Genre
Modern Drama
Language
English
Setting and Context
London, Nineteeth century, during the height of both colonialism and sideshow entertainment
Narrator and Point of View
The point of view is that of Sarah Baartman, who is the character being exploited.
Tone and Mood
Depressing and outraged
Protagonist and Antagonist
Sarah is the protagonist, the Mother Showman the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The is no real conflict in the play within the characters; the conflict occurs within the audience as we are outraged by Sarah's treatment from her exploiters.
Climax
Sarah dies an untimely death in a jail cell, and is subsequently still a sideshow when her skeleton and a plaster cast of her entire body are displayed in a museum.
Foreshadowing
Sarah's leaving South Africa for Britain foreshadows her exploitation and sale and the fact she will never be free again.
Understatement
No specific examples
Allusions
The play alludes to the entertainment of the day in that it centers around the story of people put on display for physical deformities. In a way, it also alludes to the story of the real Sarah Baartman, who is a springboard for the play rather than historically accurately represented by it.
Sarah's stage name is also an allusion to the sculpture of Venus de Milo
Imagery
The imagery revolves around Sarah's body and the condition that she has that makes her curves, particularly her thighs and buttocks, disproportionately large.
Paradox
The Baron Docteur gives Sarah gonorrhea, but has her imprisoned blaming her for contracting it.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the Mother Showman and the Baron Docteur, as both are exploiting Sarah for their own nefarious purposes.
Personification
No specific examples
Use of Dramatic Devices
No specific examples
