The influence of Queen Elizabeth I on Shakespeare's female rolesQueen Elizabeth I, also known as the "Iron Queen", was an extraordinary woman of his time, he ruled with great power and longevity. She was one of the greatest feminists of the time. On ascending the throne in 1558, he took over from his father, Henry VIII. She was given one of the most difficult jobs fit for a man or king, ruling England. At the time women were second class citizens, they couldn't vote or own property and things like that. Surprising England with her intelligence and fierce decisions, she changed herself to make better decisions. Through her rulings she proved to everyone that women were strong and could rule just as well as a king. She refused to get married, giving the feeling of "I don't need a man for anything." The Queen was responsible for giving women a voice in literature and this is demonstrated through Shakespeare's writings. Queen Elizabeth I ruled for much of Shakespeare's life in England and therefore had a great impact on his work. It has played an important role in the arts and social culture. Which affect the lives of many people in England; it especially affected those in the arts. He supported artists in their work in many different ways. Shakespeare and his theater are one of the artists he supported. The Queen would come to theaters to enjoy a show, and whether she liked it or not would be a result of the popularity and success of that show. Shakespeare earned his living from his plays; the Queen would come and spend many pounds to see a show. This is why Shakespeare created characters that his queen liked. Being the queen strong, intelligent and noble, Shakespeare created characters like this, for example Juliet from Romeo and Jul...... middle of paper .... ..These characters all show traits of wit, determination and strength. The traits expressed by Queen Elizabeth as she ruled England, a single woman taking on a man's job. Shakespeare included these characters in his work because he knew the queen would like to see the characters representing her; showed a sign of respect towards him. The Queen supported the theater and Shakespeare in his work. Shakespeare thanks her by giving his female characters protagonists in his play with her characteristics reflected in them. Queen Elizabeth ruled throughout Shakespeare's life, so she would have influenced him in his writings. She showed him through her rulings that she was a feminist. He did whatever it took to get what he wanted and to rule his country, he showed ferocity and compassion. Shakespeare took these characteristics and represented them in his female characters.