After reading Aphra Behn’s Ooronoko in an 18th Century Literature course, and learning about her fame in Restoration drama, I quickly snapped up a copy of The Rover during a visit to Juniper Books on Ottawa Street. Behn was apparently a prolific and popular playwright during the later 1600s and had quite an interesting life for a woman of those times. She was a spy, was briefly married (widowed after less than a year), took many lovers and apparently suffered unrequited love of a gay actor. Her plays are often bawdy in nature, not unlike Shakespeare’s of a century prior.
In The Rover, a comedy, three virtuous sisters intrigue behind their overbearing brother’s back to meet suitors and marry for love under the cover of masqueraders performing in the city. The usual mistaken identities, double entendres, sword fights, etc., ensue, making for a rousing play. I quite enjoyed a reading of it, and would love to see it staged. Could you imagine the costumes? Delightful!
Till next time, happy reading!
L J
| TBR = 21 | WPL = 25 |
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