Representations

The Tudors has a predominantly masculine narrative but interestingly not a

primary male target audience – the story is often told from a male point of view

with audiences asked to think what Henry V11 will do next or what he is

thinking. Many scenes show Henry and Brandon horse riding and male

bonding discussing in graphic detail their latest conquest or sexual desires and

yearning.  Their hyper real masculinity reflects the time period and their

power and status accompanying the need to satisfy a considerable libido.

Women are ‘chosen’ by Henry but on occasion retain some control over

narrative outcomes but are always framed for the male gaze and sexualised as

objects of desire for male pleasure. Myers as Henry himself is framed at times

for the female gaze during key seduction scenes. Binary oppositions in The

Tudors show two distinctly different representations of femininity – young,

attractive and vibrant or older, dowdy and dressed conservatively with the

primary role of servant or helper the younger, more successful female

characters, invariably the Queen.

Hegemonic representations of gender in series 4 show Henry V11 deliberately

choosing a young, naive but attractive 17 year old Katherine Howard in the

hope that she will bear him children. Instead she is flirtatious and displeases the

King leading to her ultimate demise. Her character has many negative traits and

she is regularly seen as childish but also high maintenance and demanding much

to the chagrin of her ladies in waiting. A female victim narrative underscores

her representation which is apparent throughout the four series of The Tudors;

Henry brutally sends two of his wives to their death, annuls marriages to Anne

of Cleves and Catherine of Aragon after 24 years while Jane Seymour died

shortly after childbirth. The relationships between the wives are represented as

almost incestuous with many working in each other’s service whereupon they

are ‘discovered’ by Henry