Post by Erick_T21 on Sept 25, 2010 18:02:03 GMT -5
Here is my book review/analyzation of Doomed Queen Anne by Carolyn Meyer.
What exactly motivates an individual to use deceitfulness, trickery, seductive tactics, and lies to beat another individual in the battle for one’s love? Is it greed, revenge, or is it as simple and pure as true love? It can in fact be any of these or some other dark and hidden reason. In Anne Boleyn’s case, she was motivated to win the heart of King Henry the VIII by greed and revenge. In Doomed Queen Anne by Carolyn Meyer, Anne Boleyn narrates the experiences of her life starting from her childhood all the way to her eventual beheading. The reader learns exactly what fuels Anne to betray her sister and steal the Queen’s husband, King Henry the VIII, and the consequences she faces. Even though the maxim all is fair in love and war would not be introduced by John Lyly till 1578, about 30 years after Anne was beheaded, Anne understood the concept and true meaning that this maxim holds. The maxim all is fair in love and war means that in the competition of love, it is ok use any dirty and conniving tactic to out vie your competitors and win the heart of the one you love, even if that means backstabbing your own kin. Anne Boleyn could have adopted this maxim herself because she truly knows what it means to do everything and anything possible, even if it is morally wrong, to get what you want. Unfortunately for her, the maxim all is fair in love and war does not guarantee that the one who wins the battle for love will live happily ever after.
Anne was not the most attractive girl growing up, but her sister, Mary, was. Anne resented and envied her sister because of her looks and her parent’s favoring of her sister over her. You see this jealousy when Anne says, “I was always jealous of my sister. My mother had been a great beauty, and it was evident that Mary, who favored her, would be a beauty as well. I was a severe disappointment to my parents, for I was not a comely child.” (Meyer 16) This was the start of Anne’s jealousy towards Mary. Mary’s relationship with King Henry the VIII shows Anne’s annoyance and jealousy toward her when Anne says, “I suffered occasional bouts of jealousy of my sister, which became almost unbearable when she bragged that King Henry had named one of his ships after her.” (47) Anne was motivated by revenge and jealousy to win the heart of King Henry the VIII. It would not be too many years later, though, that Anne would mature into a young beauty herself and would have the charm to win over King Henry the VIII. The king soon became tired of Mary and Anne saw that as an opportunity to charm him and win his heart. Anne’s charm successfully drew Henry in and he told her, “That haughty spirit is the source of your great charm.”(79) Now that she had him in her hands, she could now get revenge on her sister. She had an important voice now that she had a bond with the king and she used her new voice to banish Mary after she married a commoner resulting from her being denied by King Henry the VIII. Anne thought Mary brought shame to their family and saw this as a fit punishment. Anne lived up to the maxim all is fair in love and war and used whatever tactic she could to successfully get revenge on Mary. Still, something else continued Anne to make the king fall in love with and marry her.
Was it greed or true love that made Anne continue to chase after King Henry’s heart? Anne’s intentions seem to be motivated by greed. When Anne and King Henry started to have their first meetings together, Anne said, “The game of love was in play.” (79) Love is not a game and if she truly loved him she would of thought of this new relationship as a gift, not as a game to be played. When Anne was in the midst of convincing King Henry to marry her, a conversation between Anne and her father shows what she wants from her relationship with King Henry. Anne’s father told her, “ Do whatever it is his majesty desires to keep his favor. Do not spoil your chances whatever you do, by some act of prideful jolly.” (98) Anne replied, “I have no intention of spoiling my chances. But I believe that the king respects my intention to preserve my virtue.”(98) Her father replied while laughing, “Your virtue! You can play any game you wish, Nan, just as long as you win.”(98) Then when Anne reveals to her father that she does not want to be Henry’s mistress but his wife, her father is shocked and replies, “Marry the king! You have always though overmuch of yourself, daughter, and I see that has not changed.”(98) Anne desperately wants to marry Henry, but not because she is madly in love with but because she wants the power and societal status that comes with being queen. This is all a game to Anne and she wants to win this game that way she can show everyone what she is capable of and that she deserves to be queen. Anne does not cherish true love. She cherishes her virtue and power. She is selfish, greedy, and will do anything to become queen.
Retha M. Warnicke from Arizona State University states that, “When the details of Anne’s life are viewed within the framework of these social and cultural values, the modern conception of her as a femme fatale must be discarded.” Warnicke thinks that the social and cultural aspect that Anne grew up in lead her to become the person that she was. Warnicke thinks that Anne should not be seen as a femme fatale, or a seductress, because during this time period the social and cultural values were much different. Many women were doing what she was doing and during this time period it was more acceptable for a man to have many mistresses. Warnicke’s analysis shows that, yes, Anne did whatever she could, even if it was wrong, to seduce King Henry and become queen, but she was not the only one doing this, and because the time period she was born did not look down upon men who had mistresses like today’s society would, she can not be viewed as a femme fatale in the modern world’s eye. Eric William Ives from Wiley Blackwell states that Anne's motivation for marrying King Henry the VIII was love. He states that, “Anne’s greatest distinctiveness, something she shares with only one other English queen: she married for love. Her relationship with King Henry was deeply personal in a way kings has risked only once before and never did again until the twentieth century.” Ives believes that Anne and Henry’s relationship was based on love and that the risk Henry put on his crown, resulting from the pursuit of his chase for Anne, shows that. Maybe Anne really did love Henry, but that does not rule out that Anne was motivated to marry Henry so she could become queen and even if her intentions were pure, Anne still did whatever it took win King Henry the VIII’s heart.
In Doomed Queen Anne, Carolyn Meyer gives her perception of the life of Anne Boleyn and what motivated her to steal King Henry’s heart and become queen, but she also lets the reader interpret for themselves what they think drove Anne Boleyn to deceive her sister, her people, and Queen Catherine, the woman who she stole Henry from. Was it greed, true love, or revenge that drove her to become a notorious English woman figure? Evidence shows that it could be all three reasons, but only Anne Boleyn will know the real reason. One thing is certain, though, her charm and trickery led her to win the battle for love, but in the end King Henry betrayed her believing accusations against Anne saying that she committed adultery with five other men and then putting an end to her beheading. Anne Boleyn completely understood the meaning of all is fair in love and war because the maxim intends that it is fair for individual to use any sneaky and deceitful tactic to win the battle for another’s love, but unfortunately for her, the maxim does not guarantee that the individual you win in the battle for love will truly love you back and will commit their lives to your forever. King Henry showed this to be true when he let the beheading of Anne Boleyn commence. Anne Boleyn was an expert at the maxim all is fair in love and war, but not so much an expert at the maxim true love conquers all. She may have become queen, but she did not truly win the heart of King Henry the VIII and her people.
This is more of an essay style review of a book, but it's just what I'm used to doing because of my high school english classes.
True Motivation to Win the Heart of Another
What exactly motivates an individual to use deceitfulness, trickery, seductive tactics, and lies to beat another individual in the battle for one’s love? Is it greed, revenge, or is it as simple and pure as true love? It can in fact be any of these or some other dark and hidden reason. In Anne Boleyn’s case, she was motivated to win the heart of King Henry the VIII by greed and revenge. In Doomed Queen Anne by Carolyn Meyer, Anne Boleyn narrates the experiences of her life starting from her childhood all the way to her eventual beheading. The reader learns exactly what fuels Anne to betray her sister and steal the Queen’s husband, King Henry the VIII, and the consequences she faces. Even though the maxim all is fair in love and war would not be introduced by John Lyly till 1578, about 30 years after Anne was beheaded, Anne understood the concept and true meaning that this maxim holds. The maxim all is fair in love and war means that in the competition of love, it is ok use any dirty and conniving tactic to out vie your competitors and win the heart of the one you love, even if that means backstabbing your own kin. Anne Boleyn could have adopted this maxim herself because she truly knows what it means to do everything and anything possible, even if it is morally wrong, to get what you want. Unfortunately for her, the maxim all is fair in love and war does not guarantee that the one who wins the battle for love will live happily ever after.
Anne was not the most attractive girl growing up, but her sister, Mary, was. Anne resented and envied her sister because of her looks and her parent’s favoring of her sister over her. You see this jealousy when Anne says, “I was always jealous of my sister. My mother had been a great beauty, and it was evident that Mary, who favored her, would be a beauty as well. I was a severe disappointment to my parents, for I was not a comely child.” (Meyer 16) This was the start of Anne’s jealousy towards Mary. Mary’s relationship with King Henry the VIII shows Anne’s annoyance and jealousy toward her when Anne says, “I suffered occasional bouts of jealousy of my sister, which became almost unbearable when she bragged that King Henry had named one of his ships after her.” (47) Anne was motivated by revenge and jealousy to win the heart of King Henry the VIII. It would not be too many years later, though, that Anne would mature into a young beauty herself and would have the charm to win over King Henry the VIII. The king soon became tired of Mary and Anne saw that as an opportunity to charm him and win his heart. Anne’s charm successfully drew Henry in and he told her, “That haughty spirit is the source of your great charm.”(79) Now that she had him in her hands, she could now get revenge on her sister. She had an important voice now that she had a bond with the king and she used her new voice to banish Mary after she married a commoner resulting from her being denied by King Henry the VIII. Anne thought Mary brought shame to their family and saw this as a fit punishment. Anne lived up to the maxim all is fair in love and war and used whatever tactic she could to successfully get revenge on Mary. Still, something else continued Anne to make the king fall in love with and marry her.
Was it greed or true love that made Anne continue to chase after King Henry’s heart? Anne’s intentions seem to be motivated by greed. When Anne and King Henry started to have their first meetings together, Anne said, “The game of love was in play.” (79) Love is not a game and if she truly loved him she would of thought of this new relationship as a gift, not as a game to be played. When Anne was in the midst of convincing King Henry to marry her, a conversation between Anne and her father shows what she wants from her relationship with King Henry. Anne’s father told her, “ Do whatever it is his majesty desires to keep his favor. Do not spoil your chances whatever you do, by some act of prideful jolly.” (98) Anne replied, “I have no intention of spoiling my chances. But I believe that the king respects my intention to preserve my virtue.”(98) Her father replied while laughing, “Your virtue! You can play any game you wish, Nan, just as long as you win.”(98) Then when Anne reveals to her father that she does not want to be Henry’s mistress but his wife, her father is shocked and replies, “Marry the king! You have always though overmuch of yourself, daughter, and I see that has not changed.”(98) Anne desperately wants to marry Henry, but not because she is madly in love with but because she wants the power and societal status that comes with being queen. This is all a game to Anne and she wants to win this game that way she can show everyone what she is capable of and that she deserves to be queen. Anne does not cherish true love. She cherishes her virtue and power. She is selfish, greedy, and will do anything to become queen.
Retha M. Warnicke from Arizona State University states that, “When the details of Anne’s life are viewed within the framework of these social and cultural values, the modern conception of her as a femme fatale must be discarded.” Warnicke thinks that the social and cultural aspect that Anne grew up in lead her to become the person that she was. Warnicke thinks that Anne should not be seen as a femme fatale, or a seductress, because during this time period the social and cultural values were much different. Many women were doing what she was doing and during this time period it was more acceptable for a man to have many mistresses. Warnicke’s analysis shows that, yes, Anne did whatever she could, even if it was wrong, to seduce King Henry and become queen, but she was not the only one doing this, and because the time period she was born did not look down upon men who had mistresses like today’s society would, she can not be viewed as a femme fatale in the modern world’s eye. Eric William Ives from Wiley Blackwell states that Anne's motivation for marrying King Henry the VIII was love. He states that, “Anne’s greatest distinctiveness, something she shares with only one other English queen: she married for love. Her relationship with King Henry was deeply personal in a way kings has risked only once before and never did again until the twentieth century.” Ives believes that Anne and Henry’s relationship was based on love and that the risk Henry put on his crown, resulting from the pursuit of his chase for Anne, shows that. Maybe Anne really did love Henry, but that does not rule out that Anne was motivated to marry Henry so she could become queen and even if her intentions were pure, Anne still did whatever it took win King Henry the VIII’s heart.
In Doomed Queen Anne, Carolyn Meyer gives her perception of the life of Anne Boleyn and what motivated her to steal King Henry’s heart and become queen, but she also lets the reader interpret for themselves what they think drove Anne Boleyn to deceive her sister, her people, and Queen Catherine, the woman who she stole Henry from. Was it greed, true love, or revenge that drove her to become a notorious English woman figure? Evidence shows that it could be all three reasons, but only Anne Boleyn will know the real reason. One thing is certain, though, her charm and trickery led her to win the battle for love, but in the end King Henry betrayed her believing accusations against Anne saying that she committed adultery with five other men and then putting an end to her beheading. Anne Boleyn completely understood the meaning of all is fair in love and war because the maxim intends that it is fair for individual to use any sneaky and deceitful tactic to win the battle for another’s love, but unfortunately for her, the maxim does not guarantee that the individual you win in the battle for love will truly love you back and will commit their lives to your forever. King Henry showed this to be true when he let the beheading of Anne Boleyn commence. Anne Boleyn was an expert at the maxim all is fair in love and war, but not so much an expert at the maxim true love conquers all. She may have become queen, but she did not truly win the heart of King Henry the VIII and her people.
This is more of an essay style review of a book, but it's just what I'm used to doing because of my high school english classes.