Angelique Essay 1:

Throughout the course of human history, people established power over others in
many ways, like wars and colonization. In the context of the Play “Angélique” by Lorena
Gale, power is the control certain characters have over others. This power comes from
the privileges society grants people based on characteristics, such as race, gender and
social standing.

The character Claude in the play is an indentured servant who is contracted to work
for François Poulin de Francheville for three years. This form of labor with the contract
is mostly to pay off debt from a loan or indenture. When Claude explains to Angélique
his position and why he is a servant for François he says; “This little piece of wood is all
that ties me here. One day I’m going to wipe my ass with this and stick it to
Francheville’s forehead.” (Gale, 11). Since Claude is a white servant, he has more
privilege and once he is no longer bound to François, he is a free man. If Angélique, a
black slave, were to speak in that manner about François, who is her master, she would
be punished, whereas Claude does not get punished in the same way as Angélique.
This is shown with how Claude is never afraid of making François mad by drinking and
talking badly about him. Claude doesn’t see François as his real “master” that “owns”
him. In the conversations that Claude and Angélique have together, Claude doesn’t
seem to understand their difference in privilege and is naive to this important dynamic.
This is portrayed when he tells Angélique about New England; “ But it looked safe.
Three little African children playing in the yard.” ( Gale, 32), to which Angélique
responds; “That doesn’t make them free. Makes them children” (Gale, 33). Whenever
he talks with Angélique, he doesn’t think about their different perspectives. However, he
has intentions when he is finished with the contract ; “I am going to be somebody
someday. You think I’m going to be hauling buckets and shoveling horseshit all my life?
Not me. I’ll be as big as Francheville one day. Bigger. You see, I am. I am more than… I
am more than this!” (Gale, 58). Once he is done with the contract, he has intentions of
being powerful. This is something Angélique can never live to be no matter how hard
she would try. Society will never allow her to be this way because of her race.

César is a black slave for Ignace Gamelin who is an Entrepeneur/ Montreal

merchant and François’ business partner. Since he is a man and Angélique is a woman,
he has more privileges. This is shown when he tells Angélique; “All I did was ask
permission. [...] I guess my master was doing me a favour.”(Gale, 17). When César
asked Ignace to be courted to a woman, Ignace allowed it and gave him permission,
which suggests that Ignace has more respect for César and César has more privileges.
When Angélique and César are having a conversation about a gruesome story of slaves
that fell in love and were tortured for doing so, César tells Angélique; “ Look Angélique,
everywhere we go we’re slaves. Gamelin isn’t too bad a master. And I have you now.
And a baby coming. It may not seem like too much. But the one thing I have learned, is
to take what happiness I can when I can get it. And everything I have is right here.”
(Gale, 29). It is clear that César does not get as badly treated as Angélique with her
master. César is also making a point that they are both slaves and have less privileges,
however, César is ignorant to say that to Angélique since the situation they are in is very
bad in itself. César is also allowed to be around the other masters and be there while
they converse unlike Angélique who is only there to serve the masters. Even among the
powerful rich masters, Thérèse, François’ wife, is not respected as much as the men,
Ignace and François.

François is the master of Angélique, and is very rich and successful. When he met
Bleck, a Flemish person, he was introduced the idea of purchasing a slave to give to his
wife in order for her to be the envy of female society. Once he saw Angélique he says;
“Do you know what it’s like to be flush? To say, ‘I want that!’ And without giving it any
more thought, to just reach out and take it. To be able to buy anything or anyone… there
is no more powerful feeling in the world! Eight hundred pounds later…” (Gale, 4).
François is treating Angélique, who is a human being, as an object he can possess and
he is a child at a candy store. To possess a human slave was clearly to possess power
over them and show that they are at a higher social standing since it was an incredibly
expensive purchase. When Angélique first met César, Ignace, Thérèse, François’s wife
and François were seen watching the pair from a two sided mirror as if they were in a
portrait. Ignace then comments; “Perhaps they are like dogs. Two males pass on the
street and they growl or bark to indicate status and territory. But a bitch in heat struts
past and the first thing that happens is they sniff each other out. Circle and sniff. Most
animals do that. Hey François, maybe we should make a study of this. The unusual
mating practices of the African in captivity. Imagine, we could be scholars as well as
merchants.”(Gale, 15). The manner in which Ignace is explaining the behaviors of
Angélique and César is very scientific and almost clinical. Ignace is asking his business
partner to study them as if they are animals at a zoo. When César is serving Ignace,
Ignace makes César hold his cigar to smoke it. This is an absurd requirement for César
since Ignace is perfectly capable of holding his own cigar. This is a perfect example of
how rich slave masters take advantage of their power over their slaves to make them
do humiliating and unreasonable things.

In the play, Angélique’s race, gender and social standing give her no power or
privilege in society as opposed to her master who, because of his race, gender and
social standing, has complete control of her life. Even though it may not be as explicit,
this dynamic is still present in today's society and the only way to change anything is to
dismantle the systems that give people power based on their identity and social class.