Act I

From the mausoleum where Mary, Queen of Scots rests beside her cousin, Elizabeth I of England, we hear the words of the poem Mary wrote on the eve of her execution — praying for everlasting joy after the punishment she received on earth.

In life, in 1561 Edinburgh, the young Queen Mary is praised by her five ladies-in-waiting, who also profess their dislike for her arrogant husband, Lord Darnley. Mary is expecting her first child, and when the royal couple bicker, her Italian secretary and confidante, David Rizzio, defends her, enraging the jealous Darnley. In a fit of anger, Darnley stabs Rizzio to death in front of the horrified Mary, who laments the death and implies that the Protestant English Queen, her cousin Elizabeth, might be aligned with Darnley and behind his murdering of the Catholic Rizzio.

Elizabeth’s five English Lords advise her to be wary of her cousin and Scottish neighbor. Though Elizabeth denies any danger, conflict is apparent when both she and Mary claim rights to the English throne.

Mary delivers a healthy son and delights in motherhood but has lost all affection for her husband and wants to be free of him. Two Scottish Lords suggest he could be eliminated; while not specifically agreeing, Mary indicates consent. The Scottish Lords trap Darnley and murder him. Upon learning this news from Scotland, Elizabeth is furious and asks Mary to prove herself innocent of involvement in the second murder. Townsfolk in Scotland, believing Mary responsible for her husband’s death, rise in opposition and drive her from her country. Escaping to England, she believes Elizabeth will offer her refuge. She is shocked to be arrested by English soldiers.

Act II

Nineteen years pass with the imprisoned Mary powerless and isolated in England. She receives word from her son James, now Scotland’s King, rejecting her wish to return to Scotland to rule beside him. Despairing, she again asserts her claim to the English crown. Elizabeth’s Lords warn the English Queen to be wary of her captive cousin, who has Catholic Europe behind her. Elizabeth feels trapped by the threat Mary represents. When Mary agrees to a Catholic plot to escape and have Elizabeth assassinated, her note agreeing to the conspiracy is intercepted. A devastated Elizabeth feels she must prosecute Mary for treason and wishes instead that they might have been ‘but two milkmaids’ instead of rival rulers with two opposing religions.

Mary is brought to trial and argues that God alone may be her judge. She is found guilty and sentenced to death. Elizabeth, tormented, reluctantly signs the death warrant. Mary enters the execution chamber where a public audience, the English Lords, and her own Ladies-in-waiting are assembled. She forgives the executioner and faces her execution courageously, reciting a Latin prayer. Elizabeth is fraught.

In the mausoleum and from the afterlife, joined by Elizabeth, Mary recites the poem written on the eve of her execution asking that after her punishment on earth, she might have everlasting joy.