Slavery and its Representation in Drama. A Comparison and Perception of the Audience of Enslaved Protagonists in The Padlock and The Benevolent Planters

      Аннотация: As the topic of slavery has not only been of crucial importance during the 18th century, but is still an omnipresent aspect of modern society, it is worth further investigating. The two works discussed, namely Isaac Bickerstaff’s The Padlock, as well as Thomas Bellamy’s The Benevolent Planters shed a completely different light on the enslaved African protagonists and greatly differed in the ways they were perceived by the audience of the time. The stereotypical portrayal of black-skinned people in art and literature has contributed enormously to the marginalisation and negative prejudices against the latter, which still have an impact today. The second part contains a didactic approach for three lessons revolving around the theme of slavery, designed for students learning English as a foreign language.

Ключевые слова: The Padlock, The Benevolent Planters, Isaac Bickerstaff, Thomas Bellamy, Slavery, history of slavery, abolition, Stereotypes, Prejudice