The Second Elizabethan Age
The first Elizabethan Age lasted 45 years from 1558 to 1603 and saw a flowering of English influence through international expansion and naval triumphs. It witnessed a renaissance in poetry, music and literature, most noticeably the works of William Shakespeare.
The Second Elizabethan Age began on February 6, 1952 and celebrations are currently being held to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. There has undoubtedly been a decline in English influence and, the Falklands War aside, few naval triumphs. Nevertheless, England produced the Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Who and so was responsible for a renaissance of sorts.
Since my life has been almost exactly coterminous with the Queen’s reign I can claim, even more than Shakespeare could, to be an Elizabethan. Although I left England over 30 years ago, I still hold a British passport. I love my Marmite, Cheshire cheese & Branston pickle and admit to getting a chill down my spine when I heard them play Land of Hope and Glory on Sunday.
So here’s to Her Majesty who, as the Beatles sang is “a pretty nice girl, but she doesn’t have a lot to say.”
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