The book by the famous Austrian writer Stefan Zweig (1881-1942) “Maria Stuart” belongs to the so-called “romanticized biographies” - a genre that was very widespread in the thirties, when this biography of the Scottish queen was created, and which has not lost its popularity today. If the clear and obvious explains itself, then the riddle awakens creative thought. That is why historical figures and events, shrouded in a haze of mystery, await ever new understanding and poetic interpretation. The life tragedy of Mary Stuart (1542-1587) should rightfully be considered a classic, crowning example of the inexhaustible charm of a mystery that sometimes comes from a historical problem. No woman in history has created such a rich literature - dramas, novels, biographies, discussions. For more than three centuries it has been tirelessly exciting writers, attracting scientists, and its image still worries us with unabated force, seeking ever new reproduction. For everything that is confusing, by its very nature, gravitates towards clarity, and everything that is dark - towards light. But all attempts to display and interpret the mysterious in the life of Mary Stuart are as contradictory as they are numerous: there is hardly a woman who would be painted so differently - then a murderer , now a martyr, now an inept intriguer, now a saint.