Passing Strange: Voodoo Queens and Hollywood Fantasy in Eve’s Bayou

Abstract

The quotation “passing strange” taken from Shakespeare’s Othello is used by the character Desdemona to describe how she, a “fair” maid of Venice, became enthralled by the “moor”, Othello (2008:225). According to Desdemona, Othello’s exotic tales of extraordinary adventures captivated her and she was attracted not only to the stories themselves but the way in which this colourful storyteller embellished them. As Toni Morrison highlights in her recent play Desdemona,¹ it was Othello’s magical ability to transport Desdemona to the ‘Africa’ first introduced to her by the African nurse who raised her and the invitation to identify and empathise with experiences seemingly far removed from her privileged life that appealed to her.