Publisher's Synopsis
This study explores literary allusions to Africans against the background of 16th- and early 17th-century English political values - a period of rapid colonization and participation in the slave trade. It examines the lyric poetry of Sidney, Shakespeare, Daniel, Donne, Edward Herbert and Jonson, among others. Dramas include "Titus Andronicus", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Tamburlaine the Great", "Dr Faustus", "Masque of Blackness", "Othello", "Antony and Cleopatra" and "Oroonoko". The conclusion examines the influence on late 20th-century values.