The Emperor Jones Study Guide

The play opens on an interior of a palace in a high-ceiling room with a view from the portico looking out onto a vista of distant hills and palm trees. It takes place on and island in the West Indies. In the center of the room is a huge chair made of uncut wood, which is obviously a throne. It is bright red with an orange cushion. The late afternoon light warms the scene as an old native Negro woman sneaks into the scene. She carries a bundle at the end of a stick and warily makes her way to the door leading outside. (read more)