CORE-UA 541 Cultures and Contexts: Atlantic Encounters Paper Assignment #5

SLAVERY AND RACISM IN OORONOKO
By (Student’s Name)
Course Number
Professor’s Name
Institution of affiliation
City and State
Date
Slavery and Racism in Ooronoko
Thomas Southerne’s play Ooronoko is an adaptation of Aphra Behn's original version of The Royal Slave. In the dramatization of the novel into a play, Imionda’s skin color is changed from black to white. McDonald (as cited in Iwanisziw, S. B.,2017, 30) argues that turning skin color makes Imionda a reconstructed and invisible black woman in a discourse community of the American culture. The play also uses approaches of double tragedy, in which the cataclysmic fate of the multicultural lovers is depicted and the humorous but heroic actions of Cherllot Weldon in disguising as man and finding wealthy husbands for themselves.
Ooronoko is a tragicomedy since it combines the elements of tragedy and comedy. Tragicomedy is a genre that thrived the sixteenth century. Most of such plays were meant to assert the beliefs of the medieval royalties (Munns, J., 2018, p. 183). The plays were written to entertain and praise kings and make them feel powerful. Besides, they confirmed the hierarchy of social classes. Slaves were meant to serve masters. They also had young female characters that were separated from their lovers. These plays also had either a cheer and comical ending or a tragic and mournful end. Like most of the tragicomedies at that time. Ooronoko confirms the social hierarchical order. Masters like the governor of Suriname are superior over slaves like Ooronoko. The white skin color is also dominant over black. It also has both comic and tragic plots. In addition, it has a tragic ending in which the main characters committing suicide. Tragicomedies had a lot of influence in the medieval period, they made kings more powerful and wealthier while the slaves became poorer, weak and docile. However, in the modern era, they have a different influence they can be used to learn lessons about politics, gender violence racial stereotyping and societal values.
The play changes the perception of slavery, especially in the sixteenth century. Black people were seen as commodities. In the tragic plot of the play, Ooronoko is a black slave. He was originally a prince from Africa. He is then sold to a merchant and a plantation owner. In this part of the play, Southene indicates how slavery has changed. Years before Ooronoko had been enslaved, captives were being locked away or they would serve their masters. However, during Oooronoko’s time slaves were commodified (Iwanisziw, S.B., 2018, p. 58). The ownership of a slave could be transferred from one person to another. By selling Ooronoko to Blanford, the plantation owner he is being treated as a commodity. The master and the slave soon become very good friends. Oooronoko later reveals to Blanford that he has a white love...