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God Save Us From the Queen: Difference between revisions
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If the evil queen is in charge of a [[Hive Mind]], she is by definition a [[Hive Queen]]. Also overlaps with [[Matriarchy]] (particularly the Sexist Matriarchy) and sometimes [[Evil Matriarch]].
The idea that [[Unfortunate Implications|"only a fool would want to be ruled by a woman"]] played heavily into the lives of real life queens in
In terms of the ranks of [[Authority Tropes]], the tropes that are equal are [[The High Queen]], [[The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask]], [[She Is the King]], [[The Good King]] and [[President Evil]]. The next steps down are [[The Evil Prince]], [[Prince Charming]], [[Prince Charmless]], [[Warrior Prince]], [[The White Prince]], [[The Wise Prince]], and all [[Princess Tropes]]. The next step up is [[The Emperor]].
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== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' has both aversions of this and examples of it. It's averted by the benevolent Queen Serenity (no husband seen) and Neo Queen Serenity (husband seen but she appears to be in charge), the straight examples of the trope are Queen Metaria and her [[The Dragon|dragon]] Queen Beryl of the Dark Kingdom, and by Queen Nehellenia of the Dead Moon.
** It's arguable whether or not any of the other Sailors (there as many Sailor Senshi as there are celestial bodies for them to come from) besides the ten that the story focuses on are royalty, but virtually all the royalty that ''is'' named is female (the only exceptions are Endymion and Prince Diamond) -- there could be hordes of good queens out there that we'd never know about.
** And conversely, it's not clear that Queen Metaria really counts as a queen. She's just called that because... well, the Dark Kingdom is called a kingdom. Queen Beryl doesn't truly count either, as she was an oracle in her past life.
* In ''[[The Twelve Kingdoms]]'', Youko's predecessor Queen Joukaku. {{spoiler|Even though her reign only lasted six years, not only she [[I Just Want to Be Normal|did]] ''[[I Just Want to Be Normal|not]]'' [[I Just Want to Be Normal|want to be Queen]] in the first place, but she fell in love with her ''kirin'' Keiki, [[Yandere|killing every other women that crossed their path of jealously]]. But she redeemed herself by [[Heroic Sacrifice|sacrificing herself]], to not let Keiki die when her bad rulership ''literally'' caused him [[Ill Boy|to get sick]]. But with Keiki being a ''Bishounen'', it would be expected.}}
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* Madelyne Pryor as the Goblin Queen and The Red Queen of The Hellfire Club from ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X Men]]''.
** Emma Frost and Jean Gray as The White and Black Queen of The Hellfire Club also qualified.
== Film ==
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* Technically not a queen, but Claudia, the [[Wicked Stepmother]] in ''[[Snow White: A Tale of Terror|Snow White a Tale of Terror]]'' is still a noblewoman.
* Queen Ravenna in ''[[Snow White and the Huntsman]]'', a thorougly psychotic [[Smug Snake]] who murdered her way to the throne and steals the youth and beauty from younger women so that she might stay young and pretty forever.
== Literature ==
* The Queens of the Winter and Summer Courts, from ''[[The Dresden Files]]''. Mab is more clearly evil, but Titania's pretty damn vicious when she wants to be. And let's not get started on the Ladies
* [[Mercedes Lackey]] generally averts this, but she plays it straight in her book ''[[The Black Swan]]'', in which the evil queen Clothilde used a love potion on the king to gain her position, encouraged him in dangerous hobbies until he offed himself, kept her son completely unfit to rule, and plots to distract or, if necessary, [[Regent for Life|kill her son in order to keep the throne]] when his 18th birthday (and thus the end of her regency) is on the horizon. Unusually for this trope, she's a good ruler otherwise; Lackey even gives her at least one [[Pet the Dog]] moment.
** Queen Cassiopeia in ''[[Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms|One Good Knight]]'' is a dead-straight example, up to and including causing horrific storms and shipwrecks to increase her wealth. Her daughter is horrified when she realizes that is going on.
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** Tywin Lannister is far more evil than Cersei, precisely because he's no sociopath. He uses psychopaths such as Gregor Clegane or Amory Lorch on purpose. Cersei is, however, following on Daddy's footsteps. And there are very good examples of reigning women. Lady Olenna Tyrell is far from psychopathic, and Lysa Tully, while undoubtedly wasted and losing the plot, does manage to keep the Vale out of conflict and prospering during her time as Lady Arryn.
** Fortunately, Cersei {{spoiler|starts to run herself into the ground the second the checks on her power are removed and, three books later, has been arrested for treason, adultery, and incest by the very [[Church Militant]] [[Hoist by His Own Petard|she resurrected.]] Nice going, Cersei.}}
* [[Discworld]]:
** The Queen of the Elves in the
** Lady Felmet from the earlier novel ''[[
** Lilith Weatherwax, who rules over Genua in ''[[
* Queen Arrabel from [[Tanya Huff]]'s "A Woman's Work" is highly competent, beloved by her people, treats her staff well... and is utterly ruthless to her enemies (and her friends, if she had any). She's the type of person who wears understated, sensible clothing while her son wears flashy, extravagant uniforms because she knows who assassins would instinctively aim at. And then she marries him off to a neighbouring country's princess (sole survivor of the royal family), the Queen expecting that the princess will quickly produce an heir, following which the prince is likely to have a fatal accident. Not that she minds, as she thinks the princess has the right stuff to inherit the job of Queen.
* [[The Snow Queen]].{{context}}
* ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'':
** In ''[[The Magician's Nephew]]'', [[Big Bad|Jadis]] (who later becomes the White Witch) is the Queen of the most powerful nation in her world, so what does she do when her sister attempts to overthrow her? [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|She uses her magic to kill]] [[Suicidal Cosmic Temper Tantrum|every other living being on the planet]], then sits around waiting for someone to take her to another world so she can presumably do it all over again. Harsh. Even more blatant when you consider that she is the Satan to Aslan's [[Crystal Dragon Jesus|Golden Feline Jesus]]. And while it was mentioned that while Aravis and Shasta{{spoiler|/King Cor}}
** The Lady of the Green Kirtle from ''The Silver Chair'' is sometimes called the Queen of Underland, though given how her "subjects" were basically gnomes that she kidnapped, brainwashed, and enslaved and her "kingdom" was more or less a palace under the ground, it's uncertain how certifiable her claims for the title are. Still, she would have become that had her plan succeeded.
* In the ''[[Nightrunner|Tamír Trilogy]]'', Queen Agnalain of Skala fit this trope, since she became so paranoid she was about to have her son and ''baby daughter'' executed for treason (after having numerous others killed), but she's treated as an aberration in a long line of warrior queens and her son killing her in self-defense and then taking the throne instead of his sister is presented as even ''worse'', since the god in charge [[Double Standard|only approves of female rulers]]. Up to you whether this is an aversion or a straight example.
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** [[The Bible]] in general didn't have nice things to say about kings who 1) married foreign wives and 2) succumbed to worshipping said wives' foreign gods.
** In the New Testament, when Herod Antipas asks his unnamed stepdaughter (Christian tradition and some historical evidence indicates it as "Salome") to name any reward ("up to half his kingdom") for her dancing, her mother suggests [[Hermit Guru|"John The Baptist's]] [[Squick|Head on a Platter"]], thus trope-naming a popular expression. In both cases it's claimed that Herod Antipas enjoys John's preaching and is only forced to have him killed because he gave his word to a treacherous woman.
** There are good queens, though: such as Bathsheba, Esther, and the Book of Revelations implies
*** Vashti, the queen of Persia whom Esther would replace, was considered necessary to replace because she [[Stop Being Stereotypical|wouldn't obey her husband's orders]] and [[Double Standard|display her beauty before his guests]]. [[Values Dissonance|For this she was considered a bad woman]] and an unfit queen, ''and the Bible tacitly agrees''. Though no one exactly blames Esther for replacing Vashti after Artaxerxes divorced her, [[Society Marches On|Vashti is no longer considered by everyone to be a bad example]] for [[Real Women Never Wear Dresses|her insubordination to her husband's whims]]. As with nearly everything related to religion], [[Moral Guardians|there are exceptions]].
* Arthur's sister, Morgan, is married to King Uriens in Twain's ''[[A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court]]''. She kills a young servant for bowing too low and accidentally touching her knee. She continues to entertain her guests as the servants clean up the mess left after she stabs the boy.
** Death isn't the only [[Disproportionate Retribution]] she deals out. When a peasant slights her, she takes him from his wife and five children and locks him up in her dungeon for twenty-two years, giving him a view of his house from his cell. She then orchestrates five fake funerals at intervals, leaving him to agonize over which of his family still lives. His crime? Saying she had [[Evil Redhead|red hair]].
* Queen Lionstone, in Simon R. Green's [[Deathstalker]] series, fits the trope quite nicely. She's even set up a holographic 'playground' of a throne room which has claimed quite a number of courtiers, just for her own amusement.
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* Arpazia, the resident wicked queen of the Snow White retelling ''[[White as Snow]]''.
▲== Live Action TV ==
* Queenie in ''[[Blackadder]] II'' is a ludicrously exaggerated version of [[The Virgin Queen|Elizabeth I]], using the extremes of anti-Elizabethan propaganda to produce a [[Psychopathic Manchild|Psychopathic Womanchild]] who orders executions on a whim. Miranda Richardson went on to play Queen Mab ''and'' the Queen of Hearts. (Given the portrayal of ''male'' monarchs in ''Blackadder'', though, this probably isn't sexism as much as [[Aristocrats Are Evil]].)
** Scratch that. In Black Adder everyone is either a [[Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist|stupid idiot]] or a [[Black and Black Morality|devious monster]]. And it's all [[Comedic Sociopathy|funny]].
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* In ''[[Tin Man (TV series)|Tin Man]]'', the heroes are on the run from the Sorceress-Queen Azkedelia, who seems (at first blush) analogous to the Wicked Witch of the West and certainly has the attitude to match. However, like everything else in this version of Oz, things aren't exactly as they seem. {{spoiler|For one, she's a descendant of Dorothy Gale, just like her sister, DG. Second, she's not exactly doing the driving.}} There's also the "good" lavender-eyed Queen who is being held prisoner.
* The Evil Queen/[[Punny Name|Regina]] Mills in [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon A Time]]''. She's trapped every known fairy tale character in a dead-end town in Maine and made herself mayor so she can control their lives. Anyone who stands up to her ends up miserable or dead.
== Music ==
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* "Queen Of The Dark Horizons" by [[Rhapsody of Fire]].
== Oral Tradition, Folklore, Myths and Legends ==
* Many villains in classic tales like "[[Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (novel)|Snow White]]" and their Disney adaptations.
* Guinevere cheated on Arthur with Lancelot, leading indirectly to his defeat at the hands of Mordred.
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* ''[[Demon: The Fallen]]'' suggests that ''[[God]]'' of the [[Old World of Darkness]] is actually [[Little Miss Almighty|female]]. Let's just say that She didn't really take care of Her own Creation.
* There are many female leaders in ''[[BattleTech]]'' who fall under this trope, but the two best examples are probably Romano Liao, the paranoid and [[Ax Crazy|insane]] former ruler of the Capellan Confederation known for her tendency to order the violent deaths of her citizens, often for no discernible reason, and Kathrine Steiner-Davion, who had her own mother assassinated then manipulated control of the Federated Commonwealth away from her brother before her tendency towards hamfisted control caused a civil war to break out.
* Warhammer Fantasy has Dark the Dark elves hag Queen, Morathi, is one of the most powerful wizzards in the game and the reason the dark elves had been corrupted in the first place. The Hag Queens of the Temple of Khaine are berzerkers that go to battle looking like they are two thosand years old by human standards and wearing next to nothing. If that isn't frightening, nothing is.
▲== Theater ==
* In [[Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Cymbeline]]'', the Queen is pretty much pure evil, complete with a horrible son, a stepson to the title king.
* Likewise, [[Lady Macbeth|Lady]] [[Macbeth]] qualifies after she manipulates her husband into killing King Duncan and taking the throne.
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* The Queen of Night from Mozart's ''[[The Magic Flute]]'' is not only murderously violent but also a walking symbol of human ignorance.
* Clytemnestra, wife of the eponymous king ''[[Agamemnon]]''.
== Toys ==
* In on of ''[[Bionicle]]'''s many [[Alternate Universe|side-dimensions]], Toa Tuyet, a corrupted female Toa [[Alternate History|managed to take over the world]], turning it [[Mirror Universe|upside-down]]. While not necessarily a "queen", she did rule over her universe with a trope-fitting evilness.
** And if her plan had succeeded, probably Roodaka would have become something similar—but with the official title of a queen.
== Video Games ==
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* Queen Protea of Granorg in ''[[Radiant Historia]]'' bears a more-than-passing resemblance to Empress Theodora from ''[[Skies of Arcadia]]'', right down to having an heir-apparent who futilely resists her greed, egomania and expansionist ambitions. In her very-first appearance, she goes on a lengthy rant about how living in outrageous opulence while the people starve is perfectly okay, since she's such an amazing individual that her mere ''presence'' imbues the life of the 'common rabble' with a purpose - they should be ''happy'' that they get to toil in poverty for her leisure. If nothing else, she does a great job of setting herself up as [[Smug Snake|someone you]] ''[[Smug Snake|REALLY]]'' [[Smug Snake|want to slap]].
==
* ''[[Girl Genius]]'': It's implied that Albia, the 'undying Queen' of Britain may be an example of this, although the only British character to appear so far is Ardsley Wooster, who's on her side (so far as we know) and wouldn't say anything to support this idea.{{verify|reason=Outdated information, please update}}
** Lucrezia could probably be nominated for this role as well - she was married to THE Heterodyne, and even better a ''beloved'' Heterodyne (instead of the usual 'feared') -- but outside of popular stories told by the public, she [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20110316 was not well thought of, particularly by the staff]. She also was The Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter and had her own powerful Sparky gifts, although the details on those are still fuzzy on the reader's end yet.
* [[Genius Ditz|Jim]] as [[Star Wars|Padme Admidala]] in ''[[Darths and Droids]]'', although Padme is no longer Queen of Naboo when he takes over, turning this into God Save Us From The Senator. Immediately after taking the role of the character, Jim interrogates Padme's body double after an assassination attempt ''while she is lying on the ground dying'', threatens to eradicate [[Reasonable Authority Figure|Bail Organna]]'s entire planet if he does not vote in favour of creating a Grand Army for the Republic, and constantly tries to have her [[Evil Chancellor|Not So Evil Chancellor]], Sio Bibble (which Jim keeps mangling as "Bubble"), executed just for having a goatee.
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** The queen of the trolls, Her Imperious Condescension, flies around the universe in her ship greeting new civilizations with politeness. She then leaves and sends a portion of her vast army to annihilate her new acquaintances. And then once she signs on with [[Big Bad|Lord English]], she becomes [[Beethoven Was an Alien Spy|Betty Crocker]] and sets off a series of disastrous events, including taking over the Alpha Derse by dethroning the Black Queen.
*** Which she then tops when it's revealed what she did to Earth: Taking over, attempting to re-create her Troll empire and culture on humans (prohibition of natural breeding, the [[Insane Clown Posse|ICP]] nominated as subjugglators), death camps killing 5 billion, various experiments... To the point that Dirk and Roxy are the last human survivors of their time.
== Web Original ==
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* ''[[The Questport Chronicles]]'' subverts this with the ruler of the titular village, who is shown to be quite a fair and competent ruler.
* In a similar vein to the [[Evil Overlord List]], [http://nift.firedrake.org/EEmpress.htm this] page presents a few helpful guidelines for Evil Empresses.
== Western Animation ==
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]▼
[[Category:Authority Tropes]]
[[Category:Royalty and Nobility Tropes]]
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[[Category:Always Female]]
[[Category:Double Standard]]
▲[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:This Index Is a Bitch]]
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