Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: John Arden
- First Published: 1960
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Protest
- Time of Work: c. 1879
- Setting: Northern England
- Genres: Social realism, Drama, Problem play, Didactic literature
- Subjects: Colonialism, Murder or homicide, Nineteenth century, Guilt, Mental illness, England or English people, Ethics, Soldiers, Imperialism
- Locales: England
Characters Discussed
Serjeant Musgrave, called Black Jack, the leader of the small band of army deserters and a prime mover in the violent, ill-fated stratagem to denounce British colonialism in the home community of one of his murdered compatriots. Part prophet and part madman, he is obsessed with his mission. He seethes with a quiet, self- righteous fury that he struggles to suppress with an insistence on order and what he calls logic. Although at times aloof and distant from his men, he commands their loyalty and respect. He is humorless, tough, acrid, intimidating, and...
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