How did Planche depict people of other ethnic backgrounds in his plays?
It is hard to generalize, but usually, he was prone to the sorts of ethnic humor popular at the time, without much sense of mockery. For instance, a typical Irish stereotype of the time was a romantic ne’er-do-well, a man who enjoyed life immensely, thought very highly of himself, loved to pursue the ladies, and all in a very comic way. He was an amiable fool, by and large. Planche shows such characters, such as in “The Irish Post” and in “The King of the Peacocks.” He also expressed concern over the plight of the poor tenants in Ireland in “The Seven Champions of Christendom,” while the Irish character in “Peacocks” is a sympathetic one who aids a suffering heroine. Similarly, other peoples–European and otherwise–are both stereotyped and shown sympathy. It frankly seems a bit condescending today, although less vicious and smug than many, perhaps most, English and US authors were doing at the time.
