The Octoroon is a play written by Dion Boucicault in 1859. It is a melodrama, a genre of theater that is characterized by sensational and emotional plots, exaggerated characters, and elaborate stage effects. The Octoroon is set in the antebellum South and deals with themes of race, slavery, and interracial romance.
At the heart of the play is the character of Zoe, an octoroon, or a person who is one-eighth African American. Zoe is caught in a love triangle between her white guardian, George Peyton, and her African American friend, Pauline. The plot is further complicated by the arrival of a wealthy plantation owner, M’Closky, who wants to buy the plantation and sell off the slaves, including Zoe.
As a melodrama, The Octoroon features many of the conventions of the genre, including a clear division between good and evil characters, a sense of moral righteousness, and a dramatic climax. The play also incorporates elements of social commentary, as it exposes the injustice and cruelty of the institution of slavery.
Despite its melodramatic elements, The Octoroon also has elements of satire, as it parodies the conventions of the popular minstrel shows of the time. Minstrel shows were a form of entertainment in which white actors in blackface performed exaggerated and stereotypical depictions of African Americans. In The Octoroon, Boucicault subverts these conventions by presenting complex and nuanced characters, including the African American characters Pauline and Dido, who are shown to be intelligent and capable.
In conclusion, The Octoroon is a melodrama that incorporates elements of satire and social commentary. Its themes of race, slavery, and interracial romance make it a poignant and relevant work that continues to be performed and studied today.
‘An Octoroon’: Intellectual rollercoaster ride of a play about race in America
On what used to be its adjoining parking lot, the Fountain Theatre has built an impressive Outdoor Stage, an open-air, socially-distanced 99-seater. Peyton to avoid selling Terrebonne, McClosky kills Paul and takes the letter. Enfolded in the mortgage melodrama of a Louisiana plantation is a love story involving George, the young romantic heir of the estate, and the illegitimate daughter of the dead patriarch, Zoe, who was raised at Terrebonne as part of the family. He soon meets and falls in love with an "octoroon", a young woman who is one-eighth black. Is Boucicault saying he only cares about this one octoroon? And Boucicault is clear in his message that the southern laws that would prevent Zoe and George from marrying are a mistake. Cite this page as follows: "The Octoroon - Summary" eNotes Publishing Ed. I feel like it has interesting connections to "Lady Audley's Secret," though.
An Octoroon
A common component of melodrama was the upkeep of strict moral justice, and social and ideological justice aswell. From this perspective, the play could be considered racist. And so, before the play proper has begun, we are presented with yet a third question. The use of such terminology is a characteristic of hypodescent, which is the practice within a society of assigning children of mixed union to the ethnic group which is perceived by the dominant group as being subordinate. This one is okay, he seems to be saying, and we need to have sympathy for her.
Review: Fountain Theatre's 'Octoroon' by Branden Jacobs
He is a prominent figure in Victorian era drama and is said to belong to more than one national literature, Irish, English and the United States. McClosky discovers that the Free Papers of Zoe were taken out by Judge Peyton after the date of the mortgage, an illegal proceeding. Zoe and George are alone, and George confesses his love for her. Salem Scudder, a kind Yankee, was Judge Peyton's business partner; though he wishes he could save Terrebonne, he has no money. They have realized that Paul is missing, and most believe him dead. In the period before the Civil War, a young man returns to his hometown of New Orleans after having been gone for a long time.
