Mary, Queen of Scots of 7 February 1587, Mary was told that she was to be executed the next morning. She spent the last hours of her life in prayer, distributing her belongings to her household, and writing her will and a letter to the King of France. The scaffold that was erected in the Great Hall was draped in black cloth. It was reached by two or three steps and furnished with the block, a cushion for her to kneel on and three stools, for her and the earls of Shrewsbury and Kent, who were there to witness the execution. The executioners (one
Mary, Queen of Scots (opera) telling her to place her trust not in James but in the Earl of Bothwell, James has the cardinal imprisoned and killed. A year passes. Scotland is following the Protestant faith but ruled by the Catholic Mary with James as her advisor. At a court ball organized by David Riccio, Mary first encounters her cousin Lord Darnley and is fascinated by him. Although they violently disagree with each other, both James and Bothwell mistrust Darnley's seeming influence on the young queen, especially Bothwell who is likewise attracted to Mary. She soliloquizes on the rivalry between the three men in her