MBTI Type: ESFJ

Mary is incredibly straightforward with her opinions and feelings; she will immediately address things with other people, in the way Fe-doms do. They are direct and want to clear the air. She wastes no time in telling people to get out of her way, or in unburdening her heart with them. She also knows how to play a successful game of politics, by going along with and appeasing powerful people while strategizing for her own future. Even though her faith separates her from her brother, Mary is able to mother him and win over his approval, allowing her to remain safely at court. She’s politer and more able to form alliances than Elizabeth, but also refuses to stay anywhere she does not feel free to be true to her beliefs. Instead of conforming and converting like her brother demands, she leaves the court for the safety of the country and other like-minded Catholics. She comes to be with Elizabeth on the day of Seymour’s execution, since she assumes “no one wants to be alone” (Elizabeth says she does, in fact, want to be alone, but Mary cannot fathom this). She is very attached to her beliefs, which support longevity in some form. Si is all about connecting to what has endured across the centuries and what is sustainable in the future; such as the monarchy, her place in the line of succession, her acceptance of a male lineage (feeling grateful that she is ‘unimportant’ so long as Edward lives), and being aware of the parameters of being a woman in her own time period. She works within the system, rather than attempts to reform it, and does so successfully. But she also shows some low Ne in her indecision; she fears for her personal safety, and thinks about leaving England for Spain, but changes her mind at the last minute. She will not abandon her home, but seek to reform it, as she plans for her own potential future (even though she cannot be sure the throne will ever be hers). Her flaws come from low Ti – she isn’t always aware of her own biases and does not question her conclusions enough. She over-relies on her emotions and loyalty to the Church, rather than question its validity. Mary wants to feel secure in her beliefs, not to wonder if they might be wrong. And she will not compromise on them, even if it costs her greatly.

Enneagram: 6w5 sp/so

Mary is both interested in creating alliances for her own personal safety and in playing a long-term game of keeping herself out of trouble. She cautions Elizabeth several times not to trust people and says that only confide in God, since he’s the only one that can be trusted (and will not share your secrets). After Elizabeth gets into trouble with Thomas Seymour and is implicated in a plot to steal the throne, Mary gives her the equivalent of an “I told you so” speech (a pure 6 tactic; I warned you, I saw this coming, and you didn’t listen, so you’re an idiot). She tries to draw people to her, so she isn’t alone, always seeking security through togetherness; first with Elizabeth, then her attempts to win over her brother, then with the Spanish ambassador, and even with Somerset at the end. She is also surprisingly tolerant of differences and welcomes people being honest and truthful with her; she doesn’t tell the ambassador who she is, since she enjoys being spoken to frankly for once. Her 5 wing makes her suspicious of others and somewhat withdrawn; she fears the consequences of trusting the wrong people, and puts her faith mostly in an institution. She is fiercely loyal to the Catholic Church, but also afraid that she might be persecuted or even executed for her beliefs, even if she’s unwilling and unable to change them. Over time, we see her grow in determination; she will not abandon England, but ‘reform it’ and return it to the true faith. (6w5s can often become attached to institutions as their source of stability.)

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