The Rover

One of the play's main themes is the relationship between love and marriage. At the time when Aphra Behn wrote the play—in Restoration England—marriage was largely seen as a social or religious...

Willmore is a cavalier, which means that he is a royalist who is loyal to Charles II during the English Civil War. Willmore is a rover, which means that he travels from place to place on board a...

As a desirable courtesan, Angellica has granted her exclusive favors to many men in her time. But Willmore, the upper-class English officer, is different. For one thing, Angellica has fallen head...

While the wayfaring playboy Willmore is a literal "rover" of the world who moves from port to port and lover to lover, Aphra Behn's title remains ambiguous regarding exactly which character it...

One of The Rover’s main character is a courtesan, which is a single woman supported by men to whom she is not married. Although most of the play’s characters behave as though marriage is a desired...

Behn's 1677 The Rover reflects the social situation at the time for British women. While some in England hoped the restoration of the monarchy after the death of Cromwell would liberate women from...

In her humorous indictment of upper-class society, Aphra Behn satirizes the artifice and superficiality of the social conventions to which people pay lip service but rarely observe—especially in...

Both The Rover and The Man of Mode are perfect examples of English Restoration comedy, also called comedy of manners. Restoration comedy was especially known for being sexually explicit and...

Let me answer this question by talking about one of the central and most important characters and then discussing how other characters relates to her. Florinda could be viewed as the heroine of the...

There are several possible ways to interpret Aphra Behn’s play, so an appropriate thesis for an essay about The Rover would depend on the writer’s interpretation. In satirizing numerous aspects of...

One of the fascinating aspects of this play is the way that Behn used the aside so much to reveal the inner thoughts and fears of her characters. This is a definite aspect of the voice of the play,...

If you ever understand the science of love and falling in love, you will make millions! No one can make themselves fall in love with someone he/she doesn't; by the same token, you can't make...

I'm not sure what you mean by "unity of time," but The Rover does take place over the course of one day. The play is set in Spain on the eve of Carnival, or the feast before Easter (which...

Yes, Behn celebrates Wilmore. The primary way is that he isn't really punished. He's got all kinds of qualities that should qualify him as a villain, someone who the plot should work out badly for....

This may be a tough--and/or expensive--find for you. There is a filmed version of Aphra Behn's Restoration play, The Rover, in existence, but it is not an easy movie to find; whether it is a motion...

I would say that yes, there are heroes and heroines in The Rover, but that the play is complex, and all heroism must be understood within its political context. I find Hellena heroic. The limits...

In my mind, there are two issues at hand here. Does the fact that the play was written by a female playwright that enjoyed success constitute a fulfillment of feminist principles? At the same...

As Angelica's portrait is unveiled and the terms of her "bargain" are revealed, the male characters in this scene are reduced to petty squabbling as they try and do their best to vie for Angelica's...

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This may surprise you, but my favorite character is Angellica Bianca. Her situation is so heartbreaking. She has made the best deal she can with her society; she has traded her beauty and her...