The document provides an overview of Aphra Behn's play "The Rover" from 1677. It summarizes the plot across five acts, which follows a group of English travelers in Naples during Carnival time and their romantic entanglements. Key characters include Willmore, a rover who seduces multiple women; Florinda and Hellena, sisters trying to pursue their own love matches against their family's wishes; and Angellica, a courtesan. The summary also outlines themes of the play such as gender roles, love/marriage, class, and the use of disguise.

1. The Rover -
The Banish’d Cavaliers
Yesha Bhatt
Department of English, M. K. Bhavnagar
University

2. Aphra Behn 1640-1689
 English playwright, fiction poet, writer,
translator of Restoration Era
 First English woman – earning from writing
 Wrote under the pastoral pseudonym Asters
 She was acknowledged as a part of the circle
of the Earl of Rochester
 She is remembered in Virginia Woolf's A
Room of One's Own

3. The Rover (Play) - 1677
 It is a revision of Thomas Killigrew's
play Thomaso, or The Wanderer (1664) and
there are similarities in some plotlines.
 Adventures of a group of Englishmen and
women in Naples at Carnival time.
According to Restoration poet John Dryden, “it
lacks the manly vitality of Killigrew's play, but
shows greater refinement of expression." The
play stood for three centuries as "Behn's most
popular and most respected play.“

4. Restoration Comedy – Comedy of
manners
 Aristocratic Comedy – 1660 – 1680
- Personal interest of Charles II
- Jacobean – Caroline – Greek – Roman Classical
- William Wycherley, The Country Wife (1675)
 Decline of Comedy - 1678 – 1690
- Comedy to serious political drama
- Aphra Behn – Whig dramatist Thomas Shadwell
 Comedy Renaissance – 1690 – 1700
- Softer comedies
- Arena of intrigue into that of marriage - love-chase
- Love for Love (1695) and The Way of the
World (1700) - John Vanbrugh, The Provoked
Wife (1697)
 End of Comedy – 17th Century

5. Society
Class
Sex
comedy
Politics
Hypocrisy
Fashion
Restoration Comedy – Comedy of
manners

6. Characters
Blunt
Belvile
Don Pedro
Florinda Hellena
Valeria Angellica Willmore Frederick
Don Antonio

7.  Florinda and Hellena are sisters. Don Pedro is
their cousin brother.
 Hellena wants to become a nun and wishes to start
the process after the carnival.
 Florinda’s father wants her to get married with
Don Vincentio and Pedro wants her to get married
with Don Antonio.
 Florinda is in love with Belvile (An English
colonel)
 All dress up for Carnival - Belvile, Blunt,
Frederick, and Willmore also join the carnival and
all meet there.
 Willmore flirts with Hellena – Lucetta seduces
Blunt – Florinda saw Pedro and gave letter to
Belvile to meet her in garden at ten to take her off.
Plot- Act I

8.  Angellica (the most beautiful prostitute) – Belvile, Frederick and
Willmore went to see her. Portrait – Price – Englishmen left
because of lack of money – Pedro saw the portrait and money –
went to buy her.
 (Angellica was worried because of her price) Antonio is also there
and saw Pedro (both are masked) – Antonio wants Angellica as
well as Florinda which Pedro heard and both started fighting –
Willmore and Blunt stopped them – Pedro challenged him for dual
and Antonio accepted it for Angellica.
 Willmore steals the picture of Angellica – Antonio stopped him –
started fighting – Angellica is angry with the fight – took Willmore
with her inside – impressed by him – He asked her to sleep with
him for free – she agrees – Frederick and Belvile are worried for
Willmore because Angellica was angry.
Plot- Act II

9.  Hellena rejects the idea of love but thinks about Willmore all the time
- Belvile, Blunt and Frederick are worried because Willmore is inside
for two hours – women came there – Willmore came and told that he
slept with her for free – He saw Hellena and started flirting again –
She is aware of his character now – revealas her face to him – he
admires her – Angellica is angry and sent a servant to find about
Hellena.
 Florinda and Valeria tests Belvile’s loyalty – he passed – they left –
Lucetta tricked Blunt
 Florinda waits in garden – drunk Willmore enters and persuade her
by mistake – attempts to rape her - Frederick and Belvile saved her –
Florinda run away – Pedro came and fight begin – Belvile left to find
Florinda – Willmore apologised
 Antonio for Angellica – Willmore fights with Antonio and wounded
him – He thought Antonio died – he left – Belvile entered to rescue
Willmore – got arrested – Antonio took him to his house.
Plot- Act III

10. Plot- Act IV
 Antonio does not believe Belvile – offers him to dress like him and go for dual
with Pedro – He accepts it for Florinda
 Florinda thought Belvile did not come as plan – Pedro and Belvile fights –
Florinda requests Belvile and he put down her sword and confessed his love –
Pedro is impressed and promise their marriage – he is Masked as Antonio
 Willmore and Frederick entered – Belvile’s mask fell down – Pedro denied for
marriage – Belvile is angry on Willmore and Angellica also came with servants
as she found that Willmore is in love with Hellena – Willmore charms her
back – Hellena is disguised as man – she tells her story to Angellica –
Willmore identifies her – abuses Hellena for Angellica – Angellica vowed
revenge – Willmore tries to win her back.
 Florinda Valeria in disguise to save themselves from Pedro – Pedro and
Belvile talks serious – Willmore follows Florinda by mistake again – Hellena
sees this – Florinda by mistake entered in Belvile’s house – Blunt is in the
house – attempts to rape her – she gave her jewellery to them and asked for
Belvile – They locked her in room

11. Plot- Act V
 Belvile, Willmore, Frederick, and Pedro break into Blunt's room and
laugh at him – He show the ring – Belvile recognized it – Pedro entered
and took swords – they fought and Pedro won – he took away Florinda
(unknown to him) – Valeria came and told Pedro that Florinda is hiding
somewhere and servant found her – He left and Valeria told Belvile and
Florinda to marry – Frederick and Valeria also decides to marry – Blunt
and Frederick apologized to Florinda – Willmore guards them.
 Angellica entered with gun – Antonio took the gun and decides to kill
him – Angellica forgives Willmore – Pedro entered and asked why
Antonio missed dual – he told the truth – Pedro is ready for marriage
and Willmore told that marriage has already happened.
 Hellena enters as man – Willmore wants to sleep with Hellena but
doesn’t want to marry – she convinced him – Pedro approves – play
ends with their engagement

12. Themes
Gender Roles and
Female Agency
Love, Courtship and
Marriage
Class and
Money
Disguise and
Deceit
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13. Gender Roles and Female Agency
 Hellena and Florinda’s disobedience towards their
parents – in 17th Century
 ‘Chaste’ – ‘virgin’ has more daring – Hellena –
Contemporary writers (Courtesans)
 Hellena – Bold, brave, manipulative,
confident, independent and outspoken of all
female characters
 Lucetta cheats Blunt
 Florinda takes a step further for her and Belvile’s
destiny

14.  Florinda + Belvile – efforts to stay togather (Informal
love)
 Hellena’s efforts for Willmore (Informal love)
 Willmore to Hellena (Formal)
 Frederick + Valeria (Informal love)
 Willmore + Angellica (informal love)
 Don Pedro’s efforts for his sister Florinda (Formal
matrimony)
 Don Antonio + Angellica ( Formal deal with informal
interest)
 Don Antonio + Florinda (Formal matrimony)
 Love versus Lust
Love, Courtship and Marriage

15.  Hellena and Florinda – Matrimony – to
get settled – for stability
 Angellica – One thousand Spanish crown
for one month – selling love – physical
pleasure
 Don Pedro is impressed with Don Antonio
because of his class and money
 The cavaliers constantly complain the fact
that they do not have sufficient funds
Class and Money

16.  Carnival time – Masks and disguise
 Gypsy costumes to hide themselves
 Hiding identity – revealing identity
 Helps in exploring person’s true self (Hellena –
Willmore)
 Deceit helps Florinda and Belvile
 Hellena smartly used all her abilities to act and
disguise
 Hidden observer
 No moral concern – Moral and immoral both
characters use this in a same way
Disguise and Deceit

17. Symbols
17
1 3
4
2
Carnival
Swords
Angellica’s
Portrait
Masks

18.  Italian cities such as Venice and Naples
 No rules during Carnival time
 Inverted values – Social world with freedom – Without restrictions
 Noblewoman can roam – cavalier can court them – propose them
 Willmore and Blunt takes advantage of this freedom to assault woman
 Duelling on street
 Dark sides of Carnival in reference to
Restoration comedy
Carnival

19.  All characters are wearing masks
 Confusion of identity
 Hiding the true self
 Willmore + Hallena
 Belvile is not recognizing Florinda
 Willmore, Blunt and Fredrick attempt to
rape Florinda
 Identity is not stable
 Mask – stands for deception – trick
 Characters are as observers – behind the
mask
 Hiding themselves to find others
Masks

20.  To show off her beauty – people can
notice and admire her
 After falling in love with Willmore she
stopped doing this
 Portrait – Vanity + Sense of self
 Willmore’s actions with the picture is the
symbol of herself
 Willmore done the same with her – as he
done with her portrait
 Portrait – pride + value + she herself
 True love for Willmore – from portrait it
started
Angellica’s portrait

21.  Swords – Masculinity + violence + Power + Bravery
 Belvile – True man + Power in a positive way + Fighting for purpose
 Don Pedro – Having Spanish blade which is more sharp and long than English
 Willmore – Use swordplay to impress others + symbol of intercourse
 Masculinity -> Violence = tradition
 Play supports this tradition of Restoration comedy
Swords

22. Title -The Rover – The banish’d Cavaliers
 The Rover - A pirate, A person who travels from place to place
without fixed route or destination, esp. over a wide area; a
wanderer, a roamer; a nomad.
 The banish’d Cavaliers - tribute to the formerly exiled cavalier and
newly reinstated king, Charles II
 Willmore – Captain of Ship – suggests the title of the play –
Mentally also he is wandering – cannot give commitment to a
single woman – Makes other wander too
 Hellena – The Rover says Blunt – perfect match for Willmore –
Manipulative – Wants freedom – stability

23. Female representation – Rape and Sexuality
 Aphra Behn has presented Rape with buffoonery elements – seducing very casual
– physical pleasure as something important – playing with emotions – all women
as whore – whore as women
 Male observers are unable to differentiate noble women with prostitute
 ‘Rape’ as something trivial and can done by male with a certain right (Florinda got
attacked three times)
 Authoritative attitude of male fraternity towards female fraternity
 Florida as rebellious noble woman – Angellica as Self-construction in (for)
patriarchal world – Hellena’s rejection to society and then acceptance of that for
love
 Male power – Charming (Willmore), Sword-masculinity (Belvile – Pedro)
 Female power – Rebellion (Florinda), Confidence and Mind (Hellena), Beauty
(Angellica)

24. Thank You