In Aphra Behn's play The Rover, she depicts a strong patriarchal society that is harmful to women. The main female character Florinda is manipulated and abused by men, facing near-rape and physical assault. The attitude of the main male character Willmore, who sees women as sex objects, further shows the dangers women faced. Behn suggests that if this patriarchal system was left unchecked, the mistreatment of women would only continue. By emphasizing the suffering of female characters and their inability to fight back, Behn criticizes the extensive patriarchy of the time and the harm it caused women.

1. PATRIARCHIC SOCIETY
in Aphra Behan’s
<THE ROVER>
Presented by :
Bhatt Riddhiben D.
riddhi28bhatt@gmail.com
Sem : 1
Roll No. : 16
PG Year : 2020-2021
PG Enrolment No. : 3069206420200004

2. What is Patriarchy?
"Patriarchy" (derived from patriarch in
Greek ) is a term for societies in which
male is the favoured gender, and in
which men hold power, dominion and
privilege.
Male power in a patriarchy can be
found at family, community, social
The term patriarchy‘ has been used by
feminists to make sense of how the
unequal gender relations are produced
and reproduced in society on an on-
going basis.

3. Patriarchy around the
world
Unfortunately, just like racism, patriarchy
still exists, around the world. And just like
racism, it often manifests in casual ways
that tend to go unnoticed by the majority of
people.
And women aren’t the only ones who
suffer under this everyday patriarchy.
Everyone does. Because patriarchy
demands that those in power conform to a
specific set of rules — ones that require the
suppression of feeling and include a lack of
empathy.
The Gender
World View
WOMAN’S
SOCIAL
WORLD
A Network of
Cooperation
MEN’S
SOCIAL
WORLD
A Hierarchy of
Power

4. Religious: Male dominance is “God given.”
Biological determinist: “Man is the hunter and dominates.”
Marxist theorist Friedrich Engels: Women become men’s “property.”
Anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss: civilizations manage social relations through the “traffic
in women” or the “exchange of women.”
19th century theorist, Bachofen hypothesized: Matriarchal society preceded patriarchal society
in historical time.
Suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton theorized that “materialist” or mother cantered societies existed in
some Native American tribes
Causes
Of
Patriarchy
society

5. A PATRIARCHIC SOCIETY
in Aphra Behn’s
THE ROVER
 In Aphra Behn’s The Rover, Aphra Behn uses the treatment of women to suggest the
presence of a strong patriarchic society and what harm can become of it.
 The main female character Florinda is manipulated, used, and treated horribly by men
in instances of near-rape, battering and beating, and foul language among other things.
 Behn also uses Willmore, one of the main male characters, and his attitude towards
women to prove her point. By doing this, Behn is suggesting patriarchy is dangerous for
women, and their lack of fighting against it presupposes
 what can happen to women over time if this strong patriarchic society is allowed to
flourish.

6.  In act three, Florinda is almost raped by a drunken Willmore. He doesn’t know who she
is, he thinks she’s just,
“A female! By this light, a woman! I’m a dog if it be not a very wench” (III.v.16 –17).
 This shows that he only sees her as a sex object. He then tries to take advantage of her.
As she puts up a struggle, he says,
“Come, come, take it or I’ll put it up again…Why, how now, mistress, are you so high i’th’ mouth a
pistole won’t down with you? ...Come, no struggling to be gone…I’m for ye” (III.v.67 – 72)
 Trying to force her into submission. In another instance in act four, the same thing
nearly happens again to Florinda when she ventures into Blunt’s house. Blunt has been
tricked by another woman and decides to take his revenge out on that woman by
sleeping with Florinda. He gets very physical with her and Florinda protests with,
“Dare you be so cruel?” (IV.v.51)
 Blunt replies with this heartless speech:
“Cruel? ...as a galley slave, or a Spanish whore…I will kiss and beat thee all over, kiss and see thee
all over;

7.  The patriarchic society, Florinda’s father and brother won’t allow them to be married.
She was treated as a prize awarded to the most eligible candidate.
 Here, Behn is showing how damaging the patriarchic tradition of arranged marriages
can be to those involved. Even though they ended up together, they had to fight a
battle to do so. By ending the play this way,
 Behn is saying people who love each other shouldn’t have to fight to be together,
thereby proving this patriarchic practice unfair.
 By placing an emphasis on the man who uses women as sex objects by titling her play
after him; by having almost all the female characters in the play treated horribly, used,
and manipulated; and having the female characters barely putting up a fight,
 Aphra Behn suggests the heavily patriarchic society that exists is too extensive and is
dangerous for the women in it.

8. Refences

9. THANK YOU