviates
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from fact and chooses instead to anachronistically insert later praise of Elizabeth’s virginity and
female attributes into the christening scene. The “princes” that Cranmer speaks of not only
anticipates James I, but also serves as an assurance of a patriarchal status quo in the monarchs to
come. By stating that “all that shall succeed” the virgin queen shall be princes, the playwrights
portray a future filled with male rulers; despite all the virtues that Cranmer piles on the queen,
the virgin queen is assumed to be an anomaly in a world commanded by men.
As the speech continues, this emphasis on male successors moves specifically to James
and the famous “maiden phoenix” metaphor. The phoenix was one of Elizabeth’s emblems
throughout her reign. First used in two oil paintings by Nicholas Hilliard (c. 1572-6), “[The
emblem is] concerned with the nature of rulership… [It emphasizes] the uniqueness and sanctity
of Elizabeth’s government and her care for her people” (Strong, Gloriana 82). A creature from
mythology, the phoenix complemented the Queen’s status as an object of worship, a fairy queen.
However, the phoenix emblem also revealed an underlying desire for an heir to the throne. As a
symbol of regeneration, the phoenix “was above all a vehicle rich in dynastic mysticism
asserting the perpetuity of hereditary kingship and royal dignity” (Strong, Gloriana 82). Similar
to the idea of the eternal body politic which transfers over to the next ordained ruler when the
body natural expires, the phoenix trope represents the transference of kingly authority from a
monarch to his successor. Consequently, it may come as no surprise that “references to James as
a phoenix rising from Elizabeth’s ashes figure more frequently in accession commemorations
than any other topos” (Watkins 17). As a foreign king not directly descended from his
predecessor, James, like Elizabeth before him, needed to assert his legitimacy as heir to the
throne. Henry Hooke preached a sermon before the new English king shortly after his accession,