Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn in The Tudors
Definitions Disclosure:
For the purposes of this blog series, the terms ‘romanticisation’ and ‘romantic legacy’ will refer to the continuity of focus on the relationship between Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, and the subsequent neglect of other aspects of their lives in historical fiction and within the discourse of popular culture. For the purposes of this series, this aspect is synonymous with ‘popular view’.
It must also be recognised that ‘sexualisation’ is different to ‘romanticisation’. Although in this blog the primary focus will be centred on the romanticisation of history, it must be understood that sexualisation is present. Where romanticisation refers to the continuity of focus on the romance between the pair, sexualisation refers to the overly sexualised representations of Anne Boleyn, for example explicit sexual scenes in TV series The Tudors.
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This, the first instalment of the series, will demonstrate that historical fiction TV and cinema encourages the consumption of a romantic popular view of Anne Boleyn, by aligning itself with an Anne that has evolved over time and in accordance with the shifting of societies feminist ideals. This shapeshifting ‘Anne’ reinforces her own popularity and therefore relatability across time.
The legacy of Anne Boleyn in the twenty-first century lays in popular culture’s dominating focus towards Anne’s love affair with Henry VIII. There is a common fascination among enthusiasts of Tudor history towards her and Henry VIII’s relationship and on account of this fascination, the retelling of her history through historical fiction is done with a dominating focus on the relationship betwixt them. It focuses on Anne’s refusal to let him bed with her before marriage, an unwanted wife who refuses to be usurped in queenship and in love, and a King who alters nations to be with the woman he desires, who he then murders for another woman! The omnipresence of this narrative has facilitated a dominating discourse within popular culture, and with all the ingredients for a twenty-first century soap opera, who can blame audiences for their interest?
Foundations of the popular view in the twentieth century
The romantic popular view of Anne Boleyn in historical fiction is not something cultivated in the twenty-first century. In fact, the popular view of Anne was manufactured by historical fiction representations of her from the last century. From late Victorian representations (in literature to be discussed in part 2 of this series) to post-war representations (that then progressed to develop the twenty-first depictions), the twentieth-century was a time that saw Anne romanticised continuously in progressing ways and in accordance with female norms of behaviour of the time, in order to maintain an audience and appeal to new generations of consumership.
This journey of transitioning and differing depictions of Anne is reflective of the ever changing and ever modernising position of women in wider society. It would be reasonable to argue that because of this, the ‘real Anne’ is lost to the consumer, and only the shapeshifting fictitious Anne remains. Despite this and her ever changing sensibility in historical fiction, the shape-shifting character of Anne has been met with positive engagement. This has been reflected in her continuity of presence, and as a result, the popular view of Anne had been established in the twentieth-century, but reinforced in the twenty-first.
1960-2000
A post-war Britain threw out representations of Victorian ideals in historical fiction, but the continuity of the romantic popular view of Anne remained. “Passive and dependant heroines [were] no longer appreciated by middle class female” consumers of history and fictional works created in its stead, and instead the consumership preferred a heroine who was feisty and rebellious, who stepped away from the old female norms of behaviour. Susan Bordo claims this is due to the war propaganda that encouraged women to be strong modern women in the face of tyranny. As a result, the focus of the romantic popular view in depictions of Anne was altered, and a feisty Anne that drove the circumstances of her romantic narrative emerged, rather than an Anne who was consumed by them.
Exemplifying a shape-shift in character, Anne was reborn in a performance by Geneviève Bujold, in Anne of a Thousand Days, 1969. Remembered as the quintessential Anne Boleyn, Bujold encompasses the second-wave feminist movement in her fiery and intelligent performance, demonstrating a modernised popular view of Anne. Rather than caught up in a situation much bigger than herself as Victorian depictions portrayed, Bujold’s Anne has something defiant to say about her situation, particularly demonstrated in the infamous yet fictional tower scene that saw Anne confront Henry VIII emulating all the desired qualities of a post-war woman:
“But Elizabeth is yours. Watch her as she grows; she’s yours. She’s a Tudor! Get yourself a son off that sweet, pale girl if you can – and hope that he will live! But Elizabeth shall reign after you! Yes, Elizabeth – child of Anne the Whore and Henry the Blood-Stained Letcher shall be Queen! And remember this: Elizabeth shall be a greater queen than any king of yours! She shall rule a greater England than you could ever have built! Yes, MY Elizabeth SHALL BE QUEEN! And my blood will have been well spent!”
Geneviève Bujold and Richard Burton in Anne of a Thousand Days scene still, 1969.
This depiction of Anne demonstrates the altered popular view from wholly romantic late Victorian, to dimensional post-war, yet does not detract from the popularity of the focus of the narrative; on the love between them. Bujold’s new version of Anne satisfied an audience of second-wave feminists who were tired of the passiveness of an old-fashioned era that aligned itself with strict female standards of behaviour. Additionally, while audiences welcomed Bujold as the definitive Anne for a new generation, the continuity of the popular view encouraged further consumption of historical fiction of Anne, and reinforced its popularity. The popularity and further engagement with the popular view enabled the romantic legacy of Anne to be built upon and further established as time went on.
2000
The propagation of the romantic popular view across the twentieth-century was the foundation of the romantic popular view in the twenty-first century. Depictions of Anne in historical fiction have further modernised into the new millennia in accordance with modernising feminine norms of behaviour. The third-wave feminist attributes of the twenty-first century reclaim ‘old-fashioned’ Anne as a contributing factor of their multidimensionality. This modernisation updated the definition of the popular view to new third-wave ideas, perpetuating a popular view that encompassed all ideologies thus far.
The Tudors TV series of 2007-2010 is where we meet Natalie Dormer’s Anne, the Anne in which a modern popular view is presented. She is swept up not only in the romance between herself and Henry VIII, but the politics of events, and for the first time we a presented with the twenty-first century “brainy Anne.” The Tudors saw Dormer’s Anne to be intelligent, well educated, politically connected, bilingual, formidable, attractive and in the midst of romance. In a scene that illuminated Anne’s role in the English reformation, Thomas Cromwell presents Anne with a book: Obedience of the Christian Man by William Tynedale, which details the abuses of the Catholic church. This book is said to be by historians the literature through which Anne enabled Henry to declare himself head of the church in England, thus breaking from Rome, establishing the Church of England and deciding to annul his first marriage himself in order to marry Anne. This scene demonstrates a representation of Anne that has a role in events and a say in her own fate, as well as an Anne intelligent enough to understand the politics of her situation; all fringing the focus on the romantic popular view.
In a further scene that depicts Anne’s political intelligence simultaneously with sexual desire, she hides about her person her intended motto in queenship and encourages Henry to find it. After taking sexual pleasure in him searching beneath her skirts, she alludes to the idea that someone close to them both may be stalling annulment proceedings, meaning Cardinal Wolsey who was put in charge of the King’s great matter. After skill-fully planting the idea, she continues to allow him and encourages him into sexual activities, by guiding him to the motto hidden inside her person. Anne is represented here as weaponising her sexuality and using it to her advantage. Therefore, the ‘old-fashioned’ taboos of female sexuality are not just confronted, they too are weaponised in turn. As a result, this millennial Anne is demonstrative of third-wave feminism and the modernising depictions of women; “a new generation of Anne worshippers” admired and related to Dormer’s Anne, a “brainy seductress… too smart, sexy and strong for her own time.”
Natalie Dormer and Johnathan Rhys Meyers in a promotional poster for The Tudors TV series, 2007-2010.
The Tudors has been criticised for its propagation of the romantic popular view through the sexualisation of Anne and other female characters. As a result, the focus of discourse is more so about Anne’s physicality and takes away the significance of her achievements in other areas, such as her role in the reformation, and her role as Queen and as a mother. Natalie Dormer, actress who portrayed Anne Boleyn in popular series The Tudors, admits the sexualisation of Anne in the series “lost [her] many hours of sleep and [she] actually shed tears.” She goes on to explain the second season of the show was reworked after pleading conversations with writer Michael Hirst to “throw it all” at her, meaning the real history of Anne that encompassed all elements of her life, rather than neglecting them for scenes of sexuality.
Writer Michael Hirst justifies the sexualisation of Anne by claiming they “had to push the boundary” in order to draw in an audience. Bordo recognises that the success of a sexualised Anne was largely down to a young third-wave feminist demographic, who reclaimed taboos of the ‘old fashioned’ Anne as modern desired character traits. They reclaimed a sexualised Anne, stating sexuality was just one side of the ‘real Anne’, and herald the twenty-first century representation as iconic. This is hugely demonstrative of the ever-changing image of Anne within historical fiction, including the exhibition of female sexuality. Propagating the popular view through sexualisation, Hirst draws on popular culture’s modernising appetites of historical fiction. In allowing Anne to be presented in such a way, the multi-dimensionality of a third-wave depiction thrived and aligned Anne with contemporary female standards of behaviour while reinforcing the focus of the narrative on the popular view within contemporary historical fiction. It is important to note however that “today, [creator] Michael Hirst admits that he may have gone too far.”
The continuity of focus on the romantic popular view of Anne Boleyn has perpetuated across the twentieth and into the twenty-first centuries on the backs of works such as these. The portrayal of Anne in historical fiction has continuously evolved to reflect the changing societal views on women’s roles from the late Victorian era through the twenty-first century. Early post-war depictions embraced a more rebellious and spirited Anne, aligning with second-wave feminism. This depiction evolved and culminated in the twenty-first century Anne with Natalie Dormer’s portrayal in The Tudors, which presented a multi-dimensional Anne who embodies modern feminist ideals, combining intelligence, political acumen, and sexuality. This shape-shifting narrative of Anne Boleyn not only reinforces her popularity but also ensures her relatability across generations. The fascination with Anne's relationship with Henry VIII continues to dominate popular culture, transforming her into an icon of both romance and female empowerment. The enduring appeal of Anne Boleyn in historical fiction highlights a broader trend of re-examining and reimagining historical figures to resonate with contemporary audiences, solidifying her legacy as one of the most captivating figures in Tudor history.
This series will continue with two further installments...
References:
Author Unknown. “The Time-Travelling Tudor: Anne Boleyn’s Most Surprising Representations in Film, TV and Literature.” History Extra. November 2020. https://www.historyextra.com/period/tudor/anne-boleyn-representations-screen-actress-tudors-henry-viii-wife-tv-film-books/
Bordo Susan. The Creation of Anne Boleyn: A New Look at England’s Most Notorious Queen (Boston: 2013)
De Groot Jerome. Remaking History; ThePast in Contemporary Historical Fictions (London, Routelede, 2016).
Donnelly Ciara, Podeswa Jermey, Walsh Derbhla, Shill Steve, Kirk Brian, Maclean Alison, McDugall Charles, Ameil Jon, McCarthy Colm, The Tudors, Television Series (Showtime, 2007-2010).
Hastings Bradley, Mary. The Favour of Kings (New York and London: D, Appleton and Company, 1912).
Hayes Amanda. “I Have Not Always Shown Humility: Reclaiming Anne Boleyn’s Rhetoric.” In Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition. Volume 22. Number 3. Spring 2020.
Jarrott Charles. Anne of a Thousand Days, Film (Universal Pictures, 1969).
Lorraine Sarah. “Badass Babes: Anne Boleyn.” Frock Flicks; Costume Movie Review and Podcast; https://frockflicks.com/badass-babes-anne-boleyn/#