b'Anti-Dutch Propaganda in Restoration Drama regarding the Dutch characters, a motif which isnarrative of the time concerning the Dutch and repeated throughout the piece and foreshadowschose to use her play to encourage anti-Dutch Roxanne Davies the ending, feeding into the anti-Dutch narrativesentiment in her audiences. Set in Madrid, the of the play.narrative comedically recounts a set of arranged In this historiographical essay, Roxanne Davies attends to plays respectively written by John Dryden and Aphra Behn, scrutinis- marriages gone wrong, containing typical tropes ing their Anti-Dutch sentiments in light of contemporaneous European hostilities. The other key device used by Dryden in present- of falling in love with the wrong people, mistaken ing a negative interpretation of the Dutch is inidentities, and a great deal of negative stereotyp-Plays produced in the early 1670s were influencedlaureate, making him a prominent person withinthe character of Harman Junior. Despite Harmaning regarding the Dutch character, Haunce van by the political climate created by the Second andRestoration society. A conservative Royalist whoseJuniors claims that he is in love with Ysabinda,Ezel, and his servant Gload. The role of Haunce Third Anglo-Dutch Wars, which were fought be- career was shaped by his relationship with thehe ignores her repeated refusal of him and vowswithin the play is as the character to be ridiculed. tween 1665 and 1674, causing a sense of anti-Eu- monarchy (Britannica: Dryden, np), many ofto kill Towerson so that he can be with her,Not appearing on stage until the second scene of ropean animosity to become prevalent through- Drydens works contained topical political contentdepicting him as a villainous character, reflectingAct 3, he appears as an often drunk and confused out English society. My discussion of theatricalto deliver a certain message to his audiences. Histhe anti-Dutch stereotypes of the day and politi- character, allowing for most of the comedy within influence in the political realm will consider theearlier work Annus Mirabilis (1667) celebratedcal propaganda they engendered (Hackenbracht,his scenes to be at his expense. During Haunce effects of anti-European propaganda in Restora- the English defeat of the Dutch fleet, highlight- 494). Towards the end of the play, when the mer- and Gloads first conversation with Euphemia tion drama in moulding social attitudes, specifi- ing his anti-Dutch opinions and his interest inchants have been put on trial by the Dutch, Har- and Olinda, the two attempt to demonstrate the cally John Drydens heroic tragedy Amboyna andcontemporary European politics. Amboyna wasman Senior states I wish your whole East-Indiadifference between the damnable dull gravity of Aphra Behns comedy The Dutch Lover, both firstbased upon the 1623 incident on Ambon IslandCompany were in this Room, that we might usethe Spanish, and brisk gaiety of the Dutch (4.1) performed in 1673. in Indonesia between Dutch, English and otherthem thus (5.2), referring to the gruesome pun- to win over the women. This statement allows for foreign merchants, in which the Dutch tradersishments that Dryden describes within the stagea negative portrayal of both the Spanish and the The primary effect of theatre upon political af- tortured and executed the other merchants fordirections. This declaration by Harman SeniorDutch, saying that the former is dull and imply-fairs manifested in the influence that theatre hadattempting to overthrow Dutch rule of the Island.demonstrates more than just a personal vendettaing that the latter are too celebratory to be taken upon social opinions. The manipulation of socialThe Amboyna crisis remained controversial foragainst Towerson and the other merchants for theseriously, as evidenced by Haunces attempts to discourse around a certain topic using propagandamany years between the English and the Dutch asdeath of his son and lays out the general resent- impress Euphemia with his singing and dancing. was a valuable political tool; theatre functionedthere was no way to establish what really hap- ment the Dutch hold towards the other mer- Later, when Euphemia tricks Haunce into be-as a popular medium for spreading these messag- pened, but both sides reiterated their own inter- chants, in particular the English traders, whichlieving they cannot marry, Haunce exemplifies es. Anti-Dutch propaganda became a key motifpretations. Indeed, the term massacre was ap- has been implied throughout the narrative. Thus,his gullibility, exacerbated by being deceived by within plays set in foreign countries or that dealtplied to this incident by the English (Britannica:the final interactions between the English anda woman, something which would have been with topics of trade. The use of stereotyping of aAmboyna Massacre, np), demonstrating the clearthe Dutch in this scene highlight the plays over- regarded as doubly shameful in the 1600s. Hav-certain class or race was a popular form of hu- anti-Dutch bias that was encouraged in Englishall theme of anti-Dutch sentiment, depicting theing already called his intelligence into question, mour in Restoration drama, and this could breedaccounts of the events.Dutch as barbaric and scheming, and turning theBehn further degrades Haunce in his statement, negative opinions. Plays such as Amboyna and TheAmboyna Massacre into a national martyrdomif it twere possible I could be sober and valiant Dutch Lover demonstrate a movement away fromIn Drydens play, the massacre is blamed entire- (Hackenbracht, 500). However, when coming toat once (4.2), implying that Haunce is unable to the targeting of the Spanish in lieu of the Dutchly on the Dutch, demonising the Dutch mer- this conclusion, it is important to remember thatbe courageous without being drunk, and there-around the time of the Dutch wars as Hollandchants for their actions whilst lauding the otherthis propaganda narrative was in Englands bestfore lacks the bravery that is an essential trait of became Englands primary political enemy. Inmerchants as heroes, making it the first play tointerest as England wanted control of the trademale protagonists at this time. In having Haunce Amboyna the English merchants [] forgive thediscuss Amboyna openly at length, as well as theroutes in this part of the world, and thus it wasdeliver these statements himself, Behn allows for Dutch for their terrible crimes against themfirst play staged in England featuring a complete- important to create a negative discourse surround- the character to ridicule himself without knowing (World History Commons: Propaganda, np) whichly negative portrayal of the Dutch (Stephensoning the Dutch traders.that he is doing so, further criticising the intelli-fanned the flames of anti-Dutch sentiment in2014, 66). The Governor of the Island, Harmangence of the Dutch people through the stereotype England. This highlights the crucial natureSenior, his son Harman Junior, the Fiscal andAlthough there is not as much information aboutwhich Haunce creates. Thus, despite being the of political propaganda in drama in creating aVan Herring as the main Dutch characters in theBehns personal life as there is for Dryden, polit- eponymous character, Haunce is evidently not the powerful national myth (Hackenbracht, 494).play are portrayed in a derogatory manner, im- ically speaking, Behn was conservative in her be- male romantic protagonist as his romantic sto-However, this utilisation of propaganda was notplying that the Dutch cheated the English out ofliefs and a firm Royalist, factors which influencedryline is not the central focus, allowing for Behn limited to the English; English and Dutch writ- profits, plotted to kill the English merchants forand echoed in her writings. As a European spy forto introduce a topical anti-Dutch narrative to her ers competed to produce ever more inflammatorypersonal reasons and raped the wife of the mainCharles II for a portion of her career, it is likelyaudiences through stereotypical propaganda with-pamphlets that sought to condemn their rivals astradesman protagonist, Towerson, a narrativethat Behns views were influenced by commonin her work without making it the core theme ruthless traitors (Hackenbracht, 494), highlight- which would have appealed to audiences as thispolitical opinions concerning European relations,or transforming the play into an overtly political ing the fundamental role of political propagandawas no distant war (Thompson, 213). Upon theirand that she could therefore incorporate thesepiece. in social discourse. arrival on the island, the English are suspiciousopinions in the form of propaganda within her of the Dutchmen, stating I do not like theseplays (Hayden 2013: 123). In terms of the politicalAmboyna was first performed by the prestigious During the time this play was written, Drydenfleering Dutchmen, they over act their kindnesspropaganda and comedic stereotyping within TheKings Company, the company whom Dryden was at the height of his theatrical career as poet(1.1). This assertion creates a sense of distrustDutch Lover, Behn was in line with the politicalprimarily wrote for and whose patron was Charles 54 55'