Hello! I am divya parmar. Hear I am writing blog to complete my class activity which is given after every unit. In these blog deal with third question : Does the use of different terminology to describe prostitutes. In the play have an effect on how a given character is perceived , or how the profession as a whole is perceived? explain. To answer the question along with answer I write about characters, social background of that time, about writer etc..
'The Rover' by Aphra Behn is a restoration comedy. It written during the later half of 17th century. These novel is very important and become inspiration for women writers! During that time we can find about male dominated society. where the woman are not allowed by male to do such work or take their decision. At that time we found A women become writer and also become Inspiration for other women. we can not find any realiable or proper information about her life cause she wasn't very well known during her time! she has a very misterious kind of careear and for sometime she is not in England. She has gone out and people said that she is on some kind of secreat mission. she is in pay role of government of Charles second.
Aphra behn belongs from male dominated society so in her writing we find the various topics related prostites people, marriage, love, beauty of women etc. And during that time Aphra behn writing plays and also she plays role on the stage of theatre. that's why people looked at her with two different perspective. she is writer and actor also. That means she has been good looking woman.
➡️ABOUT 'THE ROVER':
1️⃣ character list : To easily understand the relation of charcters I devided then into groups.
- group of sisters:
1. Florinda
2.Hellena
3.valeria
- group of name don
1. don Pedro (brother of Florinda and Hellena)
2. don Antonio ( friend of Don Pedro)
3. don vincantio ( Florinda's father choice to marry with Florinda)
- group of Cavaliers
1. Bellville
2. Fredrick
3. Blunt
- The rover
1. willmore
- prostitute
1. Angellica
2. Lucetta
➡️ Answer :
To understand the terminology of the prostitute, we have to understand some theme of the play. first the gender role :
In many ways, the characters of The Rover conform to the traditional gender roles found in comedies of the Restoration period: the dishonorable men, like Willmore, seek pleasure; the honorable men, like Belvile, seek to protect women; the honorable women, like Florinda, seek matrimony; and the dishonorable women, like Angelica and Lucetta, seek to ensnare men. Men bear swords and seek out violence; women are peaceful and are threatened by violence.
Within her somewhat clichéd structure of her play, however, Aphra Behn is able to explore the nuances and consequences of such prescribed and exaggerated roles. An obvious example of this exploration is Hellena, who desires marriage, as all honorable women Restoration Comedies do. She does so, however, in a thoroughly nontraditional and unfeminine way, and is rewarded for her behavior. The character of Willmore, too, reveals problems with traditional gender roles. The audience finds his lustful antics charming and hilarious when they are directed towards Hellena, but threatening when he accosts Florinda; reconciling these two sides of our supposed hero is difficult and disturbing. Florinda’s vulnerability, too, reveals flaws with traditional femininity. She may be a perfect lady, but she is completely unprotected from men with bad intentions. Angelica, too, a traditionally “wicked” woman, ultimately inspires pity within the audience, making clear the problematic nature of her role as well.
By pushing gender roles to such extremes, Behn uses her drama to reveal their disturbing and even destructive nature. The Rover is a comedy, but it depicts a troubling reality: that rigid adherence to gender roles may lead to serious and far-reaching consequences.
- Terminology of prostitute in The rover
In The Rover , the institution of prostitution is examined through the lens of a single character, who is a courtesan. Angellica Bianca is distinguished from the other female characters by being supported by men outside of the institution of marriage. Her way of life is accepted in some social circles but reviled in others. Author Aphra Behn portrays Angellica as an active agent who manipulates patriarchal society but is nearly undone when she falls in love.
In restoration literature we can find the classes. there are so many restrictions and rules for women and especially for uper class women. they can not do some certain part of works. they can not rovering like as normal. They have a way to do the work as they want! they simply wear a mask or disguise them selves. If they want to attend some kind of parties, to hyde their identity they disguise them selves. That was the time when man pursuing a women just for pleasure. A man give money or buy a women to fulfill his sexual desires. And by the character of Angellica we can see the prostitute terminology. we can see the points that what the importance of being beautiful, how the women or prostitute sell their beauty to man!
- Prostitution and marriage:
At the very beginning of the play where we can find that Florinda's father wants to marry her daughter with Don vincantio an old and rich man. And Don Pedro wants to marry his sister with Don Antonio. when in the marriage the money or property at the centre. At another side in prostitution system also money is in the center. so what is the difference between marriage and prostitution? The difference is that when you get marriage the commitmant for life time! and when you go for prostitute, it is for sometime! when you pay for fulfilling your sexual desire! And in both of things the money is in the centre.so at the conclusions we come to that point where prostitute women know as very lower class or bad work! But as the same place married women know as good person.
word count : 1010
resources: youtube, litchart.com
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