Mary Queen of Scots
Preserved but no longer current.
Shakespeare being under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth, and knowing her jealousv, would not, of course, praise openly her rival queen; but in the Midsummer Night's Dream (ii, 1) composed in 1592, five years after the execution of Mary, he wrote these exquisite lines: —
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Mary Queen of Scots” mean?
Shakespeare being under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth, and knowing her jealousv, would not, of course, praise openly her rival queen; but in the Midsummer Night's Dream (ii, 1) composed in 1592, five years after the execution of Mary, he wrote these exquisite lines: —
Is “Mary Queen of Scots” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.