Response Questions: Indian Princess Acts I-II

These question prompts can be used to initiate thought on specific aspects of the play you can write about in your response. If you choose to write on one of the questions, you do not have to answer every question within that section. Again, the prompts are meant to guide you towards a focused analysis of one aspect of the text, rather than a comprehensive overview of any one topic.

1. Consider the prologue, the single instance of Barker's direct voice in the text. How does Barker characterize the play in his preface? What metaphor does he use to describe the play and how does this relate to the project of creating dramatic works that are particularly American? What is he saying about American drama and its general reception? What does he accomplish by framing the play in this way? In other words, does it make a difference in the way you approach the play? Do you think the prologue is meant to be read only in printed copies, or aloud as part of the performance? Who does he envision as his intended audience and does this seem consistent with the material in the play itself?

2. How do the characters in the Indian Princess view nature? Throughout, there are descriptions of landscapes, both in America and England. Is one landscape described as superior? Why are the landscape and natural resources so important to the settlers? How is nature and nature's role described by different characters, both in Smith's group and the native community? How does the landscape relate to character development; in other words, why might the American landscape create better citizens than the British? How do the characterizations of the natives fit into this ideology?  

3. How do the colonists describe their "fellow countryman," meaning the British citizens that remain in England? Is there a sense of loyalty to their native country? What do the characters suggest sets them apart? Is this different between the Irish and English characters? Do you think these sentiments are historically accurate, or a product of Barker's own time? What is Barker trying to accomplish through these depictions?