English Medieval Mystery plays used allegorical morality emblems.
These emblems associated actor roles in the plays with what they
represented. Thus a character that was "Good" was associated with
the emblem for "Good", the character that was "honest" was associated
with the emblem for "Truth", the character that was "dishonest" was
associated with the emblem for "Falseness", the character that was
"Thrifty" was associated with the emblem for "Thrift", etc. This is
important as the character that was "Evil" was associated with
the emblem for "Evil": "Satan", and "Blackness".
As the Black-a-Moor (there were White Moors, too) was associated with
"Satan", (the audience for these Mystery plays was not that sophisticated
or educated), it became expected that positive emblems where associated
with "Whiteness" just as negative emblems were associated with "Satan"
and "Blackness". As "Satan" was rarely encountered in real life, it was
natural that people with "Black" or tawney complexions would become
associated with "Evil". Emblems are a rhetorical device. Thus a racist
ideology was born. This racism was all the more reified as slavery grew
in importance. As the credulous audience had limited experiences, Black
Moors were identified with Africans, New World Amerindians, Asiatics, etc.
The religious Mystery plays slowly disappeared, to be replaced by guild
pageants, then mimetic plays. Religious-emblem characters such as "Black
Satanic Evil" were replaced by characters that were more real, yet still
emblematic, such as the "villain", or the effeminate, but trustworthy
and dependable servant, once "aristocratic" in his goodness, such as
Charles Dickens' "Newman Noggs" ("Nicholas Nickleby"), etc.
"In the Christian tradition, whiteness is desired, blackness
is condemned. White is the color of the regenerated, of the
saved; black is the color of the of the damned, the lost."
1
"In a theological system that believes that sinfulness is the
inheritance of all and that employs the trope of ablution
through Baptism, the mark of sin on blacks is uniquely severe
because the sign of their sinfulness is indelible."
1
The association of blackness with evil in England appears in
medieval miracle plays, guild mystery pageants 2,
court masques, mimetic drama, and was reinforced by slavery,
then colonialism, then modern forms of racism such as Social
Darwinism, and in our modern times, by some versions of
"scientific racism", as in forms of racial genetics (viewed as
another form of theatre, or rhetoric [propaganda]). Thus the
relevance of allegorical emblems. Black-a-moors often painted
black, or in black costumes in theatre. Blacks also viewed as
bestial. 3
In this section, the primary reference is "Black Face
Maligned Race: The Representation of Blacks in English Drama
from Shakespeare to Southern", by Barthelemy, Anthony Gerard
Who are the "Moors"? The Moors are peoples that lived in
Mauritania (Roman Conquest) the Mahgreb (N. African/Mediterranean),
Morocco, Iberia, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and Malta. Most of these
peoples are Moslem, some are Christian, some are animists. Moors fall
into two major categories: Haratin (Black Moors) and Bidan (White Moors,
"tawnie" Moors). Haratin (plowmen) were bound legally by laws that did
not allow ownership of property, and disallowed education or anything
that could act as a psycho-social form of independence (ie: slavery).
Thus European contact could easily lead to a facile assumption thar
ALL Blacks are inherently limited culturally (ie: racism). Often,
instead of using the word Moor, the word "Aethiopian" is used by
Europeans (for example, by Shakespeare).
In England (and most of Europe) a dark complexioned person included not
only blacks from North Africa, but might include Turks, Indians, Asians
(not Moslems), New World Amerindians (not Moslems), or any "exotic"
or "foreign" peoples.
Moors were associated as non-Christians, thus "... a black Muslim turns
white when he receives the sacrement of Baptism..."
4
The "Masque of Blackness" has been discussed, but Ben Jonson
created three other, similar masques: "The Masque of Beauty",
"The Masque of Queens", and "The Gypsies Metamorphosed"
5.
Between 1585 and 1692, there were at least nineteen [guild mystery]
pageants with black characters." These pageants celebrated the
economics of colonialism by creating the black stereotypes of the
guild mystery pageants. "Indeed occupying a vast portion of the thematic
concern [of civic pageants] is the eternal conflict between virtue and
vice, the ancient psychomachia between good and evil. Owing a debt to
medieval morality drama, almost all pageants contain some sort of
reference to the moral struggle, ..." 6.
"To augment this moralism, the major characters in these tableaux
generally are personages drawn from emblem books."
7
Discussing "Chrysanaleia", 1616, by Anthony Munday: "All the
forefront is beautified with Royall Vertues, as Truth, Vertue, Honor,
Temperance, Fortitude, Zeale, Equity, Conscience, beating down Treason,
and Mutinie. Behind, and on the sides, sits Justice, Authority, Lawe,
Vigilance, Peace, Plentie and Discipline ..." 8
Blacks appear in the 1674 Goldsmith's Guild pageant of Thomas Jordan,
dressedas from India: Africa and India confounded together
9.
John Tatham's 1661 pageant "London's Tryumphs" has blacks, but
identified as "Indians", but this is imprecise, as while it is
stated to be "Indian" but it may mean "East India" or
"West India" 10.
George Peel's 1585 pageant has a Moor dressed as a Moor but
riding upon a Luzarne (lynx), while in Tatham's 1659 pageant, Moors
(Neggarrs) or Indians ride griffins 11.
The Grocer's Guild pageants of 1672, 1673, 1678, and 1681
by Thomas Jordan has droll or comic scenes of black planters
(slaves)singing (1681 pageant): 12
"
We are Jolly Planters that live in the East,
And furnish the World with Delights when they Feast,
or by our Endeavours this country presumes
To fit them with Physic, Food, Gold and Perfumes.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
From Torments or Troubles of Body and Mind,
Your Bnny brisk Planters are free as the Wind,
We eat well to Labour, and Labour to eat,
Our planting doth get us both Stomach and Meat;
There's no better Physic
To vanquish the Phthific,
And when we're at Leisure our Voices are Music:
And now we are come with a brick-drolling Ditty,
To honour my Lord; and to humor the City,
We Sing, Dance, and trip it as Frolick and Ranters;
Such are the sweet Lives of your bonny brave Planters.
"
In mimetic plays, religious allegory figures such as "Satan", are
replaced by secular personifications (character types) such as
"villains". "Dumb shows" (theatre using pantomime and gestures)
are examples of mimetic theatre.
Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" (1594), Ravenscroft's
"Titus Andronicus" or "The Rape of Lavinia" (1687),
or Aphra Behn's "Abdelazer"; or "The Moor's Revenge"
(1676) all employ Blackmoor characters and Blackness. Multiple
versions of similar thematic material was common
13.
As with Aphra Behn's 1688 "Oroonoko, The Royal Slave",
and Thomas Southerne's 1695 "Oroonoko", now the Blackmoor
character represents the "Noble Savage", and Southerne
even changes the wife Imoinda’s skin color from black to white
14.
The regenerated White or Tawny Moor also appears in theatre, once
it has been made clear that the Moor has been baptised. Thus
Robert Greene's "Orlando Furioso", or John Fletcher's
"The Island Princess" located in the Molucca Islands
15.
1
"Black Face Maligned Race: The Representation of Blacks
in English Drama from Shakespeare to Southern",
Barthelemy, Anthony Gerard; p. 3
2
"The Mercery of London: Trade, Goods and People, 1130-1578"
Sutton, Anne F.; See craft guilds such as the mercers guild as
"mestier, métier, ministerium, or mistery". Craft guilds
held pageants, thus these were "mistery" pageants.
3
"Black Face Maligned Race: The Representation of Blacks
in English Drama from Shakespeare to Southern",
Barthelemy, Anthony Gerard; p. 4
Website Terms of Use