Shaw, Justin P. "‘A Song of Willow’: Barbary’s Blues and Theft of Happiness in Early Modern England." Throughlines. www.throughlines.org/suite-content/othello-and-barbarys-blues. [Date accessed].
‘A Song of Willow’: Barbary’s Blues and Theft of Happiness in Early Modern England | Watch the full talk
Presented by Justin P. Shaw at Appropriations: A RaceB4Race Symposium in 2020
Justin P. Shaw is interested in how appropriation can mean theft as well as “making something new.” He discusses multiple layers of appropriation in his talk, from Shakespeare’s use of an older play (Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio’s “Un Capitano Moro” written in 1565) as the basis of the plot of Othello, to Desdemona’s “consumption” of Barbary’s song for her own comfort. Using a framework of Black music and the history of appropriation of the Blues to shed light on Desdemona’s memory of Barbary’s song, Shaw asks the question: where is the line between tribute and theft?
Further learning
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Shakespeare's language and status in the Western canon can feel inhospitable to many students, especially students of color. Teaching Henry V with a focus on linguistic identity, legitimacy, and belonging can open conversations that allow students to carve out a Shakespeare for themselves.
