Slave Ship Study Guide

The play opens in darkness, and the audience sits in dark silence for a long time. Then, the room gradually fills with the sounds and odors of a slave ship. There are the smell of unwashed bodies and excrement, the crack of a whip, and the moans and screams of terrified people. African drums play in the background, punctuated by screaming. There is a great and terrifying sense of bodies crammed into a tight space, the cargo hold of a ship. The drumming and screaming continues until the ship's bell tolls, and the slave ship sets sail. Voices permeate the darkness to indicate the ship is sailing. The crew, laughing, wants to go to America to sell the cargo. (read more)