HUMA 1780 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Harlem Duet, Soundscape
4 Feb 2017
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Soundscape: read references at the beginning of scenes. Play is a prequel to othello, about billie rather than othello. Emphasize the representations of identity (racial and gender) Exorcism of othello/ reclaiming of representations of african people. Not about a tragic protagonist but a tragic heroin. There are three distinct plot lines (may mirror or parallel each other) Complex interplay of past and present in all 3 plot lines. Duet could be either the two voices or the fact that the play is in both the past and present. Relationship between billie and othello is over but the audience can determine what the relationship was like through the remembrances. Past relationship is important to contextualize what happens in the play as well as to allow us to understand the longer continuum of racial con ict. Not simply about the two characters, but about collective history. Important in many cultures, especially african culture.
