ots ▁ ▁The ▁subject ▁of ▁Mary , ▁Queen ▁of ▁Sc ots ▁was ▁a ▁common ▁one . ▁Usually ▁the ▁oper as ▁de alt ▁with ▁the ▁section ▁of ▁her ▁life ▁when ▁she ▁was ▁being ▁per sec uted ▁by ▁Elizabeth ▁I ▁of ▁England . ▁She ▁was ▁considered ▁a ▁sympath etic ▁character ▁in ▁southern ▁Europe ▁due ▁to ▁her ▁Catholic ism . ▁ ▁In ▁a ▁ 2 0 0 1 ▁article , ▁" M ary ▁Stuart ▁and ▁the ▁opera ▁in ▁her ▁honour ▁by ▁Carlo ▁C oc cia ", ▁Professor ▁Alexander ▁We ath erson ▁writes : ▁No ▁one ▁could ▁comp lain ▁that ▁Italy ▁had ▁ever ▁abandoned ▁Mary ▁Stuart . ▁ ▁The atr ically ▁speaking ▁she ▁had ▁shown ▁a ▁marked ▁res ili ence ▁but ▁not ▁really ▁on ▁account ▁of ▁her ▁spiritual ▁per fection . ▁It ▁was ▁as ▁a ▁political ▁symbol ▁that ▁she ▁had ▁captured ▁the ▁imagination ▁of ▁Italian ▁radical s ▁and ▁their ▁k ith ▁and ▁kin . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁earliest ▁years ▁of ▁the ▁nin ete enth ▁century ▁performances ▁of ▁Alf ieri ' s ▁( 1 7 8 0 ) ▁and ▁Sch iller ' s ▁( 1 8 0 1 ) ▁far - fetch ed ▁historical ▁plays ▁st aged ▁in ▁her ▁honour ▁rub bed ▁shoulders ▁with ▁a ▁less er ▁political ▁layer . ▁ ▁Thus ▁a ▁dim ▁" M aria ▁Stu arda ▁rest itu ita ▁dai ▁Car bon ari ", ▁for ▁example , ▁a ▁rag - bag ▁of ▁fact ▁and ▁fiction ▁that ▁somehow ▁managed ▁to ▁bridge ▁the ▁gap ▁between ▁fer vent ▁Catholic ism ▁and ▁Jacob in ▁wish ful - th inking