Venus (play)

Venus is a 1996 play written by American playwright Suzan-Lori Parks about the life of Khoekhoe woman Sarah Baartman. Set during the 19th century, the play opens in South Africa where Baartman was born, before transitioning to Europe as Baartman begins to perform in freak shows in London. The play then transitions to Paris where she continues her freak show act before dying in 1815 after being under the study of a group of French scientists led by Georges Cuvier. Her deceased body becomes the subject of a pseudoscientific autopsy that focuses on Baartman's steatopygia– a condition which Cuvier (who appears as the Baron Docteur in Venus), uses to his academic advantage. Parks' work is not intended to be historically accurate, but rather uses the concept of Baartman's career to explore colonialism, racialization, and the historical sexualization of Black women; as Parks explains, "most of it's fabricated... It's questioning the history of history... It embraces the unrecorded truth." Venus won 2 OBIE Awards in 1995–1996.

Characters Source:

In Venus

Miss Saartjie Baartmanintroduced as the Girl, and later becomes the "Hottentot Venus" The Mother-Showmanowner of the Girl and the 8 Human Wonders The Baron Docteurdoctor from Paris who later becomes the owner and husband of Venus Hottentot The Grade-School Chumold friend of the Baron Docteur The Negro Resurrectionist the host and story guide; was once in the business of illegal unearthing of corpses for doctors to scientifically analyze The Manfinances the Girl's journey to London The Brotherthe Man's Brother; takes the Girl to London

In "For the Love of the Venus."

The Bride-to-Bea woman in love with the Young Man, later guised as The Hottentot Venus The Young Manwants to love a Wild Thing; wants to love The Hottentot Venus The Fatherconspires with his son, the Young Man, to acquire The Hottentot Venus The Mothermother of the Young Man, conspires with the Bride-to-Be to disguise her as The Hottentot Venus The Uncleuncle of the Young Man, presents the disguised Bride-to-Be to his nephew The Baron Docteurthe audience for the first two acts The Negro Resurrectionistaudience for the final three acts The Venuswatches the Baron Docteur watch the play

Plot in Venus Source:

Overture Venus opens with a revolving showcase of the protagonist, Miss Saartjie Baartman, while the Negro Resurrectionist hails her stage-name, "The Venus Hottentot!" – an exclamation that is repeated by the Brother and the Man. Here, all of the leading characters and choruses in Venus take turns shouting each other's names, and the roles they will later characterize in the play, to their audience. The Negro Resurrectionist proceeds to foreshadow to two audiences–the Venus characters and the live audience–about the death of The Venus Hottentot; and which the Brother and the Venus continue to address, "I regret to inform you that thuh Venus Hottentot iz dead. There wont b inny show tuhnite.". The chorus becomes an enraged audience in response to the show's cancellation, meanwhile its members talk about paying their way to look at, feel inside (the cage), and comment on sexual aspects of the naked prize they call the Venus Hottentot. The overture concludes after the Negro Resurrectionist uses a rhyme scheme (i.e., AABBCCDD) while summarizing (what he has come to know about) the course of Venus's life and death in Europe.

The Girl (scenes 31-26) Saartjie Baartman's story in Venus begins in South Africa in the early 1800s, where she is introduced as a servant called 'the Girl'. The Brother is currently trying to persuade the Man (his brother) to financially invest in a two-year performance act in London. While the Girl scrubs a floor on her hands and knees in the presence of the Man's Brother and the Man, she becomes an object of their interest to create a Freak Act that will exhibit the Girl's unique genitalia and buttocks– also referred to as steatopygia. The Girl agrees to travel with the Brother to London under false pretence that they will split the profit of her African dancing act, believing that in two-years' time she will return to South Africa with fame and wealth. However, before the Girl reaches the end of her supposed contract, the Brother sells her to a new boss called the Mother-Showman. The Mother-Showman runs a freak show in London, consisting of 8 Human Wonders, and she intends for the Girl to be the 9th Wonder. It is during scene 27–when the Mother-Showman forces the Girl to bathe herself–that the Girl begins her life as the Venus Hottentot.

The Venus (scenes 25-17) The year is 1810, and the Venus Hottentot's exhibition of her nudity and dancing has become a lucrative business for the Mother-Showman. However, a large sum of the riches gained from Hottentot's act comes from spectators who pay the Mother-Showman for private exhibitions so that they can feel her genitalia and buttocks. After a year of performing in the freak show, Venus becomes the subject of a riot caused by her supposed public indecency, whereupon she appears before the law in front of a court and is eventually released after the judge agrees with Baartman's plea that "her show is part of God's great plan." Shortly before Venus's trial in front of the Court, the Baron Docteur's fascination in her was revealed, whereafter, he approaches the Mother-Showman to buy The Venus so as to study her steatopygia and genitalia before and after her death. Upon the characters first introduction, the Baron Docteur treats The Venus kindly–offering her chocolates, money, new clothes–so long as she agrees (which she does) to move to his home in Paris, France.

Intermission (scene 16) During this rest period, the Baron Docteur reemerges as himself, but several years in the future, and proceeds to read aloud a detailed anatomy of the deceased Venus Hottentot. In-between the Baron Docteur's speech, The Bride-to-be reads her love letters aloud; foreshadowing a near-identical poem recited by the Baron Docteur to Venus in the past (i.e., the future, within the course of Venus).

The Bride-to-be's poem: "My love for you, My Love, is artificial // Fabricated much like this epistle // Constructed with mans finest powrs // Will last through the days and the weeks and the hours.".

The Baron Docteur's poem: "My love for you is artificial // Fabricated much like this epistle // Its crafted with my finest powers // To last through the days and the weeks and the hours.".

After the Baron Docteur finishes his speech on the Venus's anatomy, he exits the stage, and the 7th Wonder enters to sing a song about The Venus Hottentot until the end of Intermission

The Venus (scenes 15-1) While living in Paris, Venus and the Baron Docteur become engaged in a love affair, which takes place amid her continuous physical examinations that the Chorus of the 8 Anatomists perform at the medical academy. During this period, the Baron Docteur is unexpectedly visited by the Grade-School Chum, whom, on multiple encounters tries to convince the Baron Docteur to eradicate Venus from his personal life and from his work. When The Venus falls ill to the clap (a term for gonorrhea)–suspected to be from the Docteur–The Grade-School Chum persuades the Baron Docteur to imprison The Venus in chains for indecency. While The Negro Resurrectionist stands as Watchman over the Venus, the Grade-School Chum appears and forcefully bribes the Negro Resurrectionist to exhume the Venus' corpse upon her demise. Soon after, the Venus dies while in mid-conversation with the Negro Resurrectionist– five years after she first set foot in Paris. The Baron Docteur is able to complete his full anatomy on the Hottentot Venus, and her body parts and skeleton are eventually displayed in the Musée de l'Homme. Venus concludes in the same way it began, with the Negro Resurrectionist announcing to the audience, "I regret to inform you that thuh Venus Hottentot iz dead. [...] There wont b inny show tuhnite.". The Baron Docteur and the Negro Resurrectionist each offer their own speculations for the Venus' death, only to be reminded by Venus herself that, "Thuh Venus Hottentot iz dead. There wont b inny show tuhnite.". The Grade-School Chum joins in with breaking the upsetting news to the audience (perhaps both the audience of Venus characters and the audience of Venus spectators). Venus nears the finale with a short summary of the Venus' encounter with, and embodiment of Love and Death. Which leads into the Negro Resurrectionist's final narration, "A Scene of Love:", whereafter Venus ends the play by saying, "Kiss me Kiss me Kiss me Kiss".

Plot in "For the love of the Venus." Source:

Written within Parks' Venus is another play called, "For the Love of the Venus". This is an adaptation of a French vaudeville called The Hottentot Venus, or The Hatred of French Women, written in 1814.

Act I, scene 3 (scene 29 in Venus) [The Baron Docteur is the audience, and the Venus watches him]

The Bride-to-Be waits on the Young Man, who appears uninterested in her offerings and bored by her presence. He begins reading from a notebook about his fathers reflections on travelling to Africa. The Bride-to-Be cries out in sorrow of being unloved.

Act II, scene 10 (scene 23 in Venus) [The Baron Docteur is the audience, and the Venus watches him]

The Father, the Uncle, and the Young Man discuss the Young Man's desire to love "something Wild" before he marries the Bride-to-Be. The three men conspire to obtain The Hottentot Venus for the Young Man when her show arrives in their town. The Uncle promises to present his nephew with a Thing to love in two weeks time.

Act II, scene 12 (scene 11 in Venus) [The Baron Docteur and Venus are absent, so the Negro Resurrectionist becomes the audience, but appears inattentive]

The Bride-to-Be is in dismay over the Young Man's love for The Hottentot Venus. She discloses this information to the Mother (of the Young Man), who makes a plan to work with the Uncle on dressing up the Bride-to-Be in the guise of The Hottentot Venus.

Act III, scene 9 (scene 8 in Venus) [The Negro Resurrectionist is the audience]

The Uncle presents the Young Man to The Hottentot Venus, who is actually an impersonation by the Bride-to-Be. The Hottentot Venus tells the Uncle–through a series of clucking–that she is Wild, and the Young Man proceeds to stare at her. The two share a silent moment.

While the characters stand motionless, the Negro Resurrectionist reads an excerpt from the Baron Docteur's autopsy notes on the Venus.

Conclusion (scene 4 in Venus) [The Baron Docteur and the Venus watch the play separately]

The Young Man and The Hottentot Venus continue to stare at each another, and the Young Man has fallen in love. The Hottentot Venus is assured by the Young Man that her core self is what he loves, so the Bride-to-Be removes her disguise, and is offered a box of chocolates from the Young Man. The two lovers stand motionless until the curtain are drawn closed.

Order of scenes The plot of Venus moves forward chronologically while the scenes are ordered backwards from thirty-one to one. Parks' utility of scene reversal is a device she uses to remind the audience of the countdown to Saartjie's/ The Venus's death, whereupon her life begins again with scene one. Knowledge of The Venus Hottentot's death is a critical part of the prologue as Parks purposefully relocates the audience to a period of time where Saartjie Baartman–now The Venus Hottentot–is dead, but then becomes resurrected on stage to tell a version of her story that once again returns to her death.

Literary devices

Repetition and revision