6. MYTH: Elizabeth was quiet, calm and rational, unlike her hot-tempered famous father
In some movie depictions of Queen Elizabeth I, the monarch is portrayed as calm and collected at all times. Even when she is shown to be displeased, she nevertheless keeps her cool, preferring a look of contempt or understated but sharp put-down to a full-on tantrum. However, by all accounts, such an image of Elizabeth is highly inaccurate. She was, it should be remembered, the daughter of King Henry VIII, a man not known for his patience and gentleness. Similarly, her mother, Anne Boleyn, was independent and often outspoken – qualities that at first attracted Henry and then repulsed him. It seems their daughter inherited her fierce temper from both her parents.
From the available evidence, it seems that Elizabeth’s fits of temper were relatively frequent, and always unpredictable. She especially hated hearing bad news. According to one account, when her private surgeon advised her that a chronic pain in her arm was the result of a “cold, rheumatic humor”, she interpreted this as a sign of aging. She was livid and banished the surgeon not only from her sight but from the royal court. As she continued to get older and suffer health problems, including a crippling leg ulcers, she became even less patient with her underlings, and her temper tantrums became more frequent and more violent.
