61 pages • 2 hours read
Suzan-Lori ParksVenus
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1996A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Scenes 24-20JChapter Summaries & Analyses
Scene 24 Summary: “But None of the Spectators Ever Noticed/Her Face was Streamed with Tears”
The 8 Human Wonders comment that the Venus is handling the spotlight well, but they think she will be disappointed to find out that she is not free after her two-year contract ends. The Mother-Showman directs the Venus to turn and act livelier as she tells the crowd about her “heathen” background. The Mother-Showman tells the Venus to dance, clapping to keep time. The Negro Resurrectionist presents Footnote #4, an advertisement from a newspaper. In the advertisement, parties of 12 or more are directed to arrange meetings with the Venus one day early, while individuals may request private meetings any time between 10 am and 10 pm without notice. The advertisement adds that a woman can attend to them if they desire.
Spectators hand money to the Mother-Showman, who continues to exclaim about the Venus’s body. The Mother-Showman asks if the crowd ever feels sad, encouraging them to lift their spirits by looking at the Venus. The Mother-Showman claims the Venus has learned nothing from civilization, and she kicks the Venus repeatedly. When the Mother-Showman is tired of kicking the Venus, she claims that the Venus’s people, the Hottentots, kick each other as a kind of language, and she forces the Venus to corroborate this claim. The Mother-Showman stands the Venus up in profile to the audience, and the crowd erupts in laughter. After a moment, the Venus starts laughing as well.
The Negro Resurrectionist presents Footnote #5, an excerpt from The Life of One Called the Venus Hottentot As Told By Herself, in which the Venus says people looked over her body, but they did not notice she was crying. The Negro Resurrectionist announces the next scene title.
Scene 23 Summary: “‘For the Love of the Venus.’ Act II, Scene 10”
The Baron Docteur watches the performance, and the Venus watches him. The Father and Uncle discuss the Young Man’s predicament, promising to take him to Timbuktu after the Young Man gets married. The Young Man decides he wants the “Unknown” to come to him, and he tells the Father to acquire the Hottentot Venus for him. The Father and Uncle laugh, and the Father tells the Uncle to make sure the Venus is “clean.” The Baron Docteur applauds.
Scene 22 Summary: “Counting the Take/The Deal That Was”
The Venus and Mother-Showman count their money, and the Venus suggests adding poetry or education to her act. The Mother-Showman says people come to see Venus’s buttocks, and that is all they want. The count reaches 31 sets of 100 coins, and the Mother-Showman plots out the next locations for their tour. The Venus tries to take some of the money, and the Mother-Showman tells her that stealing will send her to Hell, according to Christian belief. The Venus complains that each Human Wonder gets five coins each week; she says she deserves more for drawing in a larger crowd. The Mother-Showman refuses to give the Venus any more money, and the Venus says she will go home. The Mother-Showman laughs and tells the Venus she cannot go home until she is rich. The Venus tells the Mother-Showman she made a deal with the Brother to take half the money she earned, but the Mother-Showman says that deal does not apply to her, since she did not agree to it. The Mother-Showman also tells the Venus that Black people cannot go out on their own or start businesses, and she threatens to let people sexually assault the Venus if she continues to argue. The Venus says people sexually assault her anyway, and the Mother-Showman says it is the same for everyone, calling the Venus her family. The Mother-Showman proposes a Whirlwind Tour. The Venus says she does not want to do the tour, but the Mother-Showman tells her to relax.
Scene 21 Summary: “The Whirlwind Tour”
The Baron Docteur and Spectators watch the Venus, the 8 Human Wonders, and the Mother-Showman. The Chorus of the 8 Human Wonders tells a story about the Venus being banned from her home for 1,000 years, during which time she traveled the world. After 500 years, she asked what her crime was, and her home told her she wanted to leave once. She spent her last year of exile in a cave outside her home, longing without looking, and, when she was allowed to return, her friends were all dead, and she did not recognize the town.
The Negro Resurrectionist shouts towns using numbers and letters, as in “Town Q” or “Town 64,” showing how the troupe is traveling from place to place. The Mother-Showman presents the Venus to spectators, describing her as a “warning” and urging spectators to give her chocolate to watch her “feed.” The Chorus repeats the story of the Venus, but they change it so that she spends her last two years in exile in the cave. The Negro Resurrectionist continues listing towns, and the Baron Docteur gets out of his chair, staring at the Venus. The crowd riots, beating the Venus’s cage and the Mother-Showman, and the Baron Docteur calls for order.
Scene 20A Summary: “The Venus Hottentot Before the Law (Footnote #6: Historical Extract: Musical. From R. Toole-Scott’s ‘The Circus and the Allied Arts’)”
The Negro Resurrectionist describes the Venus Hottentot being brought to court, while the Chorus of Spectators leads the Venus to a cage before becoming the Chorus of the Court.
The Negro Resurrectionist recounts how the Court marveled at the Venus’s buttocks, and how they asked her whether she was a willing participant in her show. They asked how much money she made and whether she enjoyed performing, and they were satisfied that she consented to be shown, agreeing to all go admire her body.
Scene 20B Summary: “The Venus Hottentot Before the Law (continued) (Historical Extract)”
The Chorus of the Court explains that they want to find out whether the Venus is “indecent” and whether she is being held against her will. They suspect that she may be under the influence of black magic, and they intend to provide her protection. They plan to restore her to her friends and her home to prevent her from contributing to their current social ills. The case begins with a writ of habeas corpus.
Scene 20C Summary: “The Venus Hottentot Before the Law (continued) (Dictionary Extract: From Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, page 545)”
The Venus sits in a jail cell and explains the dictionary definition of habeas corpus: “Literally, ‘you should have the body’ for submitting” (66).
Scene 20D Summary: “The Venus Hottentot Before the Law (continued) (First Witness)”
The Chorus of the Court calls the Mother-Showman as a witness, but she refuses, stating she is too busy and promising to change her behavior toward the Venus. The Mother-Showman presents the Venus’s certificate of baptism, which the Court enters as Exhibit A.
Scene 20E Summary: “The Venus Hottentot Before the Law (continued) (Historical Extract: Exhibit A)”
The Negro Resurrectionist presents Exhibit A, and the Venus reads it. The document states that the Venus was baptized on December 1, 1811, in Manchester by Reverend Joshua Brooks. The document is preserved in Paris, and it states that Sarah Baartman is a “Female Hottentot” from the Cape of Good Hope colony, and that she was born on the Borders of Caffraria.
Scene 20F Summary: “The Venus Hottentot Before the Law (continued) (Witness 1 and Witness 2)”
The Court calls witnesses, and the Negro Resurrectionist announces the first as Mr. Hall, “Member of Society” (68). Mr. Hall says he and his wife were regulars at the Venus’s show, noting the Venus wore a dress that made her appear naked, the showroom smelled bad, and his wife always fainted.
The Court calls the next witness, and the Negro Resurrectionist announces the second witness as the widow of Mr. Charles Mathewes. The widow explains that her report is secondhand; it comes from her husband’s account of visiting the Venus. According to him, people poked the Venus, and the Venus said nothing, only sighing in protest. The Venus gave the widow’s husband a feather, which is said to be good luck. The crowd rioted, three men died, a child had a mental health crisis, and a woman lost her child, but the widow’s husband escaped with the feather. After telling the widow his story, he exclaimed about how large the Venus’s buttocks were, and he died two days later. The widow suspects the shock of seeing the Venus killed him.
Scene 20G Summary: “The Venus Hottentot Before the Law (continued) (Exhibit B)”
The Venus presents Exhibit B, a feather from her head. The feather is supposed to bring good luck, cure infertility, and, when ground and consumed, act as an aphrodisiac.
Scene 20H Summary: “The Venus Hottentot Before the Law (continued) (Witness 3 and Witness 4)”
The Court calls the Baron Docteur, who refuses to testify, indicating that he is preparing a presentation on the Venus. The Court calls an Abolitionist, Witness 3, and the Negro Resurrectionist announces a letter to the editor from the Morning Chronicle, dated October 12, 1810, in which the Abolitionist says the Venus’s show is no better than slavery. Witness 4 demands equal time, and the Negro Resurrectionist announces a response to Witness 3 from the Morning Chronicle, dated October 23, 1810. The response of Witness 4 argues that the English demand specimens from the colonies, and he argues the Venus has a right to exhibit herself. The Court asks the Witnesses to step down, and it grants a writ of habeas corpus to bring the Venus into the court.
Scene 20I Summary: “The Venus Hottentot Before the Law (continued) (Historical Extract)”
The Court calls the Venus, who presents herself. The Chorus of the Court barrages the Venus with questions, and she responds that she has no comment. They threaten to send her to jail, and they demand to know if she is in England of her own will. She tells them she wants to make money, and she asks to stay in England until she has done so. The Court threatens to send her home, saying she bears “Gods bad mark” and threatens their society (76). The Venus says her show might serve as a warning against vice, which could be the penance she needs to clear her “bad mark.” The Court asks whether the Venus has ever been indecent, and the Venus is confused, responding that she has only been herself. The Venus states that hiding shame is indecent, and she offers to show hers. The Negro Resurrectionist states that the case happened in 1810, three years after the abolition of the slave trade, and the show proceeded amid protests, horror, and fascination.
Scene 20J Summary: “The Venus Hottentot Before the Law (conclusion) (Historical Extract)”
The Chorus of the Court announces their ruling. Although the Venus’s show sounds indecent, the Court accepts that it is part of “God’s plan,” and they believe in her right to seek fame and fortune. Regardless of what happens to the Venus, the Court claims, it is a credit to England that they heard her case at all. After a pause, the Chorus of the Court breaks into laughter, and the Baron Docteur demands order. The Negro Resurrectionist announces the next scene title.
Scenes 24-20J Analysis
The Exploitation and Commodification of Black Female Bodies comes to light as the Mother-Showman rejects the Venus’s claim to the deal she initially made with the Brother. The Mother-Showman highlights two issues with the Venus’s situation in England, noting first that the Venus is “not yet rich and famous” (54), a goal that likely cannot be achieved, and second that “[t]hey don’t let your kind run loose in the streets much less set up their own shops” (55), highlighting the racism of 19th-century English society. The Venus is trapped in her engagement with the Mother-Showman, because she cannot achieve her goal of amassing wealth, but she cannot set out to earn that wealth on her own either. This predicament culminates in the court case that spans Scenes 20A-J.
The court case is another example of The Construction and Manipulation of Historical Narratives, as it reflects the actual case brought against Saartjie Baartman in 1810. The Witnesses present varied perspectives on the Venus’s exhibition, such as the widow whose husband died of pure “shock” at seeing the Venus, but two critical examples of 19th-century perspectives come in the Morning Chronicle letters, presented by Witnesses #3 and #4. Witness #3 takes the role of an abolitionist, who notes how the Venus is exploited by the Mother-Showman: “Her keeper is the only gainer. I am no advocate of these sights, on the contrary, I think it base in the extreme, that any human beings should be thus exposed!” (73). Here the abolitionist argues that exploitation of any person is immoral. The emphasis on “any” also forms the basis of Witness #4’s response.
Witness #4 claims that the Venus has “as good a right to exhibit herself as the Famous Irish Giant or the renowned Dogfaced Dancing Dwarf” (73). In Witness #4’s view, the “Dancing African Princess” is equivalent to the other acts in the Mother-Showman’s exhibit. However, the issue of race and the issue of agency complicate this argument. The “Giant” and “Dwarf” are both white, European performers, so, while they are also being exploited for their bodies, they have the right to earn money off their performances, operate as businesses, and control their own bodies. The Venus lacks these rights, so it is much easier for others to exploit her. In the end, the Court decides that the Venus is exhibiting herself of her own volition, but Parks keeps the Venus’s motives ambiguous. The Venus claims: “After all I’ve gone through so far to go home penniless would be disgraceful” (76), suggesting that her main motivation is not a desire to make money so much as it is a matter of pride.
The Venus’s pride and “diva” persona develop further in these scenes, as she demands more attention and money from the Mother-Showman. The Venus tells the Mother-Showman: “Im thuh one they come to see. Im thuh main attraction. Yr other freaks r 2nd fiddles” (52). She knows that she is the star of the Mother-Showman’s exhibition, and argues that she should be compensated for her greater ability to draw in a crowd. However, she cannot leverage her star status into a larger sum of money or freedom, instead being forced to go on the Whirlwind Tour. As with the court case, the Venus’s attitude toward her situation implies a sense of autonomy and agency in her life, though this agency is undercut by the Mother-Showman, much as it will later be undercut by the Baron Docteur.
In the play-within-a-play, the Young Man demands that his Uncle and Father acquire the Venus for him, saying he wants to “love something Wild” (48). As the Venus finds herself in a vulnerable position, the play-within-a-play continues to muddy the distinction between love and objectification, with the Young Man demanding possession of the Venus, but then calling this possession “love.” The Baron Docteur applauds the play-within-a-play, foreshadowing his own desire to possess the Venus.
Related Titles
By Suzan-Lori Parks
