Diogo Cao and Marlow 

In the Heart of Darkness, Marlow is the white European explorer to explore the Congo River. He is sent by the company to explore the blank places on the map. Many parallels can be drawn between Marlow and Diogo Cão, the first European to discover the mouth of the Congo River in August of 1482. “There he set up a stone pillar to mark Portuguese overlordship of the area. Sailing a short way upstream, he found that the inhabitants along the bank appeared willing to trade” (Diogo Cão) this helps the reader understand the novel better because the item at this period of time to be trading was ivory, which is why Marlow also goes to the Congo River. This also helps to elaborate on Mr. Kurtz obsession with ivory as it was a status symbol for millennia. This is due to it coming from elephants, a highly respected animal in Africa at the time. Diego was also a most notable navigator during the Age of Discovery. The Age of Discovery “was part of the early modern period during which seafaring Europeans explored, colonized, and conquered regions across the globe”(Age of Discovery). Knowing this, the reader can infer that Marlow is a part of the Age of Discovery. This plays along with the overall feeling from the narrator and what they are trying to portray to the reader. Marlow and Diogo were a part of something bigger, finding new land in an unknown world. This overall presents a dystopia vision of the brutality of colonialism in the Belgian Congo.

“Age of Discovery.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Apr. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Discovery. 

Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness

“Diogo Cão.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Diogo-Cao. 

“Diogo Cão.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Mar. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogo_C%C3%A3o.