Journal of Religion & Film Volume 25 Issue 1 April 2021 Article 59 March 2021 Revising Mary Queen of Scots: from Protestant Persecution to Patriarchal Struggle Jennifer M. DeSilva Ball State University,
[email protected] Emily K. McGuire Ball State University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf Part of the Catholic Studies Commons, European History Commons, History of Gender Commons, History of Religion Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Political History Commons, and the Women's History Commons Recommended Citation DeSilva, Jennifer M. and McGuire, Emily K. (2021) "Revising Mary Queen of Scots: from Protestant Persecution to Patriarchal Struggle," Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 25 : Iss. 1 , Article 59. DOI: 10.32873/uno.dc.jrf.25.1.003 Available at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol25/iss1/59 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Religion & Film by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Revising Mary Queen of Scots: from Protestant Persecution to Patriarchal Struggle Abstract Since Mary Queen of Scots’ execution in 1587, she has become a symbol of Scottish identity, failed female leadership, and Catholic martyrdom. Throughout the twentieth century, Mary was regularly depicted on screen (Ford, 1936; Froelich, 1940; Jarrott, 1971) as a thrice-wed Catholic queen, unable to rule her country due to her feminine nature and Catholic roots. However, with the rise of third wave feminism and postfeminism in media, coupled with the increased influence of emalef directors and writers, Mary’s characterization has shifted from portraying female/emotional weakness and religious sacrifice ot female/collaborative strength in hardship and a struggle against patriarchal prejudice.