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Act 1, Scene 12
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Empress, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Imperialism, Hardship, and Community
Sexism, Exoticism, and Exploitation
Literacy and Liberty
Care, Support, and Survival
Education vs. Experience
Summary
Analysis
While Queen Victoria attends to business, Lady Sarah gossips about Abdul, insinuating that he might have multiple wives, all of them dressed extravagantly and behaving in a way that is distinctly “un-English.” Victoria is clearly jealous at the image of Abdul with other women, but she squashes these feelings, insisting to Sarah that Abdul is their Munshi and they must treat him with respect.
Sarah’s comments reflect pervasive Victorian racist ideology, which often exaggerated rumors of polygamy in other cultures as a means of claiming English moral superiority. Though Victoria’s reaction to Sarah’s gossip signals her deep respect for Abdul, her jealousy also once more hints at her burgeoning romantic feelings for her new teacher.
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Lady Sarah pushes on, however, warning Victoria that Abdul’s trip back to India—his first since coming to London—is suspicious. Lady Sarah hints that Abdul may have lied about his background and that he and his friends are involved with “disorderly elements” back in India. Sarah specifically cites Abdul’s friends Rafiuddin Ahmed and Dadabhai Naoroji, both of whom are advocates of Indian Home Rule. Sarah also shares that Dadabhai intends to run for Parliament.
The Indian Home Rule movement, which was inspired by other anti-colonial movements across the British empire, advocated for Indians to have more control over their own national government (even as the movement stopped short of calling for full independence). Though the Indian Home Rule movement is famous for its organization and legal grounding, Sarah tries to depict it as “disorderly” and dangerous.
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Impatiently, Victoria scoffs at Sarah’s rumors. After all, Victoria has met Abdul’s friends and admires them all; she is proud to have defended some of them from British courtiers’ racism. Sarah continues to urge political caution, telling Victoria to “distance” herself from Abdul and his community, but Victoria stands firm: “we will have our Munshi.”
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