Discussion: Mary and Elizabeth

"I was very moved by Mary's actions last night as she held her baby sister and sang to her it showed that she loved the child , even after all that has been done to this 17 yr old she still had it in her heart to not take it out on a child, I have read that Mary and Elizabeth where close and that Mary spoke well of her little sister saying she was a goodly child. I wondering how it will be on the show when they are both put into the same boat and lose there Father's love to there New step-mom and Edward"

"I thought that was sweet on that episode too. I read somewhere that it is said they will be resurrected together or something to that nature I will find the quote and give you accurate, but you may have read that yourself. I did not think that they would show Henry's emotional side when Katherine died on episode 16, but they did and I am glad."

"I think that Mary was always very fond of Elizabeth, at least until she became Queen and began to fear her successor. Her marriage to Philip of Spain was unpopular with the people and some were looking to Elizabeth as the focus of their opposition. I sometimes wonder if Mary was afraid of history repeating itself; that Elizabeth would follow in her mother's footsteps and usurp Mary's throne, as Anne had Katherine's. As Henry's love for Anne was a threat to Katherine, Elizabeth's popularity with the people was a threat to Mary and I think that she was very conscious of that.

As well as that, religious issues played a part. Mary wanted to restore Catholicism to England and I think that, had Elizabeth converted, Mary would have rested much easier and been much happier. As it stood, she was probably aware that whatever she did to restore the Catholic Church when she was Queen, Elizabeth could undo when she succeeded her and, once it became clear that Mary wasn't going to have a child, Elizabeth's succession became almost a certainty.

When Mary was younger, serving as one of little Elizabeth's attendants, she was in a very lonely position, forbidden to communicate with her mother and practically ignored by her father. She was also at an age when, under other circumstances, she would have been married, possibly with a child of her own so I think that, in some ways, Elizabeth, young enough to be her daughter rather than her sister, filled a void left by both the family she had lost and the family she would never have."

"Yes, that's the quote on the tomb in Westminster Abbey, where Mary I and Elizabeth I are buried together. I can't remember exactly how it goes, but it's a really beautiful inscription and it ends with something like "here lie Elizabeth and Mary in the hope of one resurrection." I'm sure somebody like MsSquirrley can give us the precise quote.
I really loved the scene where Mary is singing to Elizabeth and Elizabeth starts crying. From all accounts, the two sisters were very attached to each other. That was admirable of Mary to be able to put aside her hatred of Anne Boleyn and not let it affect her love for Elizabeth. That is a true Chrisitan spirit.
Katherine must die in episode 7. I haven't seen it yet. I'm guessing Anne will be beheaded by the end of the season, from the pace of the show so far."

"Is that the same episode with the harum and George Boleyns wedding?"

"No not that one. I believe it was episode 7, let me check, yes it was episode 7. See I have showtime on demand so they come out a litte sooner. Sorry if I am a head of the schedule we are watching from our network schedules and some are a litte different."

"That.s not fair. Lucky you! I'm going to try and find it now. Thanks for the info!"

"Smiling .......Anytime, if you don't have it, you will get it and watch closely the episode its so good Hever."

"Mary was treated very cruel. I can't wait to see her and her dad try to mend their relationship. Every week I try to tune in to see if they are going to let the King and Mary have a part where they are showing their relationship. I love the scene when he saw her from the roof top, and bowed to her."