Context and Overview (Scottish Highers English): Revision Notes
Context and Overview
Understanding the poem's perspective
'33' is written from the viewpoint of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587), one of Scotland's most famous historical figures. The poem imagines Mary's thoughts and feelings as she faces her own mortality. MacGillivray creates a voice for Mary that allows readers to experience her psychological state during her final days of captivity before her execution.
The poem draws on the medieval dream vision tradition, a literary form where significant truths or prophecies are revealed through dreams. This tradition gives the poem an otherworldly, almost mystical quality. MacGillivray also incorporates imagery from Mary's own poetry, connecting the contemporary poem directly to the historical queen's literary voice.
The use of the medieval dream vision tradition creates a deliberate link between MacGillivray's contemporary work and historical literary forms. By incorporating imagery from Mary's own poetry, the poem becomes a dialogue across time between the historical queen and the modern poet.
Central themes and imagery
The poem examines fear, fate and mortality through carefully chosen symbols and images. Maritime imagery dominates the poem, with the ship functioning as the central metaphor. This choice creates a sense of journey and passage, reflecting the transition from life to death.
The poem works with contrasting pairs of images: light and dark, life and death. These oppositions create tension throughout the poem and reflect Mary's position between the living world and the afterlife. The interplay between these contrasts suggests the uncertainty and dread Mary experiences.
Maritime Imagery as Metaphor
The ship serves multiple symbolic functions throughout the poem. It represents:
- The journey from life to death
- A vessel carrying souls to the afterlife
- The passage of time moving inexorably forward
- Mary's powerlessness, as passengers cannot control a ship's direction
Structure of the poem
The poem follows the Petrarchan sonnet form, which was Mary's preferred poetic structure. This form consists of an octet (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines).
In the octet, Mary remains a passive observer. She watches a vision unfold in a dream. The boat she sees carries the dead, and its figurehead represents God. This vision creates a profound sense of dread about death. Mary does not speak or act; she simply witnesses this haunting image. Her passive role emphasises her powerlessness in the face of her fate.
In the sestet, the tone shifts as Mary directly addresses the ship. The vessel becomes a funeral barque, a ceremonial boat that transports the dead. This image connects to historical traditions where monarchs received elaborate funeral rites, including transportation of their bodies. The ship's journey represents Mary's own royal passage into the afterlife, maintaining her status even in death.
The Two-Part Structure
The division between octet and sestet represents a crucial shift in Mary's agency:
- Octet: Mary is passive, observing a frightening vision without interaction
- Sestet: Mary becomes active, directly addressing the ship and confronting her fate
This structural turn mirrors the Petrarchan sonnet's traditional "volta" or turn, where the poem shifts in tone, argument, or perspective.
The poem concludes with dual symbolism: a lighthouse and a floating lamp. The lighthouse represents guidance and enlightenment, showing the way forward. The floating lamp suggests a more personal, intimate form of illumination. However, both images carry a sense of cost - the light comes at a price, perhaps representing Mary's own life or suffering.
The significance of the title
Understanding '33'
The title '33' indicates this poem's position within a larger sequence of sonnets. The complete sequence runs from '35' down to '1', moving in reverse numerical order. This descending structure represents Mary walking down 35 stairs to her execution at Fotheringhay Castle.
Understanding this context is essential: '33' is actually the third poem in the sequence, not the thirty-third. The countdown creates a sense of inevitable progression towards death. Each poem marks another step closer to the execution. This structure gives the entire sequence a relentless, inexorable quality.
The poet: MacGillivray
MacGillivray is the stage name and Highland clan name used by Kirsten Norrie, a Scottish writer, performance artist and musician. This choice of name connects her work to Scottish heritage and clan traditions.
Norrie's background is notably international. She grew up living in various countries and spent considerable time in England and Northern Ireland before settling in Scotland in the early 2000s. This diverse experience perhaps informs her ability to look at Scottish subjects from both inside and outside perspectives.
MacGillivray's poetic work consistently engages with Scottish history, mythology, folklore and traditions. Her approach to these subjects is characterised by innovative use of language and form. She does not simply retell historical events but reimagines them, giving voice to historical figures like Mary, Queen of Scots.
MacGillivray's Interdisciplinary Practice
Beyond poetry, MacGillivray works across multiple artistic disciplines:
- Released nine music records, collaborating with producer James Young
- Contributed to soundtracks for avant-garde filmmaker Andrew Kötting
- Co-wrote and directed a Gaelic short film shot on the Isle of Skye
This interdisciplinary approach means her work with Mary, Queen of Scots extends beyond the written page into performance and music.
Publication and related works
'33' appears in The Gaelic Garden of the Dead, published by Bloodaxe Books in 2019. This collection is structured as three Books of the Dead bound together as a trilogy. The three sections comprise an alphabet of trees, ten dream pattern poems, and a sequence of death sonnets commemorating Mary, Queen of Scots.
The title of the final 'book' in the collection, 'In My End is My Beginning', comes directly from Mary's own words. Towards the end of her life, whilst held in captivity, Mary embroidered this epitaph-like motto. This phrase captures the poem's meditation on death as transformation rather than simply as ending.
MacGillivray released a music album titled In My End is My Beginning (Songs for Mary Queen of Scots) in 2022. This release occurred on the 435th anniversary of Mary's death, demonstrating MacGillivray's sustained engagement with Mary's story across different artistic forms.
Key Points to Remember:
- '33' is written from Mary, Queen of Scots' perspective, imagining her thoughts before execution
- The poem uses medieval dream vision tradition and maritime imagery to explore fear, fate and mortality
- The structure divides into an octet (where Mary passively observes a boat carrying the dead) and a sestet (where she directly addresses the funeral ship)
- The title '33' indicates this is the third poem in a sequence of 35 sonnets counting down, representing Mary's descent down 35 stairs to her death