Aphra Behn's "The Widow Ranter"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the play "The Widow Ranter", which is set in the British colony of Virginia where the action takes place during the rebellion of 1676 rebellion of Nathaniel Bacon against the then governor, William Berkeley. It looks at how Behn chooses to modify the actions and identities of the lead players in the rebellion that makes for an interesting analysis of the play and the fictional counterparts of Bacon and the governors of the colony. It also explores how Behn's concern with masculinity is key to the construction of both the heroes and the authority figures and also to the depiction of the New World and the establishment of the beginnings of a capitalist society.

From the Paper:

"It is useful to note the four groups of male protagonists within the play: the young Englishmen determined to find their fortune in Virginia, Hazard and Friendly; the honorable rebel Bacon; the Council and the colonial authority; and finally, the Indian king and the Americans Indians. These groups are particular in their motives and characteristics, each representing a different part of the social structure of Behn's Virginia, and illustrating her views of the distinction between England and the New World and its developing ideas of honor and identity - ideas which Behn, as a Tory and a Royalist, did not necessarily appreciate, rather favoring the old world tradition of respectability being inherited through noble birth."

More papers on Aphra Behn's "The Widow Ranter":

• Book Review # 99644 : "Aphra Behn's "Oroonoko"
• Analytical Essay # 25262 : "Aphra Behn's "Oroonoko"
• Analytical Essay # 136753 : "Ideology of Racism in 'Oroonoko' by Aphra Behn"

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