Mary of Scotland

by Maxwell Anderson

The recently widowed Mary Stuart returns to Scotland to reclaim her throne but is opposed by her half-brother and her own Scottish lords.

Genres: Plays, Historical Fiction

Library Binding

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

Maxwell Anderson was an American playwright, poet, and journalist. He won a Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1933, for Both Your Houses, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for both Winterset and High Tor.

Several of his plays were adapted into successful movies, including Anne of the Thousand Days and Key Largo.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Available at You Tube.

Starring Katharine Hepburn as Mary Stuart, Fredric March as Bothwell, Florence Eldridge as Elizabeth Tudor, Douglas Walton as Darnley and John Carradine as Rizzio.



From Wikipedia:
Mary of Scotland is a 1936 RKO film starring Katharine Hepburn as the 16th century ruler, Mary, Queen of Scots. Directed by John Ford, it is an adaptation of the 1933 Maxwell Anderson play by Dudley Nichols. The play starred Helen Hayes as Mary. It is largely in blank verse.
The film does not keep close to the historical truth, portraying Mary as something of a wronged martyr and her third husband, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell (played by Fredric March), as a romantic hero.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent historical drama by Maxwell Anderson, Mary of Scotland satisfies the period drama itch even better than Elizabeth the Queen. Better paced, with more sympathetic characters and a tighter balance between courtly romance and political intrigue, this sweeping stageplay is worth a read- especially out loud- and would make for a interesting production from a design and directing perspective.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maxwell Anderson won a Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1933



watch on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=...

If Hepburn had been Gloriana we may have been swayed differently in this version

[Vicki Ceara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was involved in a short selection of this; where Elizabeth comes to visit Mary while imprisoned in the tower. The dialogue made such an impact on me that I had to buy a copy and read the whole thing. Court intrigue and political machinations followed Mary from the time she was born until the time she died. Although at times the author may be taking some historical liberty, this gives a good view of what it was like to be a woman, and a woman fighting to keep power during Tudor times. The line, “I too, have read my Machiavelli.” Has always chilled me (of course I then had to read The Prince).

[Cameron England · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of good actually

[Alex Rankine · Rating 3 out of 5]

love love love mary stuart obviously my favourite historical figure ever and for the most part i liked this depiction but i simply cannot deal with pro bothwell propaganda

[LuAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this play so much that I used different scenes from the play for two years in acting courses at the university. Maybe for the style of writing, maybe for the fact it was about a Scottish queen. Excellent work - a must for the well-read person to have on their "Read" shelf!

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous play that brings two powerful monarchs to life. You find yourself empathizing and understanding both Elizabeth and Mary, which is quite an accomplishment.