Poster Title
P-08 A Comparative Analysis of National Identity Construction and Rhetorization in Shakespeare’s Henry V and Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko; Or, The Royal Slave
Abstract
Positioned at the climax of both William Shakespeare’s Henry V (1600) and Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko (1688) are dynamic calls for battle: while King Henry rallies his forces against the French, Oroonoko—an enslaved African prince—ignites a slave insurrection against English colonial masters. King Henry and Oroonoko’s battle cries provoke the study of appeals to the pursuit of honor, constructions of masculinity, and a political body’s collective identity. A comparative analysis of these speeches reveals the impact of racialized difference on each rhetor’s ability to craft and manifest his national identity and access the structures necessary for political mobilization.
Start Date
2-28-2020 2:30 PM
P-08 A Comparative Analysis of National Identity Construction and Rhetorization in Shakespeare’s Henry V and Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko; Or, The Royal Slave
Positioned at the climax of both William Shakespeare’s Henry V (1600) and Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko (1688) are dynamic calls for battle: while King Henry rallies his forces against the French, Oroonoko—an enslaved African prince—ignites a slave insurrection against English colonial masters. King Henry and Oroonoko’s battle cries provoke the study of appeals to the pursuit of honor, constructions of masculinity, and a political body’s collective identity. A comparative analysis of these speeches reveals the impact of racialized difference on each rhetor’s ability to craft and manifest his national identity and access the structures necessary for political mobilization.
Acknowledgments
J.N. Andrews Honors Scholar and Undergraduate Research Scholar
Mentor:
L. Monique Pittman, English