"The pageants that greeted Anne as she processed through the City to her coronation included three with neoclassical themes. The first of these, at “gracious churche corner” – the turn from Fenchurch Street into Gracechurch Street – showed “mounte pernasus with the founteyne of helicon.” Figures of Apollo and the Muses were accompanied by epigrams and posies written in gold at their feet, praising Anne. The pageant was provided by the merchants of the Hanse, the resident community of North German merchants, and was almost certainly designed by Hans Holbein. The second neoclassical pageant, at the Conduit in Cornhill, showed the Three Graces; while the third, at the Little Conduit in Cheapside, depicted the Judgement of Paris. Other pageants continued the medieval tradition of identifying a queen consort with the Virgin Mary and other biblical heroines and saints; part of their function, in the wake of the King’s divorce, the schism from Rome, and extensive political upheaval, was to assert continuities with the past. However at the same time the introduction of neoclassicism was a significant innovation, identifying Anne’s elevation with the creation of a new, independent England requiring a new language of symbolism." - Anne Boleyn’s legacy to Elizabeth I: Neoclassicism and the iconography of Protestant Queenship, Helen Hackett
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"Anne and Wyatt shared a love of poetry and literature. They were intellectual equals who engaged in lively conversations about politics, religion, and the arts." - Eric Ives, "The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn"
Anne Boleyn and Thomas Wyatt had a close friendship that has been the subject of much speculation over the years. They were both members of the intellectual circle at court, and they shared a love of poetry and literature. Some historians believe that they may have been romantically involved, but there is no concrete evidence to support this theory. Yet Thomas was one of Anne's closest confidants, and he was a loyal supporter throughout her rise and fall at court. He wrote several poems about her, including "Whoso List to Hunt," which is believed to be a coded message about his love for her. In the poem, Wyatt compares Anne to a deer that he can never catch, suggesting that he is unable to win her heart.
"Anne Boleyn and Thomas Wyatt were kindred spirits who shared a love of literature and the arts. Their friendship was a rare and precious thing in a world dominated by politics and intrigue." - Joanna Denny, "Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England's Tragic Queen"
"Anne and Wyatt's relationship was a source of gossip at court, and many speculated that they were more than just friends. However, there is no evidence to suggest that their relationship was anything but platonic." - Retha M. Warnicke, "The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn"
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Every role affects an actor a little bit. There's always a little chunk of a character that stays left over in your heart.
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"My mistress & friend, my heart and I surrender our- selves into your hands, beseeching you to hold us commended to your favour, and that by absence your af- feftion to us may not be lessened: for it were a great pity to increase our pain, of which absence produces enough and more than I could ever have thought could be felt, remind- ing us of a point in astronomy which is this: the longer the days are, the more distant is the sun, and never- theless the hotter; so is it with our love, for by absence we are kept a distance from one another, and yet it retains its fervour, at least on my side; I hope the like on yours, as- suring you that on my part the pain of absence is already too great for me; and when I think of the increase of that which I am forced to suffer, it would be almost intolerable, but for the firm hope I have of your un- changeable affedtion for me: and to remind you of this sometimes, and seeing that I cannot be personally present with you, I now send you the nearest thing I can to that, namely, my picture set in a bracelet, with the whole of the device, which you al- ready know, wishing myself in their place, if it should please you. This is from the hand of your loyal servant and friend, H.R."
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