The Emperor Jones

by Eugene O’Neill (1920)

Setting:
Caribbean Island

Synopsis:
A criminal from the United States escapes from prison and flees to an island, inhabited by native people. He convinces them that lead bullets are no match for his superior brawn and becomes their Emperor, safety assured by their lack of silver bullets. Smithers, a trader and acquaintance of Brutus Jones, warns him about the rebellion that is to come. After leaving the throne to make his grand escape, Jones quickly realizes that he may not be as equipped as he first thought. Spending all of his lead bullets on hallucinations of past moments of his life, he is left with only his silver bullet; intending to save that bullet for himself, Jones continues through the jungle hoping that he doesn't have to use his lucky charm. The final nightmare in the darkness of the witch doctor and the massive reptilian beast is too much for him to bear, so he spends his silver bullet on yet another figment of his imagination. The native people were foolish enough to believe that he could only be killed by a silver bullet, so they cast as many as they could to strike down the thieving emperor. Smithers makes a final appearance, not believing that the man with mountains of confidence couldn't escape with such a grand head start.

Thoughts:
The clever release of information regarding the background of the emperor, through nightmarish hallucinations, comprised most of the story. Jones wasted his bullets on imaginary demons and scenes from his past life, causing his own demise. Was it the enchantments cast by the native people that caused these scenes, or was it his conscience weighing heavily on him for the crimes that he has perpetrated? Either way, the natives win a tremendous victory; Smithers even believes that he got what he deserved. O’Neill also scripted the beating of a drum, starting at a normal heart rate, that gets increasingly faster, with fluctuations in volume, as the play goes on. This puts people at the edge of their seats; it’s quite possible that the beating of their hearts might synchronize with the heartbeat drumming, which is completely awesome.