A young woman's experience of monarchy (also known to some as menarche) is one of the most important life development stages of his or her life. He may have dreamt of being a queen, but this is a time when he or she first realizes that he or she has royal blood. On the other hand many women who are born females may have always dreamt of being kings. As Mel Brooks famously quips in The History of the World: Part I,
"it's good to be the king.'
It's important to realize at this point that all good things come with at a price. No pain no gain and the monthly cycle of monarchy with its cramps and mood changes is a roller coaster ride for some. Who knows if the repression of the Victorian age wasn't the result of Queen Victoria having a rough time going through monarchy? And there were others like Cleopatra whose erratic behavior resulted in all kinds of turbulence. Remember Marlowe's famous lines, "was this the face that launched a thousand ships/and burned the topless towers of Ilium?" For these reasons, it's important that every gal have a good understanding of what monarchy means. Think of the Hohenzollerns, the Habsburgs, the Plantagenets, the Stuarts, the Tudors. When has monarchy occurred without bloodshed? A girl or guy can go through his or her monarchy, but she or he won't come out of it unstained.
{This was originally posted to The Screaming Pope, Francis Levy's blog of rants and reactions to contemporary politics, art and culture}