The Rover by Aphra Behn

 The Rover 

Hello everyone this blog is based on a thinking activity task assigned by Megha Ma’am. Which is based on the restoration comedy The Rover by Aphra Behn.

A rich Restoration comedy is Aphra Behn's The Rover, with more to it than mere wit and intrigue; it shines critically thought provoking gender roles, economic dynamics, and social norms. Behn's pioneering voice has a haunting resonant nature in this play, remarkably inviting feminist and economic critique along with themes and characters and controversy galore. We reflect on three dimensions of the play in this blog: comparison with marriage and prostitution, how Virginia Woolf celebrates Behn's legacy, and who among the female characters represents the trailblazing playwright best.

#Angellica considers the financial negotiations that one makes before marrying a prospective bride the same as prostitution. Do you agree?

She is the courtesan of beauty and brains, judging the financial negotiations of marriage in The Rover. She boldly equates marriage negotiation with prostitution as something not really sanctified by society. Her parallel is based on a simple rationale where women, be it courtesans or wives, are commodities to deal with over considerations of feelings.

In Act II, Angellica:

"I am bought and sold as much as a slave. … The woman’s portion is the best bait."

With these words, the economic basis of marriage shows itself, especially for a woman living in the 17th century. In a man's world, women often have few choices other than marriage to secure a stable financial future; it can be said, quite credibly, that Angellica sells her friendship. Her criticism does not diminish marriage itself but forces viewers to look at its commercial parallels-prostitution, where emotional choice is given up for survival.

Do I agree with Angelica's opinion? To some extent, yes. Behn's discussion of marriage and prostitution is based less upon their moral equivalency and more upon the contempt for personal preference between them. In marriage as well as in prostitution, the worth of women is conferred, dowry, beauty or virtue, rather than intrinsic merit. However, marriage represents a union of mutual regard and love, as exemplified by the subplot of Florinda and Belvile, which offsets the bleakness of Angellica. Behn contrasts using it to point out that agency, and not the institution, determines a woman's fate.

#“All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds.” Virginia Woolf said so in ‘A Room of One’s Own’. Do you agree with this statement? Justify your answer with reference to your reading of the play ‘The Rover’.

Virginia Woolf  wrote in A Room of One’s Own:

"All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds."

This lines says, acknowledges Behn's monumental role as one of the first professional female writers in England, paving the way for women to claim their space in literature and public discourse. Does Behn's The Rover justify Woolf's reverence? Absolutely.

These were.bold explorations of female desire, agency, and resistance to societal constraint. All these characteristics are epitomized in Hellena of The Rover. Hellena refuses the cloistered life of a nun and claims her right to love and choice when she says:

"I’ll have a saint as soon as a soldier, if I must marry."

Through Hellena, then, Behn provides women with a voice to challenge foreordained roles and search for self-determined futures. Her characters get to portray wit, independence, and fortitude in challenging Restoration norms, which relegated them to secondary roles.

Woolf's tribute also reflects a larger part of Behn's legacy. Behn succeeded as a writer at a time when such field was controlled by men, therefore proving that women can be both intellectually and economically productive, which is precisely the triumph materialized by The Rover in the use of comedy and raciness to bring the satire to the social norms while proving women's rights to her self-expression.

# Which female character best represents the playwright, Aphra Behn? Consider the characteristics and beliefs of each female character, and make an argument that relates these distinctive attributes to what you know about Behn.

Aphra Behn’s life and ethos resonate most strongly with Hellena, though elements of her complexity can also be seen in Angellica Bianca and Florinda. Let’s discuss:

Hellena: The Rebel with Wit and Agency

She, the sharp-tongued heroine of the play, represents all facets of resistance to norms by Behn herself. From her destined life at the nunnery, Hellena rejects that probability with great humour and confidence. She is not satisfied to be a passive recipient of her destiny but rather seeks love for herself as well. Her wit, too, as does Behn, carries the stamp of originality in the art of writing that broke the societal rules dominant in society. In close analogy to Behn's life and works, the manifestation of desire for freedom and rejection of conventional roles is seen in Hellena.

Angellica Bianca: The Critic of Social Hypocrisy

Angellica is often viewed more as a tragic figure that also reveals aspects of Behn's critique of societal norms; for being a courtesan, she conflicts with the double standards where men are given freedom in love while women are stigmatized. Her manipulative side is shown to be one dimension of the complexities of her vulnerability and strength and that she shares empathy with her characters who have been marginalized within the societal structure. Criticism and judgment for moral behavior attach themselves to Behn, just as they attach to Angellica, because of her profession as female playwright.

Florinda: The Romantic Idealist

Florinda, in seeking true love with Belvile, is more of a traditional element but as much an important aspect of Behn's worldview. She does not accept her brother's proposal because he intends to use his economic or political influence for their marriage; she surrenders not but when she really marries, it should be for love alone. In that way, there is again a reflection of Behn's feminist standpoint inasmuch as she shows the female characters to have their own voice in choosing their lovers. Quiet courage is praiseworthy, but the audacity and independence clearly characterize Behn and Hellena.

Why Hellena Best Represents Behn

Qualities of Hellena's—wit, rebellious spirit, and determination to shape her own destiny—best match the legacy of Behn. Like Hellena, Behn forged her own way in a society that wouldn't allow it, using wit and intelligence to blur what was possible for women. She did not bend, proving that women could both think for themselves and shape societal politics.

Aphra Behn's The Rover is a classic that continues to provoke debate on gender and the role of the individual in society. Along with her depiction of marriage and its commodity over the female body, Behn interrupts that resolution with an ending with which the audience must reevaluate such societal constructs that normally place women in silent enforced servitude. Virginia Woolf, in her tribute to Behn, did not hesitate to characterize the latter as the very first to set the benchmark of womanly courage in speaking one's mind. Such a tradition is self-evident in the witticism of Hellena and her feistiness.

References : 

Behn, Aphra. “The Rover.” LitCharts, https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-rover/themes . Accessed 15 November 2024.

Behn, Aphra. “The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume I by Aphra Behn.” Project Gutenberg, 5 May 2007, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21339 . Accessed 15 November 2024.

Owen, Susan J. "Sexual Politics and Party Politics in Behn's The Rover." Eighteenth-Century Studies, vol. 15, no. 1, 1981, pp. 1–15.