Edexcel GCSE English Literature The Empress Exam Questions

About Edexcel GCSE English Literature The Empress

Tanika Gupta's The Empress, first staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2013, is one of the post-1914 plays for Edexcel GCSE English Literature Paper 1, Section B. You answer one essay question from a choice of two, from memory, each opening with a short quotation. The play runs from Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887 to her death in 1901. It follows Rani Das, a young Indian ayah dismissed by her employers when they reach London, and Abdul Karim, who arrives as a servant and becomes the Queen's teacher, or Munshi. Marks reward a well-supported response (AO1), context (AO3) and accurate writing (AO4).

Key themes, characters and context

• Rani Das A fictional ayah left alone in London. She finds shelter at Lascar Sally's boarding house, is exploited by her employer Lord Oakham and dismissed when pregnant, then rebuilds her life working for Dadabhai Naoroji.
• Hari A lascar who is beaten by the Serang on the voyage and falls in love with Rani. He campaigns for lascars' rights, and he and Rani are reunited at the end.
• Abdul Karim A real historical figure who becomes Queen Victoria's Munshi and teaches her Urdu. His rise provokes jealousy and racism at court, and after her death he is sent back to India and their letters are destroyed.
• Queen Victoria Shown as lonely and curious, she has been Empress of India since 1876 but has never visited it. Her friendship with Abdul crosses lines of race and class, but her family and advisers pressure her to keep him in his place.
• Dadabhai Naoroji A real Indian campaigner who was elected an MP in 1892. He represents political resistance and gives Rani work and hope.
• Lascar Sally and Lord Oakham Lascar Sally, a white Londoner, runs a boarding house for Indian seamen. Lord Oakham, an aristocrat, shows how wealthy men exploited servants without consequence.

Common mistakes in The Empress

• Treating the play as a history lesson rather than focusing on Gupta's characters and key moments.
• Confusing historical figures with invented ones. Abdul Karim, Victoria and Naoroji are real, while Rani, Hari, Lascar Sally and Lord Oakham are fictional.
• Ignoring class differences among the Indian characters, from lascars and ayahs to Abdul at court and Naoroji in Parliament.
• Getting the timeline wrong. The play begins in 1887, Naoroji is elected in 1892 and the play ends after Victoria's death in 1901.
• Bolting on context instead of linking empire and racism to specific events in the play.

Try three The Empress practice questions