The Rover Summary

The Rover is a play by Aphra Behn, first staged in 1677. It is a Restoration comedy of manners set in Naples during Carnival, when the city becomes a pleasure-seeking playground for the English aristocracy.

  • Willmore, the "rover" of the title, is a cunning and amoral libertine. He is in Naples in search of pleasure, and he finds it in the form of Hellena, a young woman who is betrothed to a convent against her will.
  • Hellena disguises herself as a pageboy and sets out to seduce Willmore. However, Willmore also catches the eye of Angellica Bianca, a courtesan who is determined to make him her own.
  • As the two women vie for Willmore's affections, the stage is set for a series of comic misunderstandings, mistaken identities, and outrageous hijinks.

Summary

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Introduction

The Rover is a Restoration comedy by English playwright and poet Aphra Behn, first performed in 1677. Set in Naples during the carnival season, the play follows the romantic adventures of Willmore, the rover, and his cavalier friends.

The play's setting allows Behn to explore themes of disguise, mistaken identities, wit, and love, which were popular in the Restoration comedy era. Behn is one of the first English women to make a living from her writing, a remarkable feat given the restrictive social and cultural norms of the 17th century. Despite facing criticism for daring to write professionally and address bold and controversial topics, Behn's legacy remains a testament to her talent and resilience.

Behn's writing is notable for its bold treatment of sexual politics, power dynamics, and her criticism of contemporary attitudes towards gender and class. The Rover explores these issues, highlighting the roles and limitations of women in society and reflecting Behn's own experiences in a patriarchal culture.

Plot Summary

The play opens with the introduction of two noble sisters, Hellena and Florinda. Florinda, who is beautiful and kind, is in love with Colonel Belvile, who once saved her and her brother Pedro during a siege in Pamplona. Belvile reciprocates her feelings.

However, Florinda's father and brother have different plans for her. Her father wants her to marry Vincentio, an older man, while her brother wants her to marry Antonio, the Viceroy's son and his close friend.

Hellena, Florinda's witty sister, wants to experience the pleasures of love, but her brother wants her to become a nun. The two sisters are fed up with people controlling their lives and yearn for excitement and romance. So, they decide to go to the carnival, where they meet four cavaliers: Willmore, known as the Rover, along with Belvile, Frederick, and Blunt.

After seeing Willmore, Hellena resolves to marry him by any means necessary. Unfortunately, Hellena competes with Angelica, a wealthy and intelligent courtesan who is the object of every man's desire in Naples. 

Despite Angelica's vow never to fall for a customer, she falls for Willmore. To make Angelica jealous and win Willmore's affection for herself, Hellena dresses up as a pageboy and pretends to be a messenger from a noblewoman interested in Willmore.

Willmore falls for the ruse, but Angelica gets angry when she sees him charmed by the fake messenger. She even tries to shoot him later on but decides not to and storms off in a jealous rage. Meanwhile, Hellena succeeds in winning Willmore's affection for herself, and they end up getting married.

Florinda and Belvile struggle to convince Don Pedro that they are meant to be together. But after a series of mix-ups and disguises, Don Pedro finally sees the truth. He understands that Don Antonio, who is careless and chases after women like Angelica, is not a suitable husband for his sister. So, Don Pedro finally approves of Belvile and Florinda, and they get married.

Behn shows how two women, driven by their determination to control their lives and experience genuine love, achieve a happy ending. However, she also highlights that kindness, loyalty, bravery, wit, and intelligence are essential for success.

Willmore, for instance, redeems himself and finds happiness despite his recklessness and promiscuity, proving himself to be a good man. However, his friend Blunt is less fortunate. Blunt, similar to Don Antonio, is naive, selfish, and arrogant. He falls victim to a cunning woman named Lucetta, who deceives him and steals his possessions and money. Instead of reflecting on his own faults and errors, he swears vengeance on all women. He even tries to take out his anger on Florinda, mistaking her for a courtesan. However, Bevile clears up the misunderstanding, and Blunt apologizes.

Behn uses him as a cautionary example, showing that privilege and social status are meaningless without kindness and intelligence.

In the end, the romantic entanglements are sorted out, and the characters come to terms with their actions and decisions.

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