The Drama Queen of Scots: A Book Review

A young Mary Stewart

There has been a recent surge in interest of Scotland's infamous queen Mary Stewart. An exhibition is currently on at the national museum of Scotland, two films are currently in production about the life of Scotland's most tragic figure, as well as a TV series starting in October focusing on her years in France. After reading up the 2013 movie it was said that the book that gave the writer the most influence was a biography by playwright/biographer Stefan Zweig.

Poster for the movie version

From the moment of her birth Mary had been the centre of attention - queen at just six days old she was a coveted prize for both England and France, with Henry VIII going to war trying to procure her for his own son, Edward;an infamous struggle that became known as the rough wooing. Upon her death she was forever remembered through history as a martyr who died for her faith. Her final comment was said to be 'In my end is my beginning.' A true statement, as her memory is immortal in comparison with any other Stewart monarch before or after. Indeed, Mary's life had all the ingredients of a great drama: passion, danger, intrigue, deception, murder, and of course tragedy. Which is why she has fascinated many historians and film makers and authors over 400 years after her death.

Stefan Zweig

Zweig was of Austrian descent and has written numerous books in his lifetime, from fiction to biographies as well as theatrical work. This perhaps makes his biography of Mary Stewart a little different from others. Other biographies include Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman (1932), and Decisive Moments in History (1927).

A copy of
The Queen of Scots

The Queen of Scots was first published in 1935 as Maria Stuart and chronicled the life of Mary, focusing mostly on her time in Scotland, with a little background to her father's reign, King James V. The biography stands out as it has more of a curiosity about the personalities of the players on the "stage", and also voices the author's strong belief that Mary was already having an affair with the Earl of Bothwell before the demise of Darnley, and it was due to her dependence on Bothwell that she eventually lost her throne.

The writing style differs from other biographies in that Zweig writes about the people as if they are characters in a play, dissecting their personalities to give a wider scope of what motivated their actions. Zweig is very particular in using the facts but tells the human story of this historical period as a drama rather than simply dictating the facts of Mary's life.

Overall, it is an entertaining account of a fascinating and tragic woman, giving a slightly different perspective from other biographies. I recommend this to any fan of history, or those interested in Mary Queen of Scots.