1. The conversation in which Grimosco, the priest, persuades Powhatan to fight against Smith and his people is among the longest continuous dialogues in the play. Why does Barker devote so much time to developing this argument? How would you describe Grimosco's method/s in persuading Powhatan? What views are revealed in this passage about how Barker believes the natives see the white colonists? In the context of the play, is Grimosco's argument convincing? What does Barker accomplish by discussing the aggression of white colonists towards native peoples? How does this relate to the continual assertion by Smith that he is there to be friend and educator to the Indians?
2. Early on in the play Walter asserts Captain Smith's apt ability to lead them in the colonizing expedition by recounting Smith's exploits in the Middle East. Between Acts II and III, time has lapsed, Jamestown is built, and Smith and his men have had new war exploits in America. However, near the end of the play, Walter speaks to Geraldine (disguised as the page) about Smith's greatness and again returns to his British conquests, rather than his 'successes' in the new world. Why might Walter continue to favor this European view of Smith? Why do you think Barker emphasizes Smith's experience fighting the "mussulman" instead of his battle victories against the native tribes of America, described varyingly by Walter, Grimosco, and Powhatan?
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