Performing Identities in Scotland: Liz Lochhead’s Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off

Abstract

[Abstract] It has been argued that Scottish culture has experienced a “Second Renaissance” in the last two decades, which has been identified with the works of Alasdair Gray, James Kelman, Jackie Kay, Janice Galloway or A. L. Kennedy. Liz Lochhead’s Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off is one of the most controversial texts of the period, because of its irreverent interrogation of Scotland’s past and its criticism of its present asymmetries. The aim of this paper is to analyse the subversive portrayal of Scottish tradition in the play, considering its emphasis on the performative nature of identities, as well as its examination of the transmission of values from one generation to another. Special attention will be given to the political side of the text and the strategies employed by the author to reflect on gender issues, England’s cultural colonialism over the nation or the resistance to accept difference in 1980’s Scotland. It will also be analysed how Lochhead manipulates the representation of Scotland’s past taking the last queen of Scotland as a symbol of the transformation undergone by all national signs, and the connections between the ideas expressed in the play and postmodern theories on nationalism.