COLOURED ILL: BRINGING DARK LADIES INTO THE LIGHT

Abstract

Shakespeare's Dark Lady has generated not only a great deal of speculation as to her identity, but also a number of literary treatments in fiction, drama and even poetry. This paper will provide an overview of these depictions, only to focus on two of the most recent and most prominent examples, these being the theatre play Emilia by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm from 2018 and the ballet/spoken word production Lucy Negro Redux from 2019 based on a collection of poems of the same name by Caroline Randall Williams. Malcolm's play focuses on the historical figure of Emilia Bassano Lanier, one of the traditional Dark Lady candidates. Malcolm portrays her, with an all female cast, as a woman of colour in three stages of her life. Williams' poetry collection and the ballet/spoken word adaptation, with original music by Rhiannon Giddens, explore the personage of Lucy Negro or Black Luce who has also been granted the status of Shakespeare's erotic muse. Both productions focus on women of colour and attempt to provide a voice and agency for these intriguing women whose value has been traditionally only due to their connection to Shakespeare the man. Both productions have not only popularized Shakespeare with a contemporary audience but have also attempted to reach new viewers and readers. They have additionally involved media crossings into musical theatre, dance and spoken word.