Academic Athlete: The Tudor epitome of this trope, Elizabeth excels at her studies and at horseback riding and hunting.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Elizabeth might have reason to distrust little Jane Grey, but her manipulating the tone deaf girl into singing her brother a love song is brutal and mean. Robert Dudley rightfully calls her out for it.
Deadpan Snarker: "Womanhood has kept many a woman safe before."
Fiery Red Head: The future queen has long, flowing red hair that is often seen falling around her shoulders.
Love Makes You Dumb: Much like her stepmother, Elizabeth falls for the charms of Thomas Seymour. She tries to resist his pursuit after Catherine dies, but she acquiesces eventually.
Neutral No Longer: Even though she has been raised a Protestant, Elizabeth has affection for both Edward and Mary and doesn't want to see them in conflict. However, by the end of Episode II, she fully throws her lot in with Edward and the Protestant side.
Spirited Young Lady: Princess Elizabeth is self-confident and not afraid to speak her mind.
Slut-Shaming: on the receiving end of a lot of this. Made more painful to audiences by the fact that, by 21st Century standards, Elizabeth is a victim of child grooming.
Finally subverted when Edward Seymour apologizes to her for the treatment she faced and affirms that it was not her fault.
Unrequited Love Switcheroo: Elizabeth is very shocked to learn Robert Dudley has eloped with Amy Robsart and claims to no longer love her.
Wise Beyond Their Years: As befits a teenager that has already been through much trauma and will eventually become a great monarch, Elizabeth shows flashes of wisdom far beyond her years. She certainly seems savvier than either Edward or Mary.
Adaptational Jerkass: The historic Catherine Parr was a loving and devoted stepmother who seems to have genuinely cared about not only Elizabeth but Mary and Edward. She did have ambition, and she was naive about her husband's intentions toward Elizabeth, but she wasn't the schemer she is in the show. She also would likely have not delighted in cruelty toward Princess Mary, despite her religious differences with the woman.
Deadpan Snarker: She wisecracks more than once about her situation and the ruthlessness of court politics.
Death by Childbirth: True to history, Catherine dies a few days after giving birth to a healthy daughter.
Love Makes You Dumb: Catherine's love and passion for Thomas Seymour makes the intelligent and accomplished queen not see through her husbands ill-intentions.
The Mentor: Catherine sees herself as this to both Elizabeth and Jane. At times, she succeeds.
Blatant Lies: When he's caught attempting to kidnap the king and having murdered the poor boy's dog, he claims he was testing the king's security. This was the actual excuse the real Thomas gave when this happened.
Cain and Abel: aims an arrow at his brother on one occasion, before thinking better of it. Later accuses his brother of being Cain when he signs his death warrant.
The Casanova: Tom is handsome, charming and uses his good looks and roguish charm to advance himself. He marries the former queen, and he has designs on Elizabeth as well.
Lecherous Stepparent: Tom's "playful romps" with Elizabeth caused a scandal, and most people came to believe his intentions toward her were anything but innocent.
It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: Thomas's plan to kidnap the king and get his permission to marry Elizabeth seems really stupid, and it is. It is also true to history.
Oh, Crap!: Thomas clearly thought his brother and nephew wouldn't put him to death, and then there's a moment when he realizes his brother is actually going to sign his death warrant.
Pet the Dog: Thomas admires Jane Grey and is kind to her with no apparent motive other than affection and sympathy.
Child Prodigy: Jane is still a little girl, but she's an exceptional scholar. Even Thomas Seymour admires her.
Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Jane immediately alienates Elizabeth by mentioning that she has a place in the succession and that Elizabeth and Mary both have legitimacy issues. She profusely apologizes, but the damage is done.
Rage Breaking Point: Jane tries to be friends with Elizabeth, but mostly out of social awkwardness manages to insult Elizabeth. Elizabeth, in turn is brutally mean to Jane more than once. Finally, Jane straight up calls Elizabeth a whore to her face.
The Rival: Thanks to her place in the succession, Jane is being set up as a rival to Elizabeth, even though it is clearly not her idea.
The Court of Edward VI
Edward VI (Oliver Zetterström)
Animal Lover: played with, and ultimately subverted. Loved his dog, and is reduced to tears after his death. However, he also likes watching cockfights, and takes his anger out on a falcon by commanding all his feathers be plucked off.
Incurable Cough of Death: At the end of episode seven, Edward starts coughing, indicating his health is declining.
Royal Brat: Edward doesn't like anyone questioning his authority, throws tantrums, and puts on viciously anti-Catholic masques at his court. He shows some remorse at the latter hurting his sister Mary's feelings, but he hardens.
Sadist: Edward gets his Joffery moment when, in a fit of anger over his uncle's betrayal, he orders an innocent falcon tortured to death. In truth, a story circulated that Edward himself had done such a cruel thing to his pet falcon, but others disputed the story.
Abusive Parents: tells Elizabeth that when she was about her age, her father sent a man who threatened to "smash her head against the wall until it was as soft as a boiled apple" unless she renounce her mother. Sadly Truth in Television.
Big Sister Instinct: After Elizabeth is exiled, Mary visits her and gives her a wise and protective talking to about her situation. Religious and political differences divide them, but Mary clearly feels protective of Elizabeth.
"While he lives, we do not matter. * Chuckles * Thank God!".
"I'm losing. To myself, if you'd believe it."
Face–Heel Turn: starts the series nothing but sympathetic, a caring older sister who wishes to take Elizabeth under her wing. by the end of the series, she has called Elizabeth a whore, wrote a letter to the royal house of Denmark calling her a bastard and breaking up her engagement, and frightened her off her horse before threatening her.
Knight Templar: As of Episode Seven; "They burn things to stop the plague. They burn houses to the ground. If I have to burn England to stop the spread of this evil, so be it".
Old Maid: Unmarried and over thirty, Mary is very much alone.
Holier Than Thou: Mary is deeply religious, and she is deeply Catholic in a Protestant court. She thinks of herself as better than everyone, and she tries to convert Elizabeth to what she thinks is the true faith.
Gives one to Catherine Parr. "I used to love you. Then I hated you. Now, I pity you."
Gives one to Edward Seymour, that shakes him up so badly he comes to believe she's plotting against him.
Is eventually on the receiving end in episode 8, when Elizabeth tells her; "I know you think yourself a victim. [...] but the truth is, you choose this Mary. You could have an easy life if you wanted."
Start of Darkness: Mary will go down in history as Bloody Mary, notorious for her cruel executions of protestants, but here we see her as the isolated Catholic at Edward's mean-spirited court.
Took a Level in Jerkass: starts off protective of Elizabeth and concerned for her welfare. By episode Seven, she is capable of being downright cruel to her.
Sanity Slippage: The Series swings between whether Mary is a victim and struggling with stress or whether she is actually batshit insane; Episode Seven, with her speech of "They burn things to stop the plague. They burn houses to the ground. If I have to burn England to stop the spread of this evil, so be it", firmly places her in the "batshit insane" category.
Edward Seymour (John Heffernan)
Cain and Abel: his brother Thomas briefly contemplates shooting him with a bow and arrow. later, Edward signs his brother's death warrant. Lampshaded by Thomas calling him Cain.
Heel–Face Turn: He functions as a villain in early episodes, but by the final episode he goes to his death as an honorable man who did his best by England.
The Killjoy: Unlike his brother, Edward has little sense of humor and has little patience for his brother's antics.
Only Sane Man: Edward may not be perfect but by Episodes 4-5, he's the only man on the council who actually is interested in governing. He's loyal to the king, but he dresses the boy down when he oversteps and thinks he can rule, and later he makes a deal with France to return some territory but avoid a costly war.
Pride: A good solider and a competent administrator, Edward's arrogance, not to mention his willingness to put his own brother to death, causes the council to turn against him.
Social Climber: Edward, as well as his wife Anne, are considered social climbers. Catherine Parr is horrified at the idea that Edward's wife might wear her jewels. Meanwhile, Mary's Spanish advisor is outright dismissive of Edward.
Best Friend: He is the only character who seems to like Elizabeth as a person without much of an agenda, and he's willing to call her out when she behaves badly.
Childhood Friend Romance: Robert is clearly in love with Elizabeth, as his father points out. However, Elizabeth sees him as a peer, friend and confidant but not a romantic partner. History tells us this might change.
Dumbass Teenage Son: Although not as dumb or incompetent as his little brother Guildford, John Dudley often has to tell Robert not to be an idiot.
Horseback Heroism: During the hunt with the stag, Dudley comes upon Elizabeth to help. She rejects physical aid, but he emotionally supports her.
On the Rebound: Marries Amy Robsart after Elizabeth rejects him.
Pretty Boy: This young version of Dudley is very much a pretty teenager, and he sports the earring Dudley famously had. Elizabeth notices.
Face–Heel Turn: He starts off looking like a devoted, if ambitious, father and loyal Protestant courtier. But when when he usurps Somerset, his villainy starts to show.
Happily Married: Openly admits to Robert that he loves his wife.
Historical Villain Upgrade: The historic John Dudley was known as a competent regent and unusually devoted husband and father who was not known to be abusive to his children. He was also not fanatically protestant, had little or nothing to do with the two heretics burned under Edward VI and never burned Princess Mary's iconography to spite her. In fact, some historians don't even believe he was the instigator in the attempt to put Jane Grey on the throne, but rather went along with Edward VI and Thomas Cranmer out of a combination of ambition and not unjustified fear of what Mary's reign would do to the country.
Knight Templar: Whether motivated by Faith, ambition or his desire to make England great again, John Dudley proves brutal and dangerous.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: While he may be sincere in his Protestantism, it's clear that John Dudley sees persecuting Catholics as a political means to an end, as well as a way to endear himself to the fanatical young king. Destroying Mary's Catholic iconography reads far more like psychological warfare than any sort of expression of sincere belief.
Trumplica: He just wants to help the young king make England great again.
Pedro (Ekow Quartey)
Becoming the Mask: Is hired to spy on Princess Mary, ends up becoming a true friend to her and switching allegiances.
The Cynic: Starts the series as one, claiming; "Every man has a price. [When I became a mercenary] I thought I was no worse than them. Better even, for I was honest."
The Mole: A mercenary hired to spy on the Princess Mary. he soon grows to admire her so much that he ends up spying on her behalf.
