# Queen Elizabeth — Short Plays character guide

> Queen Elizabeth in Short Plays by George Bernard Shaw.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Queen Elizabeth, Eliza, Queen Elizabeth Belike, Elizabeth

**First appearance:** 0029-the-dark-lady-of-the-sonnets

## Snapshot

A queen who must be worth a tinker's oath, Elizabeth rules the stage of The Dark Lady of the Sonnets with the imperious wit Shaw wrote to fit an actress born to play royalty.

## Who they are

In Shaw's preface she embodies his belief that queens are only worth writing when an actress of virtuoso range can fill them, and that the playwright tailors the part to the performer rather than to history. Within the play she commands the world of court and tavern where Shakespeare and Mistress Fitton collide, her authority and sharp tongue setting the terms of every exchange. Her presence turns the question of who owns a poet's inspiration into a contest of crowns and wills, giving the comedy its regal spine.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_plays_se/characters/queen_elizabeth
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- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_plays_se/characters