The Rover
by Aphra Behn
Now considered Ben's most famous and experienced play, "Rover" is firmly established in the tradition of restoration drama in many ways; The protagonist, Willmore, is a rake and a libertarian, and comedy is fueled by sexual innuendo, intrigue and wit. But the laughter that the game illuminates has a biting edge, and the sexual intrigue has an alarming depth. As Anne Russell points out in the introduction to this publication, there are three kinds of women in the society presented here: marriage, monastic, or. In this marriage economy, the witty and pragmatic diva Hellen learns to survive, while Angelica Bianca can only maintain her autonomy as long as she stays away from romantic love. It seems that in this world women can be free only because of the anonymity of disguise, but the mask is also a sign of a prostitute. And paradoxically, disguise is, in many ways, the device that moves the conspiracy toward marriage. The traveler, which was extremely popular in the eighteenth century, is now widely practiced again. It's one of the funniest, most entertaining and disturbing comedies, filled with an idea game.
