Maria Stuarda Programme Book 2022

came to pass. When, after 18 years, Leicester finally married
someone else, his new wife was ostracised from Elizabeth’s court.
In 1586, Mary was implicated in the infamous Babington Plot, in
which she appeared to approve of plans to assassinate Elizabeth
and take the place of her cousin on the throne. This was the last
straw, and rapidly led to Mary’s conviction and execution. These
events form the backdrop to the opera, as different factions at
Elizabeth’s court compete to secure Mary’s freedom or death.
What’s the truth? Historians are divided about Mary’s role in the
various plots. We’ll never know the intimate details of Elizabeth’s
relationship with Leicester. But what we do know is that Donizetti,
and Schiller before him, created a thrilling and urgent meditation
on power, pride and politics by filling in the gaps.
Crucially, Donizetti developed the relationship between Elizabeth
and Leicester into a full-blown love triangle in which Leicester’s
infatuation with both women is a key driver of the plot. And, most
importantly, the famous confrontation between the two queens,
and the ensuing consequences, were invented for dramatic
effect. How better to tell the story of their rivalry than having
them meet on stage?
All this gives licence to a new production of the opera to continue
to speculate. What if the events depicted were unfolding now
rather than four centuries ago? How might we map the historical
events onto the current state of affairs between England and
Scotland? What might we learn from current news about larger
imperial states encroaching on their smaller neighbours, where
geopolitics are clouded by emotional whims?
We look at the present through the past, and the past through the
present. We use images from around us to gain an understanding
of things that happened and continue to play out.
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