Original subtitles

HOWARD: Why do you go among the people, Majesty?

I tell you plainly, you will be murdered.

Every Catholic in England is a potential assassin!

HATTON: Be warned by the atrocities in France.

We know the Catholics take their orders from Spain.

The Spanish speak openly of Mary Stuart

as Queen of England in waiting.

Their loyalty is to the Pope in Rome!

How many Catholics are there in England, sir?

Lmmense numbers, Majesty.

Half the nation cling to the old superstitions.

What would you have me do?

Hang half the people of England or just imprison them?

We must act, Majesty.

Our inaction is perceived as weakness.

If my people break the law, they shall be punished.

Until that day, they shall be protected.

Majesty, we have proven reason to fear every Catholic in the...

Fear creates fear.

I am not ignorant of the dangers, sir.

But I will not punish my people for their beliefs.

Only for their deeds.

I am assured that the people of England love their Queen.

My constant endeavor is to earn that love.

My Queen.

Our friends write to give us hope.

ANNETTE: Soon England's true believers will rise up

against the bastard usurper Elizabeth

and slit her throat.

That's enough!

Slit her throat? Please.

ANNETTE: And when that bastard usurper is dead, my lady will be queen.

(WOMEN LAUGHING)

Your bishops are preaching that God is showing his displeasure

because the Queen is still unmarried,

some rudely suggesting infertile.

(LAUGHS)

What nonsense.

WALSINGHAM: Dangerous nonsense.

Mary Stuart has a son.

Why does everyone torment me with Mary Stuart?

It's not her fault she's next in line to the throne.

Don't hide your face.

WALSINGHAM: So long as you have no issue.

If you were to produce an heir,

there'd be no more talk of Mary, Queen of Scots.

I've heard it's customary to obtain a husband before producing an heir.

(WOMEN LAUGHING)

We shall have to hunt out a husband for you soon, Bess.

BESS: Not too soon, my lady.

There are husbands to be had.

You don't want to be married?

I'll want to be married if I want the man...

Austria. France.

Turkey. Turkey has a sultan. China has an emperor.

I confine myself to the possible.

That's where you and I differ, Walsingham.

I find the impossible far more interesting.

What kind of man would you want?

An honest man with friendly eyes.

And good legs. And sweet breath.

So you can kiss him without choking.

(WOMEN GIGGLING)

There must be any amount of princes

in the undiscovered lands across the sea.

Find me an honest one of those.

(GIGGLING)

Since when do we discuss private matters in public spaces?

I ask Your Majesty's forgiveness.

Have my doctors confirm that the Queen is still fertile.

The people need to be reassured.

I care for your safety.

The threats to your person are real.

You know very well if I fall,

you'll all come tumbling down after me.

The sea wall at Dover is cracking, Francis.

We have no money to rebuild our defenses.

Turn your mind to that threat.

May we have wisdom not to fear shadows in the night.

And courage when the day of danger truly dawns.

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

My time has come, Majesty.

Send me back to England to begin God's work.

(HORSE NEIGHING)

WOMAN: Your Majesty.

GUARD: Guards! Take hold of him!

(PEOPLE MURMURING)

A puddle in the way,

Majesty.

A puddle.

Puddle.

(LAUGHS)

DOORKEEPER: You'll have to see the Lord Chamberlain, sir.

SIR WALTER: Which one is he?

He's over there.

You can't come in.

So how am I to see him if you won't let me through?

You must wait for him to come out.

And when will he come out?

There's no way of knowing that.

I had less trouble than this boarding a Spanish ship.

What if enemy ships should sail up the Thames, can the docks be closed?

Not closed, Majesty. But the gun positions...

WALSINGHAM: Spanish...

Ambassador.

King Eric of Sweden, Majesty.

ELIZABETH: Not again.

Still madly in love with you.

Still mad, you mean.

COURTIER: Lvan, Tsar of all the Russias.

ELIZABETH: Where's Bess?

Known as "lvan the Terrible," Majesty.

Late.

BESS: I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness.

Given.

Once.

COURTIER: The Archduke Charles of Austria, Majesty.

The puddle man is outside, Majesty.

My suitors.

Younger brother to Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor.

Cousin of Philip of Spain. Wealthy.

He's rather handsome.

(CHUCKLES)

ELIZABETH: How old is he?

Young, I believe, Majesty.

HATTON: An Austrian alliance would keep France quiet.

And put Philip on a leash.

I've become almost enthusiastic.

(CHUCKLES)

Send for him.

Danke sch�n.

How much longer do you think I can play this game, Francis?

Virginity is an asset that holds its value well.

COURTIER: Walter Raleigh, Majesty.

(DON GUERAU SPEAKING SPANISH)

DON GUERAU: Your Majesty, this man is a notorious pirate.

Spanish gold stolen from Spanish ships, attacked without provocation.

Well, sir, what do you want?

I have just returned from the New World, Majesty.

I have claimed the fertile coast in your name

and called it Virginia

in honor of our Virgin Queen.

Virginia?

And when I marry, will you change the name to Conjugia?

(ALL LAUGHING)

I ask your gracious permission, Majesty,

to return to the New World with your royal warrant

to found a colony under the laws and protections of England.

He wants money.

Who are they?

Natives of the Americas, Majesty.

Have they no ruler of their own?

None to match England's Queen.

These gentlemen are welcome.

See that they are treated well.

I also come bearing gifts for Your Majesty.

These gifts, Majesty, are the fruits of piracy,

the true property of the realm of Spain.

Let's see, shall we? What have you brought me?

(PEOPLE GASPING)

Patata, Majesty.

You eat it. Very nourishing.

Tobacco.

You breathe its smoke.

Very stimulating.

Gold.

Courtesy of a Spanish ship that found itself unable to complete its journey.

DON GUERAU: Forgive me, Majesty.

I find the air has become stale.

I am sensitive to the smell of open sewers.

I cannot accept the fruits of piracy, Mr. Raleigh.

Philip of Spain is no friend of England, Majesty.

The more gold I take from him, the safer you will be.

Well, well.

A political pirate.

SIR WALTER: And Your Majesty's most loyal subject.

Welcome home, Mr. Raleigh. Lord Howard, the docks.

WALSINGHAM: Master Raleigh.

(WHISPERING)

BESS: You eat it...

(LAUGHS)

(DON GUERAU SPEAKING SPANISH)

BABINGTON: You traitor!

Judas!

You're Walsingham's pawn!

Don't do this! I didn't say anything!

You're a Protestant traitor!

Don't do it! Don't!

(SHOUTING)

(CRYING)

(GRUNTING)

Don't! Hold his head!

You Judas! You Judas! Stop!

You Judas!

(GROANING)

(GASPING)

(SCREAMING)

(RESTON PRAYING IN LATIN)

The traitor's dead. We must act!

Why do we not strike? What are we waiting for?

You wait for my order.

Walsingham knows too much already. One traitor is dead.

Who can I trust now?

There's a visitor waiting, sir.

WALSINGHAM: William.

Hello, Francis.

WALSINGHAM: You've always been a fellow who delighted in surprises.

You look well, Francis.

Well, you look dreadful. They're not feeding you in Paris.

You can't learn the secrets of the universe on an empty stomach.

(SINGING) Then she my heart beguiled

Mary. William. Supper is ready.

William.

Have you spoken to the Queen?

I speak with the Queen daily.

URSULA: You work too hard. You're a sick man.

MARY: William, come over here and sit by me.

William, if we are not allowed to sin,

maybe we could talk theology.

You have done enough. No man could do more.

I can't leave the court yet, Ursula. She needs me.

Never listens to me. Not a thought for his health.

So you talk to him, he's your brother.

William, what do they say in Paris about the Pope's call for holy war?

Many welcome it.

Why must we talk about war?

Tell us your nice news, William.

Are you married yet? Not yet.

Mary, would you leave William alone, please?

Sweet, sit.

Grace?

Oh, Lord, provider of all things,

we offer Thee our humble thanks.

In the name of the Holy Trinity, amen.

MARY: Amen.

More lines on my face.

(SIGHS)

Where do they come from?

Smile lines, my lady.

Smile lines?

(CHUCKLES)

When do I ever smile?

Now you have smile lines, too.

ARCHDUKE CHARLES: The beauty of Your Majesty

is dazzling to my eyes.

I am overwhelmed.

I am conquered.

I die.

Only your love,

my stattlich Elizabeth,

can restore me into life.

Your Highness does me great honor.

ARCHDUKE CHARLES: Oh, Elizabeth.

How blessed am I to stand in your fabled presence.

Ah, Elizabeth.

To speak your name is to hear celestial music.

(TRUMPET FANFARE)

(PEOPLE GASPING)

May that sweet sound

guide me through my life to come, Elizabeth.

(PEOPLE CLAPPING)

I have traveled here to this illustrious court

in the hope that our two great nations

might be joined in love.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

He interests me.

Talk to him.

Him, my lady?

Him.

WOMAN: I adore the natives you brought. I don't suppose you could get one for me.

They're not dangerous, are they?

SIR WALTER: That depends on what you propose to do with them.

I'd dress him up in mulberry colored silk,

and have him walk behind me, carrying my cloak.

(GIGGLING)

I have a secret, my dear.

I pretend there's a pane of glass,

eine Glasscheibe between me and them.

They can see me, but they cannot touch me.

You should try it.

Majesty, I am...

SIR WALTER: It is something, after all,

to take a blank on the map and build there a shining city.

Which you will no doubt name after yourself.

No doubt.

May I ask a question in return?

Of course.

How am I to win the Queen's favor?

Why should I tell you that?

I've little enough to offer, but whatever I have to give,

ask, and it's yours.

Say what you mean to say as plainly as possible.

All men flatter the Queen in hope of advancement.

Pay her the compliment of truth.

I don't even know your name.

Elizabeth Throckmorton.

A second Elizabeth?

Everyone calls me Bess.

MAN: Your most serene Majesty, bright star of our firmament,

we present our humble masque of the heavenly spheres.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ELIZABETH: His Highness is tired after his long journey.

ARCHDUKE CHARLES: No man can become tired

in the presence of so lovely a queen.

(SPEAKING GERMAN)

(PEOPLE CLAPPING)

His Highness, the Archduke informs me that my charms overwhelm him.

He will retire to his private chambers to rest.

I don't want him hurt by your schemes.

So how should we proceed?

Perhaps we should all retire.

ELIZABETH: I suspect him of being a professional charmer.

Am I right?

BESS: He is certainly charming, my lady.

Well, there are duller professions.

You like him, don't you?

He's a man that lives in a world far beyond the court.

(WOMEN GIGGLING)

It's refreshing.

Well.

We shall let him come again.

Blue.

SIR WALTER: Can you imagine what it is to cross an ocean?

For weeks, you see nothing but the horizon, perfect and empty.

You live in the grip of fear.

Fear of storms.

Fear of sickness on board.

Fear of the immensity.

So you must drive that fear down deep into your belly.

Study your charts.

Watch your compass.

Pray for a fair wind.

And hope,

pure,

naked,

fragile

hope.

HATTON: Majesty, the Archduke and court are waiting.

Let them wait.

Go on, Mr. Raleigh.

You were hoping.

SIR WALTER: At first, it's no more than a haze on the horizon.

So you watch.

You watch.

Then it's a smudge,

a shadow on the far water.

For a day.

For another day.

The stain slowly spreads along the horizon taking form,

until on the third day, you let yourself believe.

You dare to whisper the word.

Land.

Land.

Life.

Resurrection.

The true adventure.

Coming out of the vast unknown,

out of the immensity,

into new life.

That,

Your Majesty, is the New World.

I like your immensities.

Your ocean is an image of eternity, I think.

Such great spaces make us small.

Do we discover the New World, Mr. Raleigh,

or does the New World discover us?

You speak like a true explorer.

I like you, Mr. Raleigh.

And I like you.

You know, of course, that when I like a man, I reward him.

I have heard that.

And what have you to say about it?

Reward my mission, Majesty, not me.

Is the mission not the man?

Then you leave me free to like you in return.

Go on.

I think it must be hard for so great a queen

to know the simple pleasure of being liked for herself.

Now you grow dull.

(COUGHING)

(COUGHING)

(BOTH LAUGHING)

ELIZABETH: Come on!

(BOTH LAUGHING)

(BOTH PANTING)

Mine.

You have the stronger horse.

Yours carries the lighter load.

No.

The Queen does not give way to others.

(LAUGHING)

Whoa! Whoa!

Forgive me, Majesty. My horse doesn't seem to know his place yet.

(LAUGHS)

Have you ever known your place, Mr. Raleigh?

Oh, come on!

(ELIZABETH LAUGHING)

RESTON: It's from her.

Mary Stuart is the heart and soul of our enterprise.

Make sure she and only she reads this.

We wait for her order.

The order must be given clearly.

ANNETTE: The jailer, madam.

MARY STUART: My noble jailer.

Am I a danger to England even when I pray?

As always, ma'am, my concern is for your safety.

I pray for my cousin Elizabeth.

Do you think she prays for me?

Is it true

that I've never known the pleasure of being liked for myself?

I hope you believe I like you for yourself, my lady.

Is anyone ever liked simply for themselves? I doubt it.

Are you?

Men like you because you're pretty,

and because you have the ear of the Queen.

No doubt.

Him, too.

He likes you because he wants my favor.

You do realize that.

Yes, my lady.

And the other thing, too, of course.

But then, all men want that.

Male desire confers no distinction.

Oh, I envy you, Bess.

You're free to have what I cannot have.

You're my adventurer.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

FRANCIS: Thank you for coming.

You mustn't send letters to the palace.

You know what would happen if I was caught.

I need your help.

More money? No.

My father doesn't want to hide like this anymore.

Of course.

We both want to get back into favor with the court.

That's impossible.

You know that you're Papists.

Why impossible?

Everyone at court has a Papist somewhere in their family.

Francis. Just as you have.

Speak to the Queen. You are her favorite.

My father and I will embrace the new faith.

Cousin Bess. No.

We have known each other all our lives.

I would do nothing to harm you.

Why can't you help us? They will kill us!

Oh. Do not tease me, Mr. Raleigh.

There's nothing I'd like to do more.

So why don't you?

(BELL RINGING)

All right, then. I will.

(ELIZABETH LAUGHING)

You see? You lie.

You don't want me on your ship at all. You're a liar.

Bess. Would you like to go to sea?

I'm afraid that's not possible.

Women bring bad luck on board ship.

ELIZABETH: (LAUGHING) Do they?

Lock up a hundred men in a space smaller than this room

for months at a time.

Men have needs.

A beautiful woman would drive us all mad.

Men have needs?

(CHUCKLES)

Let them stay on land and see to their needs.

Mr. Raleigh is eager to sail away to his maiden colony.

We must persuade him to stay a little longer. Mustn't we, ladies?

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Bess?

No!

Wait! What do you want? Who are you?

Let me go, damn it! Who the hell are you?

(GROANING)

WALSINGHAM: If you won't assist me, perhaps your father will.

No.

Enough.

Enough.

Enough.

Yes?

You cannot save England now.

The Enterprise has begun.

ELIZABETH: Ambassador?

What do you know of the Enterprise of England?

DON GUERAU: The Enterprise? Forgive me, Majesty, I'm not familiar...

Two armies landing on the coasts of Sussex and Norfolk.

Mary Stuart is to be set free and placed on the English throne,

and I am to be assassinated.

Does any of this sound familiar?

DON GUERAU: I know nothing of any invasion plans...

Well, I refer to this plan as the Enterprise of England,

it should more accurately be called la Empresa de Inglaterra

because it is a Spanish plan.

The plan of my one-time brother-in-law,

your king, to attack my country.

DON GUERAU: Your country? It is my country that is under attack.

Your so-called piratas, your pirates attack our merchant ships daily.

And you... You think we don't know where the orders come from?

The whole world knows these pirates sail up the Thames,

all the way to your royal bed.

You will leave my presence, sir.

Go back to your rat hole.

Tell Philip I fear neither him, nor his priests, nor his armies.

Tell him if he wants to shake his little fist at us,

we're ready to give him such a bite,

he'll wish he'd kept his hands in his pockets.

You see a leaf fall and you think you know which way the wind blows.

Well, there is a wind coming, madam,

that will sweep away your pride.

I, too, can command the wind, sir!

I have a hurricane in me that will strip Spain bare if you dare to try me!

What are you staring at?

Lower your eyes. I am the Queen!

You are not my equal, sir, and you never will be!

(MINISTER SPEAKING SPANISH)

(PHILIP II SPEAKING SPANISH)

(MINISTER SPEAKING SPANISH)

(PHILIP II SPEAKING SPANISH)

(MINISTER SPEAKING SPANISH)

(PHILIP II SPEAKING SPANISH)

(MINISTER SPEAKING SPANISH)

(PHILIP II SPEAKING SPANISH)

(MINISTER SPEAKING SPANISH)

DR. DEE: The alignments of the planets is most unusual this year.

Mars is due to take the ascendant

three days after the anniversary of Your Majesty's birth.

And also on that day, there is a full moon,

which governs the fortune of all princes of the female gender.

Princes of the female gender.

I mean to say, a prince who is also a woman.

Yes, Dr. Dee, I am following you.

What does it mean?

It means the rise of a great empire, Majesty, and the fall of another.

Convulsions.

Which empire is to rise and which is to fall?

That I cannot say, Majesty.

Astrology is, as yet, more an art than a science.

Nothing more, Dr. Dee?

No more specific calamities we can guard against?

(LAUGHS) He means, will I be assassinated?

Walsingham, would you leave us for a moment?

And the private life of this prince of the female gender,

what do the stars foretell there?

These are matters of state, Majesty.

Surely the stars foretell matters of state, Dr. Dee.

For such a prediction I must look in a different chart.

Wonderful.

Such strength.

You will need all your strength in the days to come.

But you doubt yourself, my child.

I have not seen fear in your face for such a long time.

Have I reason to fear?

Something has weakened you.

There are hard days coming.

But I am no prophet.

I see no more than the shadows of ghosts.

CALLEY: Visitor, sir.

Sorry to come aboard your ship

without permission, Mr. Raleigh.

Welcome aboard.

The Queen wishes to see you.

She asks me to assure you...

I need no assurances, Bess.

I'm no courtier. Never have been.

Then you should say so in person.

This is my life, Bess.

This is where I belong.

It seems to be a lonely life.

Sometimes. But it's the life I've chosen.

I understand.

You ask permission to go.

Yes, Majesty.

You plan to return to your colony

for two, maybe three, four years.

If Your Majesty grants me your royal warrant.

That is a long time.

There's nothing for me here.

At sea, I know what I'm to do. I know the risks.

Here... No. You're wrong.

You're needed here.

As captain of my personal guard.

Captain of your guard?

Kneel.

Majesty.

I said, kneel.

Sir Walter Raleigh.

Well, you may express your gratitude.

This is too great an honor.

If it's so great an honor, why are you staring at your boots?

You know why.

Now you stare at the wall.

Am I so hideous you can't even look me in the face?

Why do you speak like a fool

when you are anything but a fool?

Fool?

Yes, I am a vain and foolish woman.

And you, you... You come here

as if from another time. And I've...

You have real adventures. You go where the maps end. And I'd...

I would follow you there if I could. Believe me.

The storm clouds are gathering. You are needed here.

You cannot leave England.

(RESTON PRAYING IN LATIN)

"For he that will save his life will lose it.

"And he that will lose his life for my sake shall find it. "

Lord be with us as the end approaches.

We will not fear the coming of the shadow of death.

Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you.

I thought I prayed in silence.

You did.

(SNIFFLING)

Excuse me, sir. I must go to the Queen.

The man who was hanged today...

He was your cousin.

(SIGHS)

Yes.

I'm sorry.

The last time I saw him,

he needed my help.

I did nothing.

What could you have done?

I don't know.

Now he's dead.

(CRYING) I keep seeing his face. I keep seeing his eyes.

Believe me, there's nothing that you could have done that would have spared him.

I'm so afraid.

We're all human, Bess.

We do what we can.

PAULET: Your laundress was found to be carrying letters in her washing.

Not her job, I think.

How am I to send my intimate letters?

Through me. And you will read them.

With respectful admiration.

Am I to have no privacy?

No.

You disappoint me, sir.

The Queen orders these measures for your protection.

The Queen?

I am a queen.

They call her the Virgin Queen.

Why is that, sir?

Can it be that no man will have her?

Let him throw you round.

Be bold. Come on, you can trust him.

MAN: And jump.

When I bend like this, you take a leap into the air.

ELIZABETH: The Volta.

I require all my ladies to learn it.

You see how fearless Bess is?

You like your ladies to jump at your command.

Do you think that wrong?

No. You are the Queen. You are to be obeyed.

To tell you the truth,

I'm very, very tired of always being in control.

Nonsense.

What?

You eat and drink control.

Is that so?

Bess.

You should try a dance with Sir Walter.

He's eager to show us his skill.

No skill at all, Majesty. I don't know the steps.

Come now.

(LAUGHING)

You stand like this,

with your hands here.

And when she jumps,

on the fifth step,

you lift her.

What could be simpler?

Take your position, Sir Walter.

I am to be obeyed.

As Your Majesty wishes.

Hold her firmly. I don't want her dropped.

Play.

Six counts.

(MUSIC PLAYING) One, two, three, and lift, down.

Leave us.

I want both of them left alone.

Madam.

I must reply.

"If our forces are in readiness,

"both within and without the realm,

"then your Queen commands you to set the gentlemen to work."

I think we have it.

Yes.

Let God's work begin.

WALSINGHAM: Where have you been?

I met up with some old friends.

From Paris, no doubt.

We haven't seen you for days.

Yes.

Now you're back.

Do you know, I can still remember the day you were born.

I was 11 years old.

And you, this helpless bundle.

I looked at you in your crib,

with your little, wrinkled face,

and I loved you from the first.

I've failed you, haven't I?

Forgive me if I haven't loved you enough.

(WILLIAM CRYING)

Did you imagine I wouldn't know?

(BELL RINGING)

WOMAN: Your blessing, Majesty. My little one.

Your blessing?

ELIZABETH: Walk on.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING)

ROYAL SERVANT: The Queen is at her prayers.

Go!

RAMSEY: Elizabeth is a whore! Mary Stuart is our true queen!

Elizabeth!

Whore!

(GUN FIRES)

You bring news?

The Queen has been attacked.

The assassin seized.

The Queen

unharmed.

Unharmed?

And you, ma'am, are to be tried for treason.

(LAUGHS)

Me?

What has any of this to do with me?

That's the trouble with intrigues, isn't it?

With so many secrets,

you can never quite be sure who's on whose side till the game ends.

Walsingham has every letter you've written.

Traitor.

Traitors!

(GASPING)

(SHIVERING)

Ready to die, I see, Jesuit.

I have done what I was sent to do.

Why was the gun not loaded?

I need your help.

I, too, have failed, brother.

What was the Jesuit sent to do?

WILLIAM: (SOBBING) I told you everything I know.

So kill me.

There's a better world waiting for me.

We'll all be judged in the end, brother.

Even you.

William, you're not a martyr.

You weren't even much of a murderer.

I'm going to have you taken to France.

No one will know.

You must never let me hear of you again.

Francis.

Francis!

Francis.

I've never seen her so distressed.

She's been alone in her room since morning. She'll see no one.

Has she asked for me?

No.

But she needs you. I know she does.

Go to her.

Please.

(CRYING)

ELIZABETH: Are you here to tell me I must murder a queen?

SIR WALTER: I would never presume to tell my Queen what to do.

Only you know where your duty lies.

Was it my father's duty to murder my mother?

She was a queen for a time.

Oh, I would be loath to die so bloody a death.

Since when were you so afraid?

I'm always afraid.

Kill a queen, and all queens are mortal.

We mortals have many weaknesses.

We feel too much.

Hurt too much.

All too soon we die.

But we do have the chance of love.

Do we?

I have given England my life.

Must she also have my soul?

WALSINGHAM: Mary Stuart must die!

Must? Mary Stuart must die?

Where is it written? Who says so? Have I ordered it?

Majesty, this is no time for mercy.

Don't preach at me, old man!

Look at you. You can hardly stand.

Go home to your wife and your bed.

The law must have its way.

By whose authority do you condemn me?

God is my only judge.

The law is for common men. Not for princes.

The law, Your Majesty, is for the protection of your people.

Leave me.

Your Majesty. Your Majesty.

MARY STUART: You know neither who you are or what you do.

I know who I am.

And if I die, it shall be as I have lived.

As a queen,

trusting in the mercy of God, my Father.

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

At which hour?

At 8:00.

Tomorrow morning.

(CRYING)

It must be stopped!

I want it stopped!

I forgive you with all my heart.

(GROANS)

(INAUDIBLE SCREAMS)

(PHILIP II SPEAKING SPANISH)

(SNIGGERS)

WALSINGHAM: Forgive me, Majesty.

I have failed you.

How have you failed me?

What am I to forgive you for?

Philip of Spain is a God-fearing man

who cannot declare war without a just cause.

I intercepted every letter Mary Stuart secretly dispatched,

but failed to see that Spain knew I was reading them.

They waited for her to write the words

that would, in my eyes, confirm her treason.

Forgive me.

I am trapped in my own web.

ELIZABETH: And I ordered Mary's execution.

I murdered God's anointed Queen.

And now God's most dutiful son makes holy war to punish me.

(PRIEST SPEAKING LATIN)

(CONGREGATION PRAYING IN LATIN)

We are at war.

Who knows when we will meet again?

If we will meet again.

If England falls, my last days will be in a Spanish prison.

To die far from home.

That is the loneliest death.

Never.

My thoughts turn dark.

What do you do in a storm

when you're facing your death?

The closer I come to death,

the more I want to live,

the hungrier I am for life.

Yes. To live right to the end.

Why be afraid of tomorrow when today is all we have?

I wish...

I have never known a woman like you.

In some other world, in some other time,

could you have loved me?

I know only one world.

And in this world, I have loved you.

There's something you could do for me,

something I have not known for a very long time.

If you felt so inclined.

But it's not to be spoken of afterward.

It must be forgotten.

But just for now...

A kiss?

I die.

I've given Drake the orders

to prepare the fleet to defend the Channel.

How soon can you join him?

We're waiting for supplies. We can move as soon as we're ready and armed.

Good.

(MAN CHATTERING)

SIR WALTER: Bess.

I have something to tell you.

I ask for nothing. Is that understood?

Your life is your own. Nothing will change.

What is this?

I am... You're with child.

No one knows. My plans are made.

I shall ask the Queen for permission to leave court.

Where will you go?

To my mother's house.

I'm a ward of the Queen. I can't court a man without her permission.

I can't marry without her permission.

As for having a child,

your child...

SIR WALTER: All I know is nothing's as it should be.

Please, listen.

You once said to me, "Whatever I have to give, ask and it's yours."

Do you remember?

Of course, I remember.

I ask that you forget me.

Go to your ship. Do your duty.

Forget me. MARGARET: Bess!

We're summoned. Coming.

This Spanish Armada is at sea with an army of 10,000 men?

And Philip's friend, the Duke of Parma,

has 15,000 men on the French coast.

They plan to cross the Channel in barges and sail into the Thames.

They don't have enough barges yet. We have a little time.

And our forces defend the mouth of the Thames at Tilbury with...

What? How... Four thousand men?

Three thousand. Possibly.

WALSINGHAM: If the Spanish fleet unites the barges,

their combined strength will overwhelm us.

Then we shall engage them at sea,

before they have the chance to unite.

HOWARD: Your Majesty,

this vast Armada will surely smash through our naval defenses

and overrun us on land.

We must prepare for the worst.

I need air.

SIR WALTER: With this ring, I thee wed.

BESS: With this ring, I thee wed.

With my body, I thee worship.

With my body, I thee worship.

And with all my worldly goods, I thee endow.

And with all my worldly goods, I thee endow.

In the name of the Father

and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, amen.

ELIZABETH: Bess!

Bess!

Bess Throckmorton!

Here, my lady.

Tell me, is it true?

Are you with child?

Are you with child?

(WHIMPERING) Yes, my lady.

You traitress.

You dare to keep secrets from me?

You ask my permission before you rut!

Before you breed!

My bitches wear my collars! Do you hear me?

Do you hear me?

Majesty! Please, dignity. Mercy.

This is no time for mercy, Walsingham.

You go to your traitor brother

and leave me to my business.

Is it his?

Tell me. Say it. Is the child his? Is it his?

Yes.

My lady, it is my husband's child.

ELIZABETH: You bitch!

Majesty.

This is not the Queen I love and serve.

This man has seduced a ward of the Queen.

And she has married without royal consent.

These offenses are punishable by law. Arrest him!

Go!

(SOBBING)

You no longer have the Queen's protection.

BESS: As you wish, Majesty.

Get out.

Get out! Get out!

Get out!

(DOOR SLAMS)

The fall of an empire, you told me.

Did you mean the English empire?

Because, by God, England will not fall while I am Queen.

If that is your prophecy, sir, you prophesy again.

You want me to tell Your Majesty

only what Your Majesty chooses to hear.

I will not be a toy of the fates!

Have I not faced an assassin's bullet and lived?

Just tell me there's no certainty.

That any outcome is possible.

The shadow of ghosts, you said.

Please, just give me hope.

The forces that shape our world are greater than all of us, Majesty.

How can I promise that they'll conspire in your favor,

even though you are the Queen?

But this much I know.

When the storm breaks, each man acts in accordance with his own nature.

Some are dumb with terror.

Some flee. Some hide.

And some

spread their wings like eagles and soar on the wind.

You are a wise man, Dr. Dee.

And you, madam, are a very great lady.

SENTRY: Light the beacon!

(BELL RINGING)

My lords,

I can offer you no words of comfort.

This Armada that sails against us,

carries in its bowels the Inquisition.

God forbid it succeeds,

for then there will be no more liberty in England

of conscience or of thought.

We cannot be defeated.

The bells are to ring from every tower.

Laborers are to leave the fields, and take up arms.

The harvest must wait.

All prisoners are to be released.

England is their country, too.

And release Raleigh.

He is forgiven.

As I, too, long to be forgiven.

Let the fleet know we're on our way, Mr. Calley!

CALLEY: Fire broadside from the bow!

Run out the prime!

From the starboard bow, number one gun!

On my mark!

Discharge! Two!

Three! Four!

Majesty, the enemy has been engaged.

What news?

A brave action, Your Majesty.

Two ships lost.

With what gain?

The enemy continue to advance.

SAILOR: Tighten the buntlines on the foresail!

Another four ships lost.

We must continue to engage and harass the enemy.

We're outgunned, Drake. Decisively.

(SAILORS SHOUTING)

We're losing too many ships. We must fall back and defend the coast.

DRAKE: If the wind is with us, Walter,

we can attack them with fire ships.

Six fire ships into the Spanish formation,

that may force them to scatter.

We can't get anywhere near them.

We have to break their formation. That's our only chance.

WALSINGHAM: The Spanish are barely a day away, Majesty.

HATTON: We must withdraw to safe ground.

I beg you to appreciate the gravity of the situation. There is very little time.

My loving people.

We see the sails of the enemy approaching.

We hear the Spanish guns over the water.

Soon now, we will meet them face to face.

I am resolved in the midst and heat of the battle

to live or die amongst you all!

(SOLDIERS CHEERING)

While we stand together, no invader shall pass.

Let them come with the armies of hell! They will not pass!

(SOLDIERS CHEERING)

And when this day of battle is ended,

we meet again in heaven

or on the field of victory.

(SOLDIERS CHEERING)

SAILOR: Thomas! Get up! Get up, man! Get up!

(SCREAMING)

Help me! Somebody, help me!

Help me!

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

(SPANISH OFFICER 1 SHOUTING IN SPANISH)

(SPANISH OFFICER 2 SHOUTING IN SPANISH)

DRAKE: They've dropped anchor.

These Spanish monsters can't handle our English seas.

We have the wind in our favor.

Do we go?

We go.

Godspeed, my friend.

Walter?

Don't forget to jump.

(MAN SHOUTING)

Calley!

Enough tar! Clear the deck!

If that cannon's primed, set the fuse!

Get everybody off the ship, now!

HOWARD: Get off the ship! Off the ship! Go!

Get over there!

Come on, boys! Get going!

(WIND HOWLING)

(MEN PRAYING IN LATIN)

(MAN SHOUTING IN SPANISH)

(SHOUTING IN SPANISH)

HATTON: The Spanish continue to advance.

Just five of their ships are burning.

Not enough.

(MEN SHOUTING)

(SCREAMS)

(HORSE NEIGHING)

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

(THUNDER CLAPPING)

(ARCHBISHOP SPEAKING SPANISH)

ARCHBISHOP: Amen.

Francis?

(MARY CRYING)

I have served Your Majesty in all things.

I know it.

You won't need me anymore.

You rest here,

old friend.

Elizabeth has a son.

You must be proud.

Very.

And fulfilled.

As any man can be.

Do you still dream of your shining city in the New World?

Always.

(BABY CRYING)

I'd like to give your son my blessing.

I'd be honored.

ELIZABETH: I am called the Virgin Queen.

Unmarried,

I have no master.

Childless,

I am mother to my people.

God give me strength to bear this mighty freedom.

I am your Queen.

I am myself.