Readings from Drama (HSS F221)

Assignment 2 Declaration

Semester II, 2018-2019

This is to certify that, we, the following undersigned (Name and BITS ID Number) have worked

uniformly on the argumentative paper attached herewith. Also, we assure that the paper is original,

with proper citations wherever required, and the entire group is responsible for any kind of plagiarism

whatsoever.

Group Number: ________9__________ Total Number of Members: __________5__________

1. ______________________________________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________________________________

3. _______________________________________________________________________________

4. _______________________________________________________________________________

5. _______________________________________________________________________________
 Emperor Jones as a Tragic Hero

The drama ‘The Emperor Jones’ is considered to be a very controversial piece of historical

fiction themed around topics like racism and slavery. The play shows the protagonist in a bad light

for most of the time, focusing mostly on his mental deterioration. It focuses majorly on the themes of

racial discrimination, slave trade, godliness of the oppressor and fear of the oppressed. By

recognizing his positive traits, however; how he rose to be an emperor from being a slave in a short

span of time, and the challenges he faced to achieve these great heights, it is possible to gain a new

perspective on this play.

In this paper we present a unique interpretation, as a tragic drama, in which the hero fails to

realize his pride. The paper aims to achieve this by highlighting the elements of Aristotle’s theory of

tragic drama in this play.

Jones as a hero:

As per the conventional characteristics of a tragic hero, the character must be in a noble

position, from where we can expect his downfall. Unlike traditional tragic heroes however, he does

not have the stature of a high born, which could be taken as the biggest obstacle to analyzing him as

a tragic hero. However, we argue that Emperor Jones at his peak is a man of noble stature.

On the face value the drama portrays him as a villainous character but by taking a closer

look, it can be seen that Brutus Jones reached his highest through wit and intelligence. He went from

non ultra to plus ultra as he rose in position from a powerless slave to a highly feared emperor. He

learnt the native language of the country, amd utilised every opportunity that came his way to his

advantage. He knew that that the natives were superstitious people, and thus when he was at
gunpoint and luckily survived, he spread the rumour that he can only be killed by silver bullets,

because he knew that natives were poor and could not afford a silver bullet.

It is also necessary to understand the background of Brutus Jones. As a black American

working as a porter, he faced oppression from the whites for most of his life until he got a chance to

escape to Caribbean. He proved to be a shrewd person who seized the opportunity of becoming an

emperor, by putting to use the lessons he learnt from the whites.

While some people might argue that the character development of Brutus Jones throughout

the course of drama is in response to his circumstances and racial history, our argument states that

ultimately Jones is the one responsible for his choices. Unlike the common perception that destiny

controls the outcomes for an individual, he was always in control of his destiny, and took all the

decisions being aware of their consequences. He was truly a Renaissance man.

In the following discussion, we highlight the tragic elements of this play in accordance with

Aristotle’s theory:

Hubris in The Emperor Jones:

Hubris is a vital element of Aristotle’s tragic hero. Put in simple words, Hubris occurs when

a character is full of pride and this utmost arrogance leads to his downfall in the play. The play “The

Emperor Jones” opens with the following description of the throne room:

“the palace of the Emperor−a spacious, high−ceilinged room ... white−washed walls...white

tiles...white Pillars.” (scene 1)

The description indicates that the Emperor enjoys the same supremacy on this island as

Whites on the Mainland. He takes extreme pride in ruling over the superstitious people of the island.
He himself being dark skinned, refers to island inhabitants with the N-word. The following part of

the conversation with Smithers clearly shows how he is filled with arrogance and considers himself

far better than other black people on the island. He also shows pride in becoming an Emperor from a

stowaway in only two years of time:

“ And it didn't take long from dat time to git dese fool, woods' niggers right where I wanted dem.

[With pride.] From stowaway to Emperor in two years! Dat's goin' some!” (scene 1)

His methods and actions reflect the exploitative nature of white Americans towards blacks.

Since he got the chance to rule an island, he could have learnt from their mistakes and become a

compassionate and just ruler, but instead he seizes the opportunity to subjugate and exploit the

natives by looting their money in the name of taxes and depositing it in a foreign bank.

Hamartia in The Emperor Jones:

Hamartia is yet another important aspect of the Aristotelian tragic hero, which refers to the

“tragic flaw” in the protagonist's personality or a “fatal error” committed by the hero. In the play,

Emperor Jones doesn’t show enough faith in himself as a ruler. He never takes steps to ensure his

long-lasting reign on the island. Instead, he decides to hoard the money he amassed from the natives

in a foreign bank. Following part of the conversation indicates that he never took steps to keep his

throne but saved money so that he can run away when the time comes:

“I sho' has! And it's in a foreign bank where no pusson don't ever git it out but me no matter what

come.”(scene 1)

Although this shows that he had forethought about the consequences of his rule, he

underestimated the natives, blinded by his pride. His ambitious nature combined with his racist

outlook and failure in taking corrective measures are the tragic flaws in his personality.
Peripeteia in The Emperor Jones

Aristotle considered Peripeteia as a powerful tool in the plot of a tragedy. It refers to a

sudden reversal in the fortune of hero, usually from good to bad. This turning point is often the result

of previous actions of the protagonist and is marked by the point of no return.

In scene two when he is fleeing in the dark forest, he thinks of the time when everyone

referred to him as “yo’ majesty” and then he chuckles with slight disdain at how ridiculous it sounds

under the circumstances. At this point he realizes that there is no way he can get back to power.

“Dis am a long night fo' yo', yo' Majesty! [With a mournful chuckle.]” (scene 3)

When the Emperor is fleeing from the natives in the forest, he starts to have hallucinations.

These hallucinations are manifestations of his own dark past and show that somewhere in his heart

he knows that he has committed some terrible deeds but there is no going back. Even though he asks

god for forgiveness, it is too late by then.

“Mercy, Lawd! Mercy! Lawd, save me!” (scene 7)

Catharsis in The Emperor Jones

Aristotle was the first to give the theory of Catharsis and show its importance in a tragedy, to

purge the emotions of the audience by providing strong negative emotions, thus helping to vent these

emotions from the system. A real tragedy is one which ends with the complete destruction of the

protagonist. This leads to the catharsis for the audience.

This play aptly uses this tool by describing the step by step destruction of Jones from an

emperor in his glorified uniform with golden chains and brass buttons to a terrified, bruised person

in completely tattered clothes.

“JONES stumbles in from the forest on the right. His uniform is ragged and torn.” (scene 4)
 His monologue in the forest about Jeff shows how he has turned from a fearless Emperor to

frightened man alone in the forest whose sins have come back to haunt him:

“[He walks quickly into the clear space−then stands transfixed as he sees JEFF−in a terrified

gasp.] Who dar? Who dat? Is dat you, Jeff?”(scene 3)

The tom-toms play an important role in building up tension in this play. As the pace of tom-

tom increases throughout the play, the degradation of Jones increases too. In the end, the tom-tom

becomes so loud that the forest starts to vibrate. Jones completely loses his sanity and is caught and

killed by the natives.

Conclusion:

The elements of hubris, hamartia, peripeteia and catharsis, which are the defining

characteristics of a classic tragedy are prominent in this play. Apart from this, Jones’ intelligence

and ambition give him high stature which he otherwise lacks because he is not a high born. These

statements are supported by events from the play. Thus, with support of the evidence provided, we

argue that the play can be interpreted as a tragic drama.

References:

1. Brock, Zoë. "The Emperor Jones Themes." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 20 Apr 2018. Web. 28

Apr 2019.

2. Grigoriadis, Ioannis N."Greek Tragedy." World Policy Journal, vol. 28 no. 2, 2011, pp. 101-

109. Project MUSE, muse.jhu.edu/article/450609.

25, no. 2, 1975, pp. 221–254., doi:10.1017/S0009838800030068.

4. O’ Neill, Eugene. The Emperor Jones. Scholar select, 2015.