Dreaming Elizabeth

Abstract

In the sixteenth century many people took their dreams seriously. We know of several dreams that Elizabeth had that she mentioned. We also know about dreams that others had about Elizabeth both in England and beyond her shores, of dreams that may well have been invented, and dreams that were presented on stage. Some dreams reveal the importance of Elizabeth’s mother Anne Boleyn. Another important topic included anxieties that Elizabeth herself had about courtship and marriage, as well as others had about the queen, her sexuality, and the fear about lack of an heir. There were several dreams described about the crisis involving the execution of Mary Stuart. For her subjects, times of crisis appear to be when they especially dreamed about their queen—and wanted to let her know. Descriptions of dreams involving the queen were also used as propaganda, especially by Catholics. Dreams about Elizabeth also appeared in a range of literary genres, including poetry and drama.