The Emperor Jones

The Emperor Jones Summary | Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

The play opens on an interior of a palace in a high-ceiling room with a view from the portico looking out onto a vista of distant hills and palm trees. It takes place on and island in the West Indies. In the center of the room is a huge chair made of uncut wood, which is obviously a throne. It is bright red with an orange cushion. The late afternoon light warms the scene as an old native Negro woman sneaks into the scene. She carries a bundle at the end of a stick and warily makes her way to the door leading outside.

Suddenly Smithers appears and begins to interrogate her about where she is going. He has no authority at the palace other than the fact that he is a white man. He knows that something is going on; he has sensed restlessness in the blacks all day. She tells him that all the blacks have run away to the hills. She is the last one left and she is hurrying. He tells her to stop or he will shoot her but then decides it is not worth it.

Then Jones enters the throne room. He is a powerfully built black man dressed in a uniform of blue jacket and gold chevrons and braids. His pants are red with light blue stripes down the sides. Around his waist is a belt with a long-barreled, pearl-handled revolver in a holster.

He wonders where everyone is and Smithers asks if he has not sensed anything different lately; he has not. During their conversation, it becomes clear that Smithers has helped Jones by hiring him when he first got to the island years ago. In addition, it was a risk for him too because Jones had escaped from jail in the USA. Apparently, Jones has established himself as Emperor on the island and he knows secrets about Smithers that keep them both in their respective roles.

Emperor reminds Smithers how he has looked the other way on some of his deals while he was trying to pass laws against his very offenses. The Emperor knows the ways of the white world from the time that he spent working on a Pullman car. He knows how to talk quality and he has positioned himself as someone of authority over the blacks here.

Smithers reminds him that it was a silver bullet, not his skills, that got him his position. Lem, a native chief, had tried to kill him from 10 feet away and his gun misfired; Emperor killed him instead. He told the natives that only a silver bullet could kill him and that is how he arose to power, knowing that none of them would ever have one. He has bamboozled them into thinking he has mysterious powers.

Emperor has had a silver bullet made just for the drama of it and tells people that he is the only one who can kill himself.

Smithers reminds the Emperor of how quiet it is in the palace; maybe he should ring for the servants. He does and no one comes. He rings again and still no one comes. Smithers confirms for him that there apparently is some sort of uprising. The Emperor begins to panic and declares that he will resign that very day. He will also head for the hills. He has food buried in places out in the forest and he has studied the paths so he can find his way in the dark because he knew that this day would come.

Smithers warns him to look out for any ghosts and the Emperor Jones strides out the front door of his palace headed to the forest.