Esther M. Zimmer Lederberg
Masque of Blackness Ben Jonson Inigo Jones
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Ben Jonson and Inigo Jones: Masque of Blackness
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The masque begins with Niger talking to his father Oceanus. Oceanus asks him
why he has left his usual eastward course and flowed westward, into the
Atlantic. Niger tells him that he has come to request help. Niger's black
daughters are upset because they thought of themselves to be the most
beautiful goddesses in the world, but they found out that paleness is more
attractive and no longer feel beautiful. The moon goddess, Æthiopia,
tells the daughters to find a country that ends in "tannia" and they will
be beautiful once more.
The daughters desperately tried finding the country and even went to
Mauritania (North Africa), Swarthy Lusitania (Portugal), and Rich
Aquitania (France). They prayed once more to Æthiopia and she
tells them the country is Britannia. As we move from country to country,
we move successively to ascending lightness (ascending wealth). Oceanus
identifies England by the snow white Albion cliffs. Æthiopia further
tells them that the king is sun-like and he would be able to bleach
their black color away. Æthiopia says that once a month for the
next year, the daughters should bathe in sea-dew and then at the same
time next year, they will appear before the king once again, and this
time his light will make them beautiful and white!
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