Long May She Reign

 Since today is Queen Elizabeth II's birthday, I was inspired to create a list of five fascinating and iconic queens from literature/fiction. The various qualities of the following women are what I believe come to mind when one pictures a queen. Although, those characteristics certainly differ whether one imagines a noble, regal queen versus a mad, dark queen.

 

1.    Queen Tsiora (The Rage of Dragons and The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter)

a.    Tsiora is a young, but intelligent queen. She knows when to refrain from showing emotion in public and is careful when revealing herself to those she trusts. She’s not reckless or spontaneous. Her piety is what strongly guides her decision-making processes, along with remembering the history of her matriarchal society and those queens who preceded her. She also recognizes traits in others that they might not notice themselves.

 

2.    Cersei Lannister (A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin/Game of Thrones show)

a.    As much as Cersei infuriates me, I will admit she’s probably my favorite villain out of any series I know. I “love to hate her.” Cersei has moments where she is so vile and conniving, but then there are other times when you see more of her vulnerable sides and are tempted to feel sympathetic towards her. Regardless, you always know of her intentions and the reasons why she commits the acts that she does.

 

3.    Queen of Hearts (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll)

a.    I love Helena Bonham Carter’s portrayal of this queen in the two movie adaptations of these stories. I think she gives the Queen of Hearts an over-the-top, dramatic, “mad” personality. This queen is clever, but can easily be fooled by others.

 

4.    Queen Sabran (The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon)

a.    Sabran has many qualities that suit a traditional queen: patient, dedicated, determined, a good listener, knows her role and what’s expected, etc. However, she also has her softer sides and secrets. I enjoyed learning more about who she is as Sabran the person, in addition to Queen Sabran the Ninth. Sabran’s relationship with Ead definitely provided readers with various opportunities to see what Sabran is really like away from the eyes of her court and her subjects.

 

5.    Scheherazade (One Thousand and One Nights)

a.    I first learned of Scheherazade when my orchestra played an adaptation of Rimsky-Korsakov’s magnificent work of the same name in high school. A few years ago I read a translation of The Arabian Nights. And even today, I still enjoy hearing the story of the beautiful and clever woman who managed to keep herself from being murdered by telling King Shahryar her captivating stories.