Maria Stuarda

Act I

At the Palace of Whitehall in London, the court is celebrating a potential union: The Duke of Anjou, brother to the King of France, has sought Queen Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. Elizabeth is still undecided as to whether she will accept, since for a long time, her heart has belonged to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester – although she has sensed that his love for her is waning. Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury and Mary Stuart’s custodian for many years, takes the opportunity to petition the Queen for her cousin’s release.

Cecil, Elizabeth’s Secretary of State, argues that Mary presents a constant threat to the stability of England. Elizabeth refuses to be drawn in on the subject of her cousin but privately fears that the Queen of Scots has stolen the love of Leicester from her.  In the past, Leicester has been a suitor for Mary’s hand.

Leicester arrives and Elizabeth gives him a ring to convey to the French Ambassador in equivocal acceptance of Anjou’s proposal. His indifferent response fuels her suspicions, and she leaves, attended by the court.

Alone with Leicester, Talbot secretly hands him a letter and a miniature sent by Mary. Enraptured by the portrait, Leicester vows to give his support to Talbot’s plans for Mary’s liberation.

As Talbot leaves, Elizabeth returns. She demands to see the letter in Leicester’s hands. Mary has written to beg Elizabeth for an audience and despite herself, tears spring to Elizabeth’s eyes. Seizing his advantage, Leicester presses the Queen to agree to ride out near Mary’s prison on a hunt and under this pretext engineer a meeting between the two queens. Although mistrustful, Elizabeth agrees to her favorite’s request. 

Unexpectedly allowed by Talbot to walk freely in the park outside her prison of Fotheringhay Castle, Mary rejoices. The horns of the royal hunt are suddenly heard in the distance. The approaching huntsmen cry out Elizabeth’s name, and Mary is struck with fear at the prospect of finally setting eyes on her cousin.

Leicester has ridden ahead to prepare Mary for the meeting. Pledging his love and loyalty, he promises Mary that she may yet be free.

Elizabeth arrives with the hunting party, agitated and suspicious. Talbot leads Mary forward and the two queens stare into each other’s eyes for the first time. Mary masters her pride and shows deference before Elizabeth but her cousin remains aloof and insulting. She accuses Mary of licentiousness, murder, and treason.  Insulted beyond endurance, Mary turns on Elizabeth. She denounces her. Elizabeth orders the guards to seize Mary and drag her back to her prison.  

Act II  

Time has passed and Mary has remained incarcerated at Fotheringhay. The marriage to Anjou is now a faded dream for Elizabeth. Cecil has procured evidence that implicates Mary in a Catholic plot to assassinate Elizabeth, and a warrant for her death lies on the Queen’s desk.

Elizabeth is racked with anxiety and fear. If she signs it, she sends an anointed monarch to the scaffold and makes an enemy of all Catholic Europe. Elizabeth’s indecision ends when Leicester enters the chamber. She signs the warrant and hands it to Cecil. Leicester pleads with her to show mercy. Elizabeth commands him to be present as witness to the execution. Leicester tells her that she has sent a sister to her death and leaves.

In her room at Fotheringhay, Mary rails bitterly against her fortune. Cecil and Talbot enter to tell her that she must die in the morning. Angrily, she refuses and commands Cecil to leave but asks Talbot to stay. He tells her that Leicester will be present when she dies and tries to comfort her.

Mary longs to make a confession. Talbot urges her to confess to him. Finally, she confesses her unwitting acquiescence in the fatal plot of the English Catholic, Sir Anthony Babington, to assassinate Elizabeth. She and Talbot pray together.

Early next morning, Mary’s faithful servants gather, weeping inside the great hall of Fotheringhay, where Mary will be beheaded. The Queen enters. She asks them not to shed tears, as death comes to liberate her.

The shot of a cannon on the ramparts above signals that the time of execution is near, and Cecil arrives with guards.

Elizabeth has sent word that all requests should be granted to Mary in her final moments, and Mary asks that Hannah may accompany her to the scaffold. She tells Cecil that she forgives her cousin.

Leicester appears, distraught, as more shots of the cannon indicate the time has come. Mary calms him. She prays that England may be spared the vengeful wrath of God. Dressed in red, the color of Catholic martyrdom, she goes to the block.