The Rover by Aphra Behn: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:55, 18 June 2013

Comedy by Aphra Behn first performed 1677 at the Dorset Garden Theatre in London. Subtitle The Banish ‘d Cavaliers.

The play is set in Naples (then under Spanish rule) during the time of the Commonwealth regime. A group of Spaniards meets a group of Englishmen, among them the eponymous Rover Willmore.

Two sisters, Hellena and Florinda, escape from their strict father's and brother's control and enjoy the world of carnival in Naples. Florinda loves the honourable English Cavalier Belvile, and Hellena is searching for pleasure and trouble, which she soon finds in Willmore, the Rover. Belville, Willmore, Frederick, and Blunt are all exiled Royalists from England. They encounter Angellica Bianca, a well-known courtesan, whose fees are too expensive for Willmore. Willmore tries to convince Angellica to sleep with him for free and she agrees because she has fallen in love with him. When she has found out that she was betrayed by Willmore, she threatens to kill him. In the meantime, Willmore and then Blunt nearly rape Florinda on two different occasions, both times unsuccessfully. In the end, Florinda and Belvile get married and Willmore and Hellena exchange vows of love.

Sources

- Behn, Aphra. “The Rover.” Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Comedy. 1677. Ed. Scott McMillin. 2nd ed. New York: Norton Critical Editions, 1997. 169-248.

- Pacheco, Anita. “Rape and the Female Subject in Aphra Behn's “The Rover”.” ELH Journal 65(1998): 323-345.

- http://www.dorsetgardenstrust.co.uk/

- http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=606

- http://pages.uoregon.edu/sschuman/102roversummary.html

- http://web.utk.edu/~misty/Behnhandout.html

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-The play ''The Rover'' was written by Aphra Behn. It was first published and performed in 1677 at Dorset Garden Theatre in London. “Rovers” were Royalist gallants in exile during the Interregnum, between 1642 and 1660, beginning with the execution of Charles I in 1642 and ending with the restoration of Charles II in 1660. The original title of the play was ''The Rover'' or ''The Banish ‘d Cavaliers'' indicates that the play was a homage to the previously exiled cavalier and reinstated king Charles II.
+Comedy by Aphra Behn first performed 1677 at the Dorset Garden Theatre in London. Subtitle ''The Banish ‘d Cavaliers''.
-''The Rover'' is a romantic and dark comedy that includes aspects of prostitution, rape and female subjectification in a comical manner. The play provides an insight of the social and political structures from the 17th century female point of view. Behn’s play highlights and condemns the casual attitude towards rape and sexual violence in the 17th century. Her play is a critique on society’s manner of dealing with gender relations.
+The play is set in Naples (then under Spanish rule) during the time of the Commonwealth regime. A group of Spaniards meets a group of Englishmen, among them the eponymous Rover Willmore.
+Two sisters, Hellena and Florinda, escape from their strict father's and brother's control and enjoy the world of carnival in Naples. Florinda loves the honourable English Cavalier Belvile, and Hellena is searching for pleasure and trouble, which she soon finds in Willmore, the Rover. Belville, Willmore, Frederick, and Blunt are all exiled Royalists from England.  They encounter Angellica Bianca, a well-known courtesan, whose fees are too expensive for Willmore. Willmore tries to convince Angellica to sleep with him for free and she agrees because she has fallen in love with him. When she has found out that she was betrayed by Willmore, she threatens to kill him. In the meantime, Willmore and then Blunt nearly rape Florinda on two different occasions, both times unsuccessfully. In the end, Florinda and Belvile get married and Willmore and Hellena exchange vows of love.
-The play is set in Naples during the carnival. Hellena, Florinda’s sister, is supposed to move into a monastery, and Florinda is supposed to marry the rich old merchant Don Vincentio, according to her father’s will. But her brother Pedro wants her to marry his friend Antonio.  However, Florinda loves Belvile, and Hellena is searching for pleasure and trouble, which she soon finds in Willmore, the Rover. Belville, Willmore, Frederick, and Blunt are all exiled royalists from England, broke by supporting Charles II.  They all encounter Angellica Bianca, a well-known courtesan, whose fees are too expensive for Willmore. Willmore tries to convince Angellica to sleep with him for free and she agrees because she has fallen in love with him. When she has found out that she was betrayed by Willmore, she threatens to kill him. In the meantime, Willmore and then Blunt nearly rape Florinda on two different occasions, both times unsuccessfully. In the end, Florinda and Belvile get married and Willmore and Hellena exchange vows of love.