Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) Movie Script
Why do you go
among the people, Majesty?
I tell you plainly,
you will be murdered.
Every Catholic in England
is a potential assassin!
Be warned
by the atrocities in France.
We know the Catholics take
their orders from Spain.
The Spanish speak
openly of Mary Stuart
as Queen of England
in waiting.
Their loyalty is to
the Pope in Rome!
How many Catholics
are there in England, sir?
Immense numbers,
Majesty.
Half the nation cling
to the old superstitions.
What would you have me do?
Hang half the people of
England or just imprison them?
We must act, Majesty.
Our inaction is perceived as weakness.
If my people break the law,
they shall be punished.
Until that day,
they shall be protected.
Majesty, we have proven reason
to fear every Catholic in the...
Fear creates fear.
I am not ignorant
of the dangers, sir.
But I will not punish my
people for their beliefs.
Only for their deeds.
I am assured that the people
of England love their Queen.
My constant endeavor
is to earn that love.
My Queen.
Our friends write
to give us hope.
Soon England's
true believers will rise up
against the bastard
usurper Elizabeth
and slit her throat.
That's enough!
Slit her throat? Please.
And when that bastard usurper
is dead, my lady will be queen.
Your bishops are preaching that
God is showing his displeasure
because the Queen
is still unmarried,
some rudely
suggesting infertile.
What nonsense.
Dangerous nonsense.
Mary Stuart has a son.
Why does everyone
torment me with Mary Stuart?
It's not her fault she's
next in line to the throne.
Don't hide your face.
So long as you
have no issue.
If you were
to produce an heir,
there'd be no more talk
of Mary, Queen of Scots.
I've heard it's customary to obtain
a husband before producing an heir.
We shall have to hunt out a
husband for you soon, Bess.
Not too soon,
my lady.
There are husbands
to be had.
You don't want
to be married?
I'll want to be married
if I want the man...
Austria. France.
Turkey. Turkey has a sultan.
China has an emperor.
I confine myself
to the possible.
That's where you and I
differ, Walsingham.
I find the impossible
far more interesting.
What kind of man
would you want?
An honest man
with friendly eyes.
And good legs.
And sweet breath.
So you can kiss him
without choking.
There must be
any amount of princes
in the undiscovered lands
across the sea.
Find me an honest one
of those.
Since when do we discuss
private matters in public spaces?
I ask Your Majesty's
forgiveness.
Have my doctors confirm that
the Queen is still fertile.
The people need
to be reassured.
I care
for your safety.
The threats to your
person are real.
You know very well
if I fall,
you'll all come
tumbling down after me.
The sea wall at Dover
is cracking, Francis.
We have no money
to rebuild our defenses.
Turn your mind
to that threat.
May we have wisdom not to
fear shadows in the night.
And courage when the day
of danger truly dawns.
My time has come,
Majesty.
Send me back to England
to begin God's work.
Your Majesty.
Guards!
Take hold of him!
A puddle in the way,
Majesty.
A puddle.
Puddle.
You'll have to see
the Lord Chamberlain, sir.
Which one is he?
He's over there.
You can't come in.
So how am I to see him
if you won't let me through?
You must wait for him
to come out.
And when will he
come out?
There's no way
of knowing that.
I had less trouble than
this boarding a Spanish ship.
What if enemy ships should sail up
the Thames, can the docks be closed?
Not closed, Majesty.
But the gun positions...
Spanish...
Ambassador.
King Eric of Sweden,
Majesty.
Not again.
Still madly in love with you.
Still mad, you mean.
Ivan, Tsar
of all the Russias.
Where's Bess?
Known as
"Ivan the Terrible," Majesty.
Late.
I beg
Your Majesty's forgiveness.
Given.
Once.
The Archduke
Charles of Austria, Majesty.
The puddle man
is outside, Majesty.
My suitors.
Younger brother to Maximilian
II, Holy Roman Emperor.
Cousin of Philip of Spain.
Wealthy.
He's rather handsome.
How old is he?
Young,
I believe, Majesty.
An Austrian alliance
would keep France quiet.
And put Philip on a leash.
I've become
almost enthusiastic.
Send for him.
Danke schon.
How much longer do you think
I can play this game, Francis?
Virginity is an asset
that holds its value well.
Walter Raleigh, Majesty.
Your Majesty, this man
is a notorious pirate.
Spanish gold stolen from Spanish
ships, attacked without provocation.
Well, sir, what do you want?
I have just returned
from the New World, Majesty.
I have claimed the
fertile coast in your name
and called it Virginia
in honor
of our Virgin Queen.
Virginia?
And when I marry, will you
change the name to Conjugia?
I ask your gracious
permission, Majesty,
to return to the New World
with your royal warrant
to found a colony under the
laws and protections of England.
He wants money.
Who are they?
Natives of the
Americas, Majesty.
Have they no ruler
of their own?
None to match
England's Queen.
These gentlemen
are welcome.
See that they
are treated well.
I also come bearing
gifts for Your Majesty.
These gifts, Majesty,
are the fruits of piracy,
the true property
of the realm of Spain.
Let's see, shall we?
What have you brought me?
Patata, Majesty.
You eat it.
Very nourishing.
Tobacco.
You breathe its smoke.
Very stimulating.
Gold.
Courtesy of a Spanish ship that found
itself unable to complete its journey.
Forgive me, Majesty.
I find the air
has become stale.
I am sensitive to the
smell of open sewers.
I cannot accept the fruits
of piracy, Mr. Raleigh.
Philip of Spain is no friend
of England, Majesty.
The more gold I take from him,
the safer you will be.
Well, well.
A political pirate.
And Your Majesty's
most loyal subject.
Welcome home, Mr. Raleigh.
Lord Howard, the docks.
Master Raleigh.
You eat it...
You traitor!
Judas!
You're Walsingham's pawn!
Don't do this!
I didn't say anything!
You're a
Protestant traitor!
Don't do it! Don't!
Don't!
Hold his head!
You Judas! You Judas!
Stop!
You Judas!
The traitor's dead.
We must act!
Why do we not strike?
What are we waiting for?
You wait for my order.
Walsingham knows too much
already. One traitor is dead.
Who can I trust now?
There's a visitor
waiting, sir.
William.
Hello, Francis.
You've always been a fellow
who delighted in surprises.
You look well,
Francis.
Well, you look dreadful.
They're not feeding you in Paris.
You can't learn the secrets of
the universe on an empty stomach.
Then she my heart beguiled
Mary. William.
Supper is ready.
William.
Have you spoken
to the Queen?
I speak
with the Queen daily.
You work too hard.
You're a sick man.
William, come over here and sit by me.
William, if we are not
allowed to sin,
maybe we could
talk theology.
You have done enough.
No man could do more.
I can't leave the court
yet, Ursula. She needs me.
Never listens to me.
Not a thought for his health.
So you talk to him,
he's your brother.
William, what do they say in Paris
about the Pope's call for holy war?
Many welcome it.
Why must we talk
about war?
Tell us your nice
news, William.
Are you married yet?
Not yet.
Mary, would you leave
William alone, please?
Sweet, sit.
Grace?
Oh, Lord,
provider of all things,
we offer Thee
our humble thanks.
In the name
of the Holy Trinity, amen.
Amen.
More lines on my face.
Where do they come from?
Smile lines, my lady.
Smile lines?
When do I ever smile?
Now you have
smile lines, too.
ARCHDUKE CHARLES.
The beauty of Your Majesty
is dazzling to my eyes.
I am overwhelmed.
I am conquered.
I die.
Only your love,
my stattlich Elizabeth,
can restore me into life.
Your Highness
does me great honor.
Oh, Elizabeth.
How blessed am I to stand
in your fabled presence.
Ah, Elizabeth.
To speak your name
is to hear celestial music.
May that sweet sound
guide me through my life
to come, Elizabeth.
I have traveled here
to this illustrious court
in the hope that
our two great nations
might be
joined in love.
He interests me.
Talk to him.
Him, my lady?
Him.
I adore the natives you brought. I
don't suppose you could get one for me.
They're not
dangerous, are they?
That depends on what you
propose to do with them.
I'd dress him up in
mulberry colored silk,
and have him walk behind
me, carrying my cloak.
I have a secret,
my dear.
I pretend there's
a pane of glass,
eine Glasscheibe
between me and them.
They can see me,
but they cannot touch me.
You should try it.
Majesty, I am...
It is something,
after all,
to take a blank on the map
and build there a shining city.
Which you will no doubt
name after yourself.
No doubt.
May I ask
a question in return?
Of course.
How am I to win
the Queers favor?
Why should I tell you that?
I've little enough to offer,
but whatever I have to give,
ask, and it's yours.
Say what you mean to say
as plainly as possible.
All men flatter the Queen
in hope of advancement.
Pay her the compliment
of truth.
I don't even know
your name.
Elizabeth Throckmorton.
A second
Elizabeth?
Everyone calls me Bess.
Your most serene Majesty,
bright star of our firmament,
we present our humble masque
of the heavenly spheres.
His Highness is tired
after his long journey.
No man
can become tired
in the presence of
so lovely a queen.
His Highness, the Archduke informs
me that my charms overwhelm him.
He will retire to his
private chambers to rest.
I don't want him hurt
by your schemes.
So how should
we proceed?
Perhaps we should
all retire.
I suspect him of being
a professional charmer.
Am I right?
He is certainly
charming, my lady.
Well, there are
duller professions.
You like him, don't you?
He's a man that lives in a
world far beyond the court.
It's refreshing.
Well.
We shall let him
come again.
Blue.
SIR WALTER. Can you imagine
what it is to cross an ocean?
For weeks, you see nothing but
the horizon, perfect and empty.
You live in the grip of fear.
Fear of storms.
Fear of sickness on board.
Fear of the immensity.
So you must drive that fear
down deep into your belly.
Study your charts.
Watch your compass.
Pray for a fair wind.
And hope,
pure,
naked,
fragile
hope.
Majesty, the Archduke
and court are waiting.
Let them wait.
Go on, Mr. Raleigh.
You were hoping.
At first, it's no more
than a haze on the horizon.
So you watch.
You watch.
Then it's a smudge,
a shadow on the far water.
For a day.
For another day.
The stain slowly spreads
along the horizon taking form,
until on the third day,
you let yourself believe.
You dare to whisper
the word.
Land.
Land.
Life.
Resurrection.
The true adventure.
Coming out of
the vast unknown,
out of the immensity,
into new life.
That,
Your Majesty,
is the New World.
I like
your immensities.
Your ocean is an image
of eternity, I think.
Such great spaces
make us small.
Do we discover the
New World, Mr. Raleigh,
or does the New World
discover us?
You speak like
a true explorer.
I like you,
Mr. Raleigh.
And I like you.
You know, of course, that when
I like a man, I reward him.
I have heard that.
And what have you
to say about it?
Reward my mission,
Majesty, not me.
Is the mission
not the man?
Then you leave me free
to like you in return.
Go on.
I think it must be hard
for so great a queen
to know the simple pleasure
of being liked for herself.
Now you grow dull.
Come on!
Mine.
You have
the stronger horse.
Yours carries
the lighter load.
No.
The Queen does not
give way to others.
Whoa! Whoa!
Forgive me, Majesty. My horse
doesn't seem to know his place yet.
Have you ever known
your place, Mr. Raleigh?
Oh, come on!
It's from her.
Mary Stuart is the heart
and soul of our enterprise.
Make sure she
and only she reads this.
We wait for her order.
The order
must be given clearly.
The jailer, madam.
My noble jailer.
Am I a danger to England
even when I pray?
As always, ma'am, my
concern is for your safety.
I pray for
my cousin Elizabeth.
Do you think
she prays for me?
Is it true
that I've never known the
pleasure of being liked for myself?
I hope you believe I like
you for yourself, my lady.
Is anyone ever liked simply
for themselves? I doubt it.
Are you?
Men like you
because you're pretty,
and because you have
the ear of the Queen.
No doubt.
Him, too.
He likes you because
he wants my favor.
You do realize that.
Yes, my lady.
And the other thing,
too, of course.
But then,
all men want that.
Male desire
confers no distinction.
Oh, I envy you, Bess.
You're free to have
what I cannot have.
You're my adventurer.
Thank you for coming.
You mustrt send
letters to the palace.
You know what would
happen if I was caught.
I need your help.
More money?
No.
My father doesn't want
to hide like this anymore.
Of course.
We both want to get back
into favor with the court.
That's impossible.
You know that
you're Papists.
Why impossible?
Everyone at court has a Papist
somewhere in their family.
Francis.
Just as you have.
Speak to the Queen.
You are her favorite.
My father and I
will embrace the new faith.
Cousin Bess.
No.
We have known each other all our lives.
I would do nothing
to harm you.
Why can't you help us?
They will kill us!
Oh. Do not tease me,
Mr. Raleigh.
There's nothing
I'd like to do more.
So why don't you?
All right, then. I will.
You see? You lie.
You don't want me on your
ship at all. You're a liar.
Bess. Would you
like to go to sea?
I'm afraid
that's not possible.
Women bring bad luck
on board ship.
Do they?
Lock up a hundred men in a
space smaller than this room
for months at a time.
Men have needs.
A beautiful woman
would drive us all mad.
Men have needs?
Let them stay on land
and see to their needs.
Mr. Raleigh is eager to sail
away to his maiden colony.
We must persuade him to stay a
little longer. Mustrt we, ladies?
Bess?
No!
Wait! What do you want?
Who are you?
Let me go, damn it!
Who the hell are you?
If you won't assist me,
perhaps your father will.
No.
Enough.
Enough.
Enough.
Yes?
You cannot
save England now.
The Enterprise
has begun.
Ambassador?
What do you know of the
Enterprise of England?
The Enterprise? Forgive me,
Majesty, I'm not familiar...
Two armies landing on the
coasts of Sussex and Norfolk.
Mary Stuart is to be set free
and placed on the English throne,
and I am to be
assassinated.
Does any of this
sound familiar?
I know nothing
of any invasion plans...
Well, I refer to this plan
as the Enterprise of England,
it should more accurately be
called la Empresa de Inglaterra
because it is
a Spanish plan.
The plan of my
one-time brother-in-law,
your king,
to attack my country.
Your country? It is my
country that is under attack.
Your so-called piratas, your pirates
attack our merchant ships daily.
And you... You think we don't
know where the orders come from?
The whole world knows these
pirates sail up the Thames,
all the way
to your royal bed.
You will leave
my presence, sir.
Go back to your rat hole.
Tell Philip I fear neither him,
nor his priests, nor his armies.
Tell him if he wants to shake
his little fist at us,
we're ready to give him
such a bite,
he'll wish he'd kept his hands
in his pockets.
You see a leaf fall and you think
you know which way the wind blows.
Well, there is
a wind coming, madam,
that will sweep away
your pride.
I, too, can command
the wind, sir!
I have a hurricane in me that will
strip Spain bare if you dare to try me!
What are you staring at?
Lower your eyes.
I am the Queen!
You are not my equal, sir,
and you never will be!
DR. DEE. The alignments of the
planets is most unusual this year.
Mars is due to take
the ascendant
three days after the anniversary
of Your Majesty's birth.
And also on that day,
there is a full moon,
which governs the fortune of
all princes of the female gender.
Princes of the
female gender.
I mean to say, a prince
who is also a woman.
Yes, Dr. Dee,
I am following you.
What does it mean?
It means the rise of a great empire,
Majesty, and the fall of another.
Convulsions.
Which empire is to rise
and which is to fall?
That I cannot say,
Majesty.
Astrology is, as yet,
more an art than a science.
Nothing more, Dr. Dee?
No more specific calamities
we can guard against?
He means,
will I be assassinated?
Walsingham, would you
leave us for a moment?
And the private life of this
prince of the female gender,
what do the stars
foretell there?
These are matters
of state, Majesty.
Surely the stars foretell
matters of state, Dr. Dee.
For such a prediction I must
look in a different chart.
Wonderful.
Such strength.
You will need all your
strength in the days to come.
But you doubt yourself,
my child.
I have not seen fear in your
face for such a long time.
Have I reason to fear?
Something has
weakened you.
There are
hard days coming.
But I am no prophet.
I see no more than
the shadows of ghosts.
Visitor, sir.
Sorry to come
aboard your ship
without permission,
Mr. Raleigh.
Welcome aboard.
The Queen wishes
to see you.
She asks me
to assure you...
I need
no assurances, Bess.
I'm no courtier.
Never have been.
Then you should
say so in person.
This is
my life, Bess.
This is where
I belong.
It seems to be
a Ionely life.
Sometimes. But it's
the life I've chosen.
I understand.
You ask permission to go.
Yes, Majesty.
You plan to return
to your colony
for two, maybe three,
four years.
If Your Majesty grants me
your royal warrant.
That is a long time.
There's nothing
for me here.
At sea, I know what I'm
to do. I know the risks.
Here...
No. You're wrong.
You're needed here.
As captain of my
personal guard.
Captain of your guard?
Kneel.
Majesty.
I said, kneel.
Sir Walter Raleigh.
Well, you may express
your gratitude.
This is too great an honor.
If it's so great an honor, why
are you staring at your boots?
You know why.
Now you stare
at the wall.
Am I so hideous you can't
even look me in the face?
Why do you speak
like a fool
when you are anything
but a fool?
Fool?
Yes, I am a vain
and foolish woman.
And you, you...
You come here
as if from another time.
And I've...
You have real adventures. You
go where the maps end. And I'd...
I would follow you there
if I could. Believe me.
The storm clouds are
gathering. You are needed here.
You cannot leave England.
"For he that will save
his life will lose it.
"And he that will lose his life
for my sake shall find it. "
Lord be with us
as the end approaches.
We will not fear the coming
of the shadow of death.
Sorry, I didn't mean
to disturb you.
I thought I prayed
in silence.
You did.
Excuse me, sir.
I must go to the Queen.
The man who was
hanged today...
He was your cousin.
Yes.
I'm sorry.
The last time
I saw him,
he needed my help.
I did nothing.
What could
you have done?
I don't know.
Now he's dead.
I keep seeing his face.
I keep seeing his eyes.
Believe me, there's nothing that you
could have done that would have spared him.
I'm so afraid.
We're all human, Bess.
We do what we can.
PAULET. Your laundress was found to
be carrying letters in her washing.
Not her job, I think.
How am I to send
my intimate letters?
Through me.
And you will read them.
With respectful
admiration.
Am I to have
no privacy?
No.
You disappoint me, sir.
The Queen orders these
measures for your protection.
The Queen?
I am a queen.
They call her
the Virgin Queen.
Why is that, sir?
Can it be that no man
will have her?
Let him
throw you round.
Be bold. Come on,
you can trust him.
And jump.
When I bend like this, you
take a leap into the air.
The Volta.
I require all my ladies
to learn it.
You see
how fearless Bess is?
You like your ladies
to jump at your command.
Do you think
that wrong?
No. You are the Queen.
You are to be obeyed.
To tell you
the truth,
I'm very, very tired of
always being in control.
Nonsense.
What?
You eat and
drink control.
Is that so?
Bess.
You should try a dance
with Sir Walter.
He's eager
to show us his skill.
No skill at all, Majesty.
I don't know the steps.
Come now.
You stand
like this,
with your hands here.
And when she jumps,
on the fifth step,
you lift her.
What could be simpler?
Take your position,
Sir Walter.
I am to be obeyed.
As Your Majesty
wishes.
Hold her firmly.
I don't want her dropped.
Play.
Six counts.
One, two, three,
and lift, down.
Leave us.
I want both of them
left alone.
Madam.
I must reply.
"If our forces
are in readiness,
"both within and without
the realm,
"then your Queen commands you
to set the gentlemen to work."
I think we have it.
Yes.
Let God's
work begin.
Where have you been?
I met up
with some old friends.
From Paris, no doubt.
We haven't
seen you for days.
Yes.
Now you're back.
Do you know, I can still
remember the day you were born.
I was 11 years old.
And you,
this helpless bundle.
I looked at you
in your crib,
with your little,
wrinkled face,
and I loved you
from the first.
I've failed you,
haven't I?
Forgive me if I haven't
loved you enough.
Did you imagine
I wouldn't know?
Your blessing,
Majesty. My little one.
Your blessing?
Walk on.
The Queen is at her prayers.
Go!
Elizabeth is a whore! Mary
Stuart is our true queen!
Elizabeth!
Whore!
You bring news?
The Queen
has been attacked.
The assassin seized.
The Queen
unarmed.
Unarmed?
And you, ma'am, are to
be tried for treason.
Me?
What has any of this
to do with me?
That's the trouble
with intrigues, isn't it?
With so many secrets,
you can never quite be sure who's
on whose side till the game ends.
Walsingham has every
letter you've written.
Traitor.
Traitors!
Ready to die,
I see, Jesuit.
I have done what
I was sent to do.
Why was the gun
not loaded?
I need your help.
I, too,
have failed, brother.
What was the Jesuit
sent to do?
I told you everything I know.
So kill me.
There's a better world
waiting for me.
We'll all be judged
in the end, brother.
Even you.
William, you're
not a martyr.
You werert even
much of a murderer.
I'm going to have you
taken to France.
No one will know.
You must never let me
hear of you again.
Francis.
Francis!
Francis.
I've never seen her
so distressed.
She's been alone in her room
since morning. She'll see no one.
Has she asked for me?
No.
But she needs you.
I know she does.
Go to her.
Please.
Are you here to tell me
I must murder a queen?
I would never presume to
tell my Queen what to do.
Only you know
where your duty lies.
Was it my father's duty
to murder my mother?
She was a queen
for a time.
Oh, I would be loath to
die so bloody a death.
Since when were you
so afraid?
I'm always afraid.
Kill a queen,
and all queens are mortal.
We mortals have
many weaknesses.
We feel too much.
Hurt too much.
All too soon we die.
But we do have
the chance of love.
Do we?
I have given
England my life.
Must she also
have my soul?
WALSINGHAM.
Mary Stuart must die!
Must? Mary Stuart must die?
Where is it written? Who
says so? Have I ordered it?
Majesty, this is
no time for mercy.
Don't preach at me,
old man!
Look at you.
You can hardly stand.
Go home to your wife
and your bed.
The law must
have its way.
By whose authority
do you condemn me?
God is my only judge.
The law is for common
men. Not for princes.
The law, Your Majesty, is for
the protection of your people.
Leave me.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
MARY STUART. You know neither
who you are or what you do.
I know who I am.
And if I die, it shall
be as I have lived.
As a queen,
trusting in the mercy
of God, my Father.
At which hour?
At 8:00.
Tomorrow morning.
It must be stopped!
I want it stopped!
I forgive you
with all my heart.
WALSINGHAM.
Forgive me, Majesty.
I have failed you.
How have you failed me?
What am I
to forgive you for?
Philip of Spain
is a God-fearing man
who cannot declare war
without a just cause.
I intercepted every letter
Mary Stuart secretly dispatched,
but failed to see that Spain
knew I was reading them.
They waited for her
to write the words
that would, in my eyes,
confirm her treason.
Forgive me.
I am trapped
in my own web.
And I ordered
Mary's execution.
I murdered God's
anointed Queen.
And now God's most dutiful son
makes holy war to punish me.
We are at war.
Who knows when
we will meet again?
If we will meet again.
If England falls, my last days
will be in a Spanish prison.
To die far from home.
That is the
Ioneliest death.
Never.
My thoughts
turn dark.
What do you do
in a storm
when you're facing
your death?
The closer
I come to death,
the more
I want to live,
the hungrier
I am for life.
Yes. To live
right to the end.
Why be afraid of tomorrow
when today is all we have?
I wish...
I have never known
a woman like you.
In some other world,
in some other time,
could you have
loved me?
I know only
one world.
And in this world,
I have loved you.
There's something
you could do for me,
something I have not
known for a very long time.
If you felt
so inclined.
But it's not to be
spoken of afterward.
It must be forgotten.
But just for now...
A kiss?
I die.
I've given
Drake the orders
to prepare the fleet
to defend the Channel.
How soon can you
join him?
We're waiting for supplies. We can
move as soon as we're ready and armed.
Good.
Bess.
I have something
to tell you.
I ask for nothing.
Is that understood?
Your life is your own.
Nothing will change.
What is this?
I am...
You're with child.
No one knows.
My plans are made.
I shall ask the Queen for
permission to leave court.
Where will you go?
To my
mother's house.
I'm a ward of the Queen. I can't
court a man without her permission.
I can't marry
without her permission.
As for having a child,
your child...
All I know
is nothing's as it should be.
Please, listen.
You once said to me, "Whatever I
have to give, ask and it's yours."
Do you remember?
Of course, I remember.
I ask that you
forget me.
Go to your ship.
Do your duty.
Forget me.
Bess!
We're summoned.
Coming.
This Spanish Armada is at sea
with an army of 10,000 men?
And Philip's friend,
the Duke of Parma,
has 15,000 men
on the French coast.
They plan to cross the Channel in
barges and sail into the Thames.
They don't have enough barges
yet. We have a little time.
And our forces defend the mouth
of the Thames at Tilbury with...
What? How...
Four thousand men?
Three thousand.
Possibly.
If the Spanish fleet
unites the barges,
their combined strength
will overwhelm us.
Then we shall
engage them at sea,
before they have
the chance to unite.
Your Majesty,
this vast Armada will surely
smash through our naval defenses
and overrun
us on land.
We must prepare
for the worst.
I need air.
SIR WALTER. With this ring, I thee wed.
BESS. With this ring,
I thee wed.
With my body,
I thee worship.
With my body,
I thee worship.
And with all my worldly
goods, I thee endow.
And with all my worldly
goods, I thee endow.
In the name
of the Father
and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost, amen.
Bess!
Bess!
Bess Throckmorton!
Here, my lady.
Tell me,
is it true?
Are you with child?
Are you with child?
Yes, my lady.
You traitress.
You dare to keep
secrets from me?
You ask my permission
before you rut!
Before you breed!
My bitches wear my
collars! Do you hear me?
Do you hear me?
Majesty! Please,
dignity. Mercy.
This is no time
for mercy, Walsingham.
You go to your
traitor brother
and leave me
to my business.
Is it his?
Tell me. Say it. Is the
child his? Is it his?
Yes.
My lady, it is
my husband's child.
You bitch!
Majesty.
This is not the Queen
I love and serve.
This man has seduced
a ward of the Queen.
And she has married
without royal consent.
These offenses are
punishable by law. Arrest him!
Go!
You no longer have
the Queers protection.
As you wish,
Majesty.
Get out.
Get out! Get out!
Get out!
The fall of an empire,
you told me.
Did you mean
the English empire?
Because, by God, England will
not fall while I am Queen.
If that is your prophecy,
sir, you prophesy again.
You want me to tell
Your Majesty
only what Your Majesty
chooses to hear.
I will not be a toy
of the fates!
Have I not faced an
assassirs bullet and lived?
Just tell me
there's no certainty.
That any outcome
is possible.
The shadow of ghosts,
you said.
Please, just
give me hope.
The forces that shape our world
are greater than all of us, Majesty.
How can I promise that
they'll conspire in your favor,
even though
you are the Queen?
But this much
I know.
When the storm breaks, each man acts
in accordance with his own nature.
Some are dumb
with terror.
Some flee. Some hide.
And some
spread their wings like
eagles and soar on the wind.
You are a wise man,
Dr. Dee.
And you, madam,
are a very great lady.
Light the beacon!
My lords,
I can offer you
no words of comfort.
This Armada
that sails against us,
carries in its bowels
the Inquisition.
God forbid it succeeds,
for then there will be
no more liberty in England
of conscience or of thought.
We cannot be defeated.
The bells are to ring
from every tower.
Laborers are to leave the
fields, and take up arms.
The harvest must wait.
All prisoners
are to be released.
England is their country, too.
And release Raleigh.
He is forgiven.
As I, too,
long to be forgiven.
Let the fleet know we're
on our way, Mr. Calley!
Fire broadside
from the bow!
Run out the prime!
From the starboard bow,
number one gun!
On my mark!
Discharge! Two!
Three! Four!
Majesty, the enemy
has been engaged.
What news?
A brave action,
Your Majesty.
Two ships lost.
With what gain?
The enemy continue
to advance.
Tighten the buntlines
on the foresail!
Another four
ships lost.
We must continue to engage
and harass the enemy.
We're outgunned,
Drake. Decisively.
We're losing too many ships. We
must fall back and defend the coast.
If the wind
is with us, Walter,
we can attack them
with fire ships.
Six fire ships
into the Spanish formation,
that may force
them to scatter.
We can't get
anywhere near them.
We have to break their
formation. That's our only chance.
The Spanish are barely
a day away, Majesty.
We must withdraw
to safe ground.
I beg you to appreciate the gravity of
the situation. There is very little time.
My loving people.
We see the sails
of the enemy approaching.
We hear the Spanish guns
over the water.
Soon now, we will
meet them face to face.
I am resolved in the midst
and heat of the battle
to live or die
amongst you all!
While we stand together,
no invader shall pass.
Let them come with the armies
of hell! They will not pass!
And when this day
of battle is ended,
we meet again in heaven
or on the field of victory.
Thomas! Get up!
Get up, man! Get up!
Help me!
Somebody, help me!
Help me!
They've dropped anchor.
These Spanish monsters can't
handle our English seas.
We have the wind
in our favor.
Do we go?
We go.
Godspeed, my friend.
Walter?
Don't forget to jump.
Calley!
Enough tar!
Clear the deck!
If that cannors primed,
set the fuse!
Get everybody
off the ship, now!
Get off the ship! Off the ship! Go!
Get over there!
Come on, boys!
Get going!
The Spanish
continue to advance.
Just five of their ships
are burning.
Not enough.
Amen.
Francis?
I have served Your Majesty
in all things.
I know it.
You won't need me anymore.
You rest here,
old friend.
Elizabeth has a son.
You must be proud.
Very.
And fulfilled.
As any man can be.
Do you still dream of your
shining city in the New World?
Always.
I'd like to give
your son my blessing.
I'd be honored.
ELIZABETH. I am called
the Virgin Queen.
Unmarried,
I have no master.
Childless,
I am mother to my people.
God give me strength
to bear this mighty freedom.
I am your Queen.
I am myself.
among the people, Majesty?
I tell you plainly,
you will be murdered.
Every Catholic in England
is a potential assassin!
Be warned
by the atrocities in France.
We know the Catholics take
their orders from Spain.
The Spanish speak
openly of Mary Stuart
as Queen of England
in waiting.
Their loyalty is to
the Pope in Rome!
How many Catholics
are there in England, sir?
Immense numbers,
Majesty.
Half the nation cling
to the old superstitions.
What would you have me do?
Hang half the people of
England or just imprison them?
We must act, Majesty.
Our inaction is perceived as weakness.
If my people break the law,
they shall be punished.
Until that day,
they shall be protected.
Majesty, we have proven reason
to fear every Catholic in the...
Fear creates fear.
I am not ignorant
of the dangers, sir.
But I will not punish my
people for their beliefs.
Only for their deeds.
I am assured that the people
of England love their Queen.
My constant endeavor
is to earn that love.
My Queen.
Our friends write
to give us hope.
Soon England's
true believers will rise up
against the bastard
usurper Elizabeth
and slit her throat.
That's enough!
Slit her throat? Please.
And when that bastard usurper
is dead, my lady will be queen.
Your bishops are preaching that
God is showing his displeasure
because the Queen
is still unmarried,
some rudely
suggesting infertile.
What nonsense.
Dangerous nonsense.
Mary Stuart has a son.
Why does everyone
torment me with Mary Stuart?
It's not her fault she's
next in line to the throne.
Don't hide your face.
So long as you
have no issue.
If you were
to produce an heir,
there'd be no more talk
of Mary, Queen of Scots.
I've heard it's customary to obtain
a husband before producing an heir.
We shall have to hunt out a
husband for you soon, Bess.
Not too soon,
my lady.
There are husbands
to be had.
You don't want
to be married?
I'll want to be married
if I want the man...
Austria. France.
Turkey. Turkey has a sultan.
China has an emperor.
I confine myself
to the possible.
That's where you and I
differ, Walsingham.
I find the impossible
far more interesting.
What kind of man
would you want?
An honest man
with friendly eyes.
And good legs.
And sweet breath.
So you can kiss him
without choking.
There must be
any amount of princes
in the undiscovered lands
across the sea.
Find me an honest one
of those.
Since when do we discuss
private matters in public spaces?
I ask Your Majesty's
forgiveness.
Have my doctors confirm that
the Queen is still fertile.
The people need
to be reassured.
I care
for your safety.
The threats to your
person are real.
You know very well
if I fall,
you'll all come
tumbling down after me.
The sea wall at Dover
is cracking, Francis.
We have no money
to rebuild our defenses.
Turn your mind
to that threat.
May we have wisdom not to
fear shadows in the night.
And courage when the day
of danger truly dawns.
My time has come,
Majesty.
Send me back to England
to begin God's work.
Your Majesty.
Guards!
Take hold of him!
A puddle in the way,
Majesty.
A puddle.
Puddle.
You'll have to see
the Lord Chamberlain, sir.
Which one is he?
He's over there.
You can't come in.
So how am I to see him
if you won't let me through?
You must wait for him
to come out.
And when will he
come out?
There's no way
of knowing that.
I had less trouble than
this boarding a Spanish ship.
What if enemy ships should sail up
the Thames, can the docks be closed?
Not closed, Majesty.
But the gun positions...
Spanish...
Ambassador.
King Eric of Sweden,
Majesty.
Not again.
Still madly in love with you.
Still mad, you mean.
Ivan, Tsar
of all the Russias.
Where's Bess?
Known as
"Ivan the Terrible," Majesty.
Late.
I beg
Your Majesty's forgiveness.
Given.
Once.
The Archduke
Charles of Austria, Majesty.
The puddle man
is outside, Majesty.
My suitors.
Younger brother to Maximilian
II, Holy Roman Emperor.
Cousin of Philip of Spain.
Wealthy.
He's rather handsome.
How old is he?
Young,
I believe, Majesty.
An Austrian alliance
would keep France quiet.
And put Philip on a leash.
I've become
almost enthusiastic.
Send for him.
Danke schon.
How much longer do you think
I can play this game, Francis?
Virginity is an asset
that holds its value well.
Walter Raleigh, Majesty.
Your Majesty, this man
is a notorious pirate.
Spanish gold stolen from Spanish
ships, attacked without provocation.
Well, sir, what do you want?
I have just returned
from the New World, Majesty.
I have claimed the
fertile coast in your name
and called it Virginia
in honor
of our Virgin Queen.
Virginia?
And when I marry, will you
change the name to Conjugia?
I ask your gracious
permission, Majesty,
to return to the New World
with your royal warrant
to found a colony under the
laws and protections of England.
He wants money.
Who are they?
Natives of the
Americas, Majesty.
Have they no ruler
of their own?
None to match
England's Queen.
These gentlemen
are welcome.
See that they
are treated well.
I also come bearing
gifts for Your Majesty.
These gifts, Majesty,
are the fruits of piracy,
the true property
of the realm of Spain.
Let's see, shall we?
What have you brought me?
Patata, Majesty.
You eat it.
Very nourishing.
Tobacco.
You breathe its smoke.
Very stimulating.
Gold.
Courtesy of a Spanish ship that found
itself unable to complete its journey.
Forgive me, Majesty.
I find the air
has become stale.
I am sensitive to the
smell of open sewers.
I cannot accept the fruits
of piracy, Mr. Raleigh.
Philip of Spain is no friend
of England, Majesty.
The more gold I take from him,
the safer you will be.
Well, well.
A political pirate.
And Your Majesty's
most loyal subject.
Welcome home, Mr. Raleigh.
Lord Howard, the docks.
Master Raleigh.
You eat it...
You traitor!
Judas!
You're Walsingham's pawn!
Don't do this!
I didn't say anything!
You're a
Protestant traitor!
Don't do it! Don't!
Don't!
Hold his head!
You Judas! You Judas!
Stop!
You Judas!
The traitor's dead.
We must act!
Why do we not strike?
What are we waiting for?
You wait for my order.
Walsingham knows too much
already. One traitor is dead.
Who can I trust now?
There's a visitor
waiting, sir.
William.
Hello, Francis.
You've always been a fellow
who delighted in surprises.
You look well,
Francis.
Well, you look dreadful.
They're not feeding you in Paris.
You can't learn the secrets of
the universe on an empty stomach.
Then she my heart beguiled
Mary. William.
Supper is ready.
William.
Have you spoken
to the Queen?
I speak
with the Queen daily.
You work too hard.
You're a sick man.
William, come over here and sit by me.
William, if we are not
allowed to sin,
maybe we could
talk theology.
You have done enough.
No man could do more.
I can't leave the court
yet, Ursula. She needs me.
Never listens to me.
Not a thought for his health.
So you talk to him,
he's your brother.
William, what do they say in Paris
about the Pope's call for holy war?
Many welcome it.
Why must we talk
about war?
Tell us your nice
news, William.
Are you married yet?
Not yet.
Mary, would you leave
William alone, please?
Sweet, sit.
Grace?
Oh, Lord,
provider of all things,
we offer Thee
our humble thanks.
In the name
of the Holy Trinity, amen.
Amen.
More lines on my face.
Where do they come from?
Smile lines, my lady.
Smile lines?
When do I ever smile?
Now you have
smile lines, too.
ARCHDUKE CHARLES.
The beauty of Your Majesty
is dazzling to my eyes.
I am overwhelmed.
I am conquered.
I die.
Only your love,
my stattlich Elizabeth,
can restore me into life.
Your Highness
does me great honor.
Oh, Elizabeth.
How blessed am I to stand
in your fabled presence.
Ah, Elizabeth.
To speak your name
is to hear celestial music.
May that sweet sound
guide me through my life
to come, Elizabeth.
I have traveled here
to this illustrious court
in the hope that
our two great nations
might be
joined in love.
He interests me.
Talk to him.
Him, my lady?
Him.
I adore the natives you brought. I
don't suppose you could get one for me.
They're not
dangerous, are they?
That depends on what you
propose to do with them.
I'd dress him up in
mulberry colored silk,
and have him walk behind
me, carrying my cloak.
I have a secret,
my dear.
I pretend there's
a pane of glass,
eine Glasscheibe
between me and them.
They can see me,
but they cannot touch me.
You should try it.
Majesty, I am...
It is something,
after all,
to take a blank on the map
and build there a shining city.
Which you will no doubt
name after yourself.
No doubt.
May I ask
a question in return?
Of course.
How am I to win
the Queers favor?
Why should I tell you that?
I've little enough to offer,
but whatever I have to give,
ask, and it's yours.
Say what you mean to say
as plainly as possible.
All men flatter the Queen
in hope of advancement.
Pay her the compliment
of truth.
I don't even know
your name.
Elizabeth Throckmorton.
A second
Elizabeth?
Everyone calls me Bess.
Your most serene Majesty,
bright star of our firmament,
we present our humble masque
of the heavenly spheres.
His Highness is tired
after his long journey.
No man
can become tired
in the presence of
so lovely a queen.
His Highness, the Archduke informs
me that my charms overwhelm him.
He will retire to his
private chambers to rest.
I don't want him hurt
by your schemes.
So how should
we proceed?
Perhaps we should
all retire.
I suspect him of being
a professional charmer.
Am I right?
He is certainly
charming, my lady.
Well, there are
duller professions.
You like him, don't you?
He's a man that lives in a
world far beyond the court.
It's refreshing.
Well.
We shall let him
come again.
Blue.
SIR WALTER. Can you imagine
what it is to cross an ocean?
For weeks, you see nothing but
the horizon, perfect and empty.
You live in the grip of fear.
Fear of storms.
Fear of sickness on board.
Fear of the immensity.
So you must drive that fear
down deep into your belly.
Study your charts.
Watch your compass.
Pray for a fair wind.
And hope,
pure,
naked,
fragile
hope.
Majesty, the Archduke
and court are waiting.
Let them wait.
Go on, Mr. Raleigh.
You were hoping.
At first, it's no more
than a haze on the horizon.
So you watch.
You watch.
Then it's a smudge,
a shadow on the far water.
For a day.
For another day.
The stain slowly spreads
along the horizon taking form,
until on the third day,
you let yourself believe.
You dare to whisper
the word.
Land.
Land.
Life.
Resurrection.
The true adventure.
Coming out of
the vast unknown,
out of the immensity,
into new life.
That,
Your Majesty,
is the New World.
I like
your immensities.
Your ocean is an image
of eternity, I think.
Such great spaces
make us small.
Do we discover the
New World, Mr. Raleigh,
or does the New World
discover us?
You speak like
a true explorer.
I like you,
Mr. Raleigh.
And I like you.
You know, of course, that when
I like a man, I reward him.
I have heard that.
And what have you
to say about it?
Reward my mission,
Majesty, not me.
Is the mission
not the man?
Then you leave me free
to like you in return.
Go on.
I think it must be hard
for so great a queen
to know the simple pleasure
of being liked for herself.
Now you grow dull.
Come on!
Mine.
You have
the stronger horse.
Yours carries
the lighter load.
No.
The Queen does not
give way to others.
Whoa! Whoa!
Forgive me, Majesty. My horse
doesn't seem to know his place yet.
Have you ever known
your place, Mr. Raleigh?
Oh, come on!
It's from her.
Mary Stuart is the heart
and soul of our enterprise.
Make sure she
and only she reads this.
We wait for her order.
The order
must be given clearly.
The jailer, madam.
My noble jailer.
Am I a danger to England
even when I pray?
As always, ma'am, my
concern is for your safety.
I pray for
my cousin Elizabeth.
Do you think
she prays for me?
Is it true
that I've never known the
pleasure of being liked for myself?
I hope you believe I like
you for yourself, my lady.
Is anyone ever liked simply
for themselves? I doubt it.
Are you?
Men like you
because you're pretty,
and because you have
the ear of the Queen.
No doubt.
Him, too.
He likes you because
he wants my favor.
You do realize that.
Yes, my lady.
And the other thing,
too, of course.
But then,
all men want that.
Male desire
confers no distinction.
Oh, I envy you, Bess.
You're free to have
what I cannot have.
You're my adventurer.
Thank you for coming.
You mustrt send
letters to the palace.
You know what would
happen if I was caught.
I need your help.
More money?
No.
My father doesn't want
to hide like this anymore.
Of course.
We both want to get back
into favor with the court.
That's impossible.
You know that
you're Papists.
Why impossible?
Everyone at court has a Papist
somewhere in their family.
Francis.
Just as you have.
Speak to the Queen.
You are her favorite.
My father and I
will embrace the new faith.
Cousin Bess.
No.
We have known each other all our lives.
I would do nothing
to harm you.
Why can't you help us?
They will kill us!
Oh. Do not tease me,
Mr. Raleigh.
There's nothing
I'd like to do more.
So why don't you?
All right, then. I will.
You see? You lie.
You don't want me on your
ship at all. You're a liar.
Bess. Would you
like to go to sea?
I'm afraid
that's not possible.
Women bring bad luck
on board ship.
Do they?
Lock up a hundred men in a
space smaller than this room
for months at a time.
Men have needs.
A beautiful woman
would drive us all mad.
Men have needs?
Let them stay on land
and see to their needs.
Mr. Raleigh is eager to sail
away to his maiden colony.
We must persuade him to stay a
little longer. Mustrt we, ladies?
Bess?
No!
Wait! What do you want?
Who are you?
Let me go, damn it!
Who the hell are you?
If you won't assist me,
perhaps your father will.
No.
Enough.
Enough.
Enough.
Yes?
You cannot
save England now.
The Enterprise
has begun.
Ambassador?
What do you know of the
Enterprise of England?
The Enterprise? Forgive me,
Majesty, I'm not familiar...
Two armies landing on the
coasts of Sussex and Norfolk.
Mary Stuart is to be set free
and placed on the English throne,
and I am to be
assassinated.
Does any of this
sound familiar?
I know nothing
of any invasion plans...
Well, I refer to this plan
as the Enterprise of England,
it should more accurately be
called la Empresa de Inglaterra
because it is
a Spanish plan.
The plan of my
one-time brother-in-law,
your king,
to attack my country.
Your country? It is my
country that is under attack.
Your so-called piratas, your pirates
attack our merchant ships daily.
And you... You think we don't
know where the orders come from?
The whole world knows these
pirates sail up the Thames,
all the way
to your royal bed.
You will leave
my presence, sir.
Go back to your rat hole.
Tell Philip I fear neither him,
nor his priests, nor his armies.
Tell him if he wants to shake
his little fist at us,
we're ready to give him
such a bite,
he'll wish he'd kept his hands
in his pockets.
You see a leaf fall and you think
you know which way the wind blows.
Well, there is
a wind coming, madam,
that will sweep away
your pride.
I, too, can command
the wind, sir!
I have a hurricane in me that will
strip Spain bare if you dare to try me!
What are you staring at?
Lower your eyes.
I am the Queen!
You are not my equal, sir,
and you never will be!
DR. DEE. The alignments of the
planets is most unusual this year.
Mars is due to take
the ascendant
three days after the anniversary
of Your Majesty's birth.
And also on that day,
there is a full moon,
which governs the fortune of
all princes of the female gender.
Princes of the
female gender.
I mean to say, a prince
who is also a woman.
Yes, Dr. Dee,
I am following you.
What does it mean?
It means the rise of a great empire,
Majesty, and the fall of another.
Convulsions.
Which empire is to rise
and which is to fall?
That I cannot say,
Majesty.
Astrology is, as yet,
more an art than a science.
Nothing more, Dr. Dee?
No more specific calamities
we can guard against?
He means,
will I be assassinated?
Walsingham, would you
leave us for a moment?
And the private life of this
prince of the female gender,
what do the stars
foretell there?
These are matters
of state, Majesty.
Surely the stars foretell
matters of state, Dr. Dee.
For such a prediction I must
look in a different chart.
Wonderful.
Such strength.
You will need all your
strength in the days to come.
But you doubt yourself,
my child.
I have not seen fear in your
face for such a long time.
Have I reason to fear?
Something has
weakened you.
There are
hard days coming.
But I am no prophet.
I see no more than
the shadows of ghosts.
Visitor, sir.
Sorry to come
aboard your ship
without permission,
Mr. Raleigh.
Welcome aboard.
The Queen wishes
to see you.
She asks me
to assure you...
I need
no assurances, Bess.
I'm no courtier.
Never have been.
Then you should
say so in person.
This is
my life, Bess.
This is where
I belong.
It seems to be
a Ionely life.
Sometimes. But it's
the life I've chosen.
I understand.
You ask permission to go.
Yes, Majesty.
You plan to return
to your colony
for two, maybe three,
four years.
If Your Majesty grants me
your royal warrant.
That is a long time.
There's nothing
for me here.
At sea, I know what I'm
to do. I know the risks.
Here...
No. You're wrong.
You're needed here.
As captain of my
personal guard.
Captain of your guard?
Kneel.
Majesty.
I said, kneel.
Sir Walter Raleigh.
Well, you may express
your gratitude.
This is too great an honor.
If it's so great an honor, why
are you staring at your boots?
You know why.
Now you stare
at the wall.
Am I so hideous you can't
even look me in the face?
Why do you speak
like a fool
when you are anything
but a fool?
Fool?
Yes, I am a vain
and foolish woman.
And you, you...
You come here
as if from another time.
And I've...
You have real adventures. You
go where the maps end. And I'd...
I would follow you there
if I could. Believe me.
The storm clouds are
gathering. You are needed here.
You cannot leave England.
"For he that will save
his life will lose it.
"And he that will lose his life
for my sake shall find it. "
Lord be with us
as the end approaches.
We will not fear the coming
of the shadow of death.
Sorry, I didn't mean
to disturb you.
I thought I prayed
in silence.
You did.
Excuse me, sir.
I must go to the Queen.
The man who was
hanged today...
He was your cousin.
Yes.
I'm sorry.
The last time
I saw him,
he needed my help.
I did nothing.
What could
you have done?
I don't know.
Now he's dead.
I keep seeing his face.
I keep seeing his eyes.
Believe me, there's nothing that you
could have done that would have spared him.
I'm so afraid.
We're all human, Bess.
We do what we can.
PAULET. Your laundress was found to
be carrying letters in her washing.
Not her job, I think.
How am I to send
my intimate letters?
Through me.
And you will read them.
With respectful
admiration.
Am I to have
no privacy?
No.
You disappoint me, sir.
The Queen orders these
measures for your protection.
The Queen?
I am a queen.
They call her
the Virgin Queen.
Why is that, sir?
Can it be that no man
will have her?
Let him
throw you round.
Be bold. Come on,
you can trust him.
And jump.
When I bend like this, you
take a leap into the air.
The Volta.
I require all my ladies
to learn it.
You see
how fearless Bess is?
You like your ladies
to jump at your command.
Do you think
that wrong?
No. You are the Queen.
You are to be obeyed.
To tell you
the truth,
I'm very, very tired of
always being in control.
Nonsense.
What?
You eat and
drink control.
Is that so?
Bess.
You should try a dance
with Sir Walter.
He's eager
to show us his skill.
No skill at all, Majesty.
I don't know the steps.
Come now.
You stand
like this,
with your hands here.
And when she jumps,
on the fifth step,
you lift her.
What could be simpler?
Take your position,
Sir Walter.
I am to be obeyed.
As Your Majesty
wishes.
Hold her firmly.
I don't want her dropped.
Play.
Six counts.
One, two, three,
and lift, down.
Leave us.
I want both of them
left alone.
Madam.
I must reply.
"If our forces
are in readiness,
"both within and without
the realm,
"then your Queen commands you
to set the gentlemen to work."
I think we have it.
Yes.
Let God's
work begin.
Where have you been?
I met up
with some old friends.
From Paris, no doubt.
We haven't
seen you for days.
Yes.
Now you're back.
Do you know, I can still
remember the day you were born.
I was 11 years old.
And you,
this helpless bundle.
I looked at you
in your crib,
with your little,
wrinkled face,
and I loved you
from the first.
I've failed you,
haven't I?
Forgive me if I haven't
loved you enough.
Did you imagine
I wouldn't know?
Your blessing,
Majesty. My little one.
Your blessing?
Walk on.
The Queen is at her prayers.
Go!
Elizabeth is a whore! Mary
Stuart is our true queen!
Elizabeth!
Whore!
You bring news?
The Queen
has been attacked.
The assassin seized.
The Queen
unarmed.
Unarmed?
And you, ma'am, are to
be tried for treason.
Me?
What has any of this
to do with me?
That's the trouble
with intrigues, isn't it?
With so many secrets,
you can never quite be sure who's
on whose side till the game ends.
Walsingham has every
letter you've written.
Traitor.
Traitors!
Ready to die,
I see, Jesuit.
I have done what
I was sent to do.
Why was the gun
not loaded?
I need your help.
I, too,
have failed, brother.
What was the Jesuit
sent to do?
I told you everything I know.
So kill me.
There's a better world
waiting for me.
We'll all be judged
in the end, brother.
Even you.
William, you're
not a martyr.
You werert even
much of a murderer.
I'm going to have you
taken to France.
No one will know.
You must never let me
hear of you again.
Francis.
Francis!
Francis.
I've never seen her
so distressed.
She's been alone in her room
since morning. She'll see no one.
Has she asked for me?
No.
But she needs you.
I know she does.
Go to her.
Please.
Are you here to tell me
I must murder a queen?
I would never presume to
tell my Queen what to do.
Only you know
where your duty lies.
Was it my father's duty
to murder my mother?
She was a queen
for a time.
Oh, I would be loath to
die so bloody a death.
Since when were you
so afraid?
I'm always afraid.
Kill a queen,
and all queens are mortal.
We mortals have
many weaknesses.
We feel too much.
Hurt too much.
All too soon we die.
But we do have
the chance of love.
Do we?
I have given
England my life.
Must she also
have my soul?
WALSINGHAM.
Mary Stuart must die!
Must? Mary Stuart must die?
Where is it written? Who
says so? Have I ordered it?
Majesty, this is
no time for mercy.
Don't preach at me,
old man!
Look at you.
You can hardly stand.
Go home to your wife
and your bed.
The law must
have its way.
By whose authority
do you condemn me?
God is my only judge.
The law is for common
men. Not for princes.
The law, Your Majesty, is for
the protection of your people.
Leave me.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
MARY STUART. You know neither
who you are or what you do.
I know who I am.
And if I die, it shall
be as I have lived.
As a queen,
trusting in the mercy
of God, my Father.
At which hour?
At 8:00.
Tomorrow morning.
It must be stopped!
I want it stopped!
I forgive you
with all my heart.
WALSINGHAM.
Forgive me, Majesty.
I have failed you.
How have you failed me?
What am I
to forgive you for?
Philip of Spain
is a God-fearing man
who cannot declare war
without a just cause.
I intercepted every letter
Mary Stuart secretly dispatched,
but failed to see that Spain
knew I was reading them.
They waited for her
to write the words
that would, in my eyes,
confirm her treason.
Forgive me.
I am trapped
in my own web.
And I ordered
Mary's execution.
I murdered God's
anointed Queen.
And now God's most dutiful son
makes holy war to punish me.
We are at war.
Who knows when
we will meet again?
If we will meet again.
If England falls, my last days
will be in a Spanish prison.
To die far from home.
That is the
Ioneliest death.
Never.
My thoughts
turn dark.
What do you do
in a storm
when you're facing
your death?
The closer
I come to death,
the more
I want to live,
the hungrier
I am for life.
Yes. To live
right to the end.
Why be afraid of tomorrow
when today is all we have?
I wish...
I have never known
a woman like you.
In some other world,
in some other time,
could you have
loved me?
I know only
one world.
And in this world,
I have loved you.
There's something
you could do for me,
something I have not
known for a very long time.
If you felt
so inclined.
But it's not to be
spoken of afterward.
It must be forgotten.
But just for now...
A kiss?
I die.
I've given
Drake the orders
to prepare the fleet
to defend the Channel.
How soon can you
join him?
We're waiting for supplies. We can
move as soon as we're ready and armed.
Good.
Bess.
I have something
to tell you.
I ask for nothing.
Is that understood?
Your life is your own.
Nothing will change.
What is this?
I am...
You're with child.
No one knows.
My plans are made.
I shall ask the Queen for
permission to leave court.
Where will you go?
To my
mother's house.
I'm a ward of the Queen. I can't
court a man without her permission.
I can't marry
without her permission.
As for having a child,
your child...
All I know
is nothing's as it should be.
Please, listen.
You once said to me, "Whatever I
have to give, ask and it's yours."
Do you remember?
Of course, I remember.
I ask that you
forget me.
Go to your ship.
Do your duty.
Forget me.
Bess!
We're summoned.
Coming.
This Spanish Armada is at sea
with an army of 10,000 men?
And Philip's friend,
the Duke of Parma,
has 15,000 men
on the French coast.
They plan to cross the Channel in
barges and sail into the Thames.
They don't have enough barges
yet. We have a little time.
And our forces defend the mouth
of the Thames at Tilbury with...
What? How...
Four thousand men?
Three thousand.
Possibly.
If the Spanish fleet
unites the barges,
their combined strength
will overwhelm us.
Then we shall
engage them at sea,
before they have
the chance to unite.
Your Majesty,
this vast Armada will surely
smash through our naval defenses
and overrun
us on land.
We must prepare
for the worst.
I need air.
SIR WALTER. With this ring, I thee wed.
BESS. With this ring,
I thee wed.
With my body,
I thee worship.
With my body,
I thee worship.
And with all my worldly
goods, I thee endow.
And with all my worldly
goods, I thee endow.
In the name
of the Father
and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost, amen.
Bess!
Bess!
Bess Throckmorton!
Here, my lady.
Tell me,
is it true?
Are you with child?
Are you with child?
Yes, my lady.
You traitress.
You dare to keep
secrets from me?
You ask my permission
before you rut!
Before you breed!
My bitches wear my
collars! Do you hear me?
Do you hear me?
Majesty! Please,
dignity. Mercy.
This is no time
for mercy, Walsingham.
You go to your
traitor brother
and leave me
to my business.
Is it his?
Tell me. Say it. Is the
child his? Is it his?
Yes.
My lady, it is
my husband's child.
You bitch!
Majesty.
This is not the Queen
I love and serve.
This man has seduced
a ward of the Queen.
And she has married
without royal consent.
These offenses are
punishable by law. Arrest him!
Go!
You no longer have
the Queers protection.
As you wish,
Majesty.
Get out.
Get out! Get out!
Get out!
The fall of an empire,
you told me.
Did you mean
the English empire?
Because, by God, England will
not fall while I am Queen.
If that is your prophecy,
sir, you prophesy again.
You want me to tell
Your Majesty
only what Your Majesty
chooses to hear.
I will not be a toy
of the fates!
Have I not faced an
assassirs bullet and lived?
Just tell me
there's no certainty.
That any outcome
is possible.
The shadow of ghosts,
you said.
Please, just
give me hope.
The forces that shape our world
are greater than all of us, Majesty.
How can I promise that
they'll conspire in your favor,
even though
you are the Queen?
But this much
I know.
When the storm breaks, each man acts
in accordance with his own nature.
Some are dumb
with terror.
Some flee. Some hide.
And some
spread their wings like
eagles and soar on the wind.
You are a wise man,
Dr. Dee.
And you, madam,
are a very great lady.
Light the beacon!
My lords,
I can offer you
no words of comfort.
This Armada
that sails against us,
carries in its bowels
the Inquisition.
God forbid it succeeds,
for then there will be
no more liberty in England
of conscience or of thought.
We cannot be defeated.
The bells are to ring
from every tower.
Laborers are to leave the
fields, and take up arms.
The harvest must wait.
All prisoners
are to be released.
England is their country, too.
And release Raleigh.
He is forgiven.
As I, too,
long to be forgiven.
Let the fleet know we're
on our way, Mr. Calley!
Fire broadside
from the bow!
Run out the prime!
From the starboard bow,
number one gun!
On my mark!
Discharge! Two!
Three! Four!
Majesty, the enemy
has been engaged.
What news?
A brave action,
Your Majesty.
Two ships lost.
With what gain?
The enemy continue
to advance.
Tighten the buntlines
on the foresail!
Another four
ships lost.
We must continue to engage
and harass the enemy.
We're outgunned,
Drake. Decisively.
We're losing too many ships. We
must fall back and defend the coast.
If the wind
is with us, Walter,
we can attack them
with fire ships.
Six fire ships
into the Spanish formation,
that may force
them to scatter.
We can't get
anywhere near them.
We have to break their
formation. That's our only chance.
The Spanish are barely
a day away, Majesty.
We must withdraw
to safe ground.
I beg you to appreciate the gravity of
the situation. There is very little time.
My loving people.
We see the sails
of the enemy approaching.
We hear the Spanish guns
over the water.
Soon now, we will
meet them face to face.
I am resolved in the midst
and heat of the battle
to live or die
amongst you all!
While we stand together,
no invader shall pass.
Let them come with the armies
of hell! They will not pass!
And when this day
of battle is ended,
we meet again in heaven
or on the field of victory.
Thomas! Get up!
Get up, man! Get up!
Help me!
Somebody, help me!
Help me!
They've dropped anchor.
These Spanish monsters can't
handle our English seas.
We have the wind
in our favor.
Do we go?
We go.
Godspeed, my friend.
Walter?
Don't forget to jump.
Calley!
Enough tar!
Clear the deck!
If that cannors primed,
set the fuse!
Get everybody
off the ship, now!
Get off the ship! Off the ship! Go!
Get over there!
Come on, boys!
Get going!
The Spanish
continue to advance.
Just five of their ships
are burning.
Not enough.
Amen.
Francis?
I have served Your Majesty
in all things.
I know it.
You won't need me anymore.
You rest here,
old friend.
Elizabeth has a son.
You must be proud.
Very.
And fulfilled.
As any man can be.
Do you still dream of your
shining city in the New World?
Always.
I'd like to give
your son my blessing.
I'd be honored.
ELIZABETH. I am called
the Virgin Queen.
Unmarried,
I have no master.
Childless,
I am mother to my people.
God give me strength
to bear this mighty freedom.
I am your Queen.
I am myself.