The Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neill

Charles S. Gilpin as the Emperor Jones

Reviewed by James Baur

Written in 1920 by Eugene O’Neill, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, The Emperor Jones is a brief yet powerful play that seeks to discuss racism and oppression. The play stars Brutus Jones, an African-American who, after murdering an individual while gambling, escapes imprisonment and establishes himself as the new “emperor” of a remote island. After exploiting the native population for his own gain, things have reached a boiling point, and the play opens with the island’s inhabitants in the midst of planning an insurrection. Thus begins the tragedy of Brutus, who spends the majority of the play facing inner turmoil in the form of hallucinations as he tries to outrun the natives who are after him.

            In the opening scene of the play, we see Jones interacting with a Cockney man named Smithers. Throughout this dialogue we learn that Jones considers himself to be a “changed man”. Despite this, he claims that an emperor’s right is to take what he wants and abuse the rules as he pleases. At Smithers advice, Jones begins his escape, confident that the lies he has spun to the natives will keep him safe long enough to evacuate. From this point on, Jones is utterly alone – he never speaks to another person for the duration of the play. As he reaches a forest, Jones’ confidence slowly turns to desperation as he encounters fierce hallucinations that involve his past crimes and family legacy of slavery. The natives’ advance appears merely to serve as a backdrop to the story. Jones’ tragedy is an internal one, which becomes ever more apparent the further isolated he gets.

            The true beauty and message of The Emperor Jones lies in what is left up to the reader to figure out, as we know that Jones previously lived in the at-the-time segregated United States. Why then, after escaping a life where he was put down for no reason other than his skin color, would Jones seek to perpetuate the cycle of exploiting others? This brief dialogue sets him up as a character who acts no better than those who ruled over him in the place he just came from. Jones is utterly shameless about his role on the island. He is very cavalier about his actions and takes pride in having found a way to profit at the expense of other’s happiness. While there are many possible interpretations of the events of the story, one thing it does well is put the reader into the mind of one who grew up under the effects of racial segregation. Jones frequently shows spite towards white men, both in his flashbacks and in his interactions with Smithers. Despite this, he knows that they have always held some sort of authority over him – a merchant, a prison guard, and so on. Jones establishing himself as an emperor and acting cruel is thus not out of true selfishness, but because it is how he believes one with authority is supposed to behave. The play thus serves as a warning against repeated exploitation, showing not only the wounds it can inflict on someone’s emotions, but also the deep, permanent inflictions on their subconscious mind. Ultimately, the mystery of Jones’ behavior is left up to the reader, with this being only one possible interpretation. I found that the author did an excellent job at giving you just enough clues to piece together your own conclusion about why the tragedy came about in the first place.

            While The Emperor Jones offers an excellent story with room for the reader to interpret things for themselves, it isn’t exactly light reading. Nearly every line is written out in the form of a dialect. Jones’ lines are written in an African dialect, Smithers’ lines are written in a Cockney dialect, and the natives use very primitive English due to their lack of knowledge of the language. If you aren’t familiar with how a Cockney accent sounds, for example, you may be very confused at what Smithers is trying to say. As you may also expect from a play focused on oppression and race, many slurs are used throughout, used in the context of being dramatic and to convey the crudeness of segregation and exploitation.
            Needless to say, The Emperor Jones isn’t exactly a relaxing read, nor is it the easiest, but those who are patient and interested in what the play is trying to say will greatly enjoy it. I found the play sticking in my mind for days after reading it, thinking about the powerful message that it manages to squeeze in between what amounts to very few pages and lines of dialogue. Fans of Shakespearian tragedies such as Macbeth or Hamlet will enjoy this one. Interestingly, it also seems to have a lot in common with Heart of Darkness, which the famous film Apocalypse Now is based on. If you are interested in stories that deal with the mind and how it reacts to traumatic events, you also may find this play interesting. Overall, The Emperor Jones is a solid play - a tragic, introspective tale that invites the reader to consider just how hard the damage from oppression truly hits.


James Baur is a student at Valparaiso University, in Indiana who lives in Bristol when not away at school. While he studies Japanese and Accounting, he has always had a strong interest in literature and drama, especially classic works.