Home » Shakespeare’s Elizabeth

Shakespeare’s Elizabeth

I am rapidly approaching completion of a PhD at University College London which examines the intellectual and literary life of Elizabeth I, focusing on her decision in 1593 to translate from Latin, during her leisure hours, Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy. As this page’s title suggests, my work is also about how Elizabethan poets and playwrights imagined Elizabeth – and how Elizabeth’s learning allowed her to influence that representation. As a feminist scholar, I’m interested in the trope of the ‘learned lady’, as it emerged out of Erasmian humanism – and whether Elizabeth sought to distance herself from the feminine limitations of the model. I remain fascinated by Shakespeare’s queens.

I originally studied classics at Oxford, before continuing my studies at Yale in comparative literature and eventually working on Shakespeare at UCL, and I have always been interested in the broad sweep of European intellectual history. This space on my website is mainly for me to post updates on the more academic side of my life, including responses to scholarly discussions online, but I’m also cross-posting any of my more general writing that seems particularly relevant.