In The Rover, Aphra Behn illustrates a world in which sex and economic exchange unite under the mandates of patriarchy . In such a society, sexuality is commodified and a woman is either sold in the marriage market (by her family, in an attempt to secure her wealth and class status) or she sells her own marketable goods to the highest bidder. Feminine identity is therefore also linked to questions of sexuality. Who one is as a woman is linked to the (constructed) role or position she occupies in society – that is, a role or position which is itself defined by a type particular form of sexual activity or expression. All of these markers are, of course, ultimately subject to the determining male gaze: a woman is who or what she is perceived to be. The Rover therefore suggests that “feminine identity” is a fairly fluid concept, varying along the spectrum of sexual perception and economic function. In a society where the boundary between "kept woman" and "quality woman" is potentially ambiguous and tenuous (since both "types" are involved and active in the sexual market economy), virtue, honor and Reputation plays an important role. role in this distinction. For the plays, three main female characters, Angellica, Florinda and Hellena, respectively their loss, temporary absence and maintenance of "honor", illustrate the importance of virtue in the market economy. Ultimately, Hellena will embody the lessons of virtue modeled for her by Angellica and Florinda, creating a life for herself that celebrates and echoes the spirit of libertinism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"?Get the original essayAs a courtesan, Angellica Bianca plays a sexual economic and social role in which her virtue, both in terms of "honor" that "virginity" has no value. Sex, not virtue, is the commodity that belongs to and defines the "prostitute." Angellica relies heavily on her sexual credit, on men who believe in her sales pitch and buy her products, to earn a living and carve out her rightful place in society She has no time for nonsense like love, declaring that she is both "resolute." that nothing but gold should charm (his) heart” (II.i.135-136), and grateful to have been born in a “kind but gloomy climate” which prevented it. to fall in love (II.i.139) When Angellica first appears in the play, she is a famous courtesan whose very image attracts the attention of the male population of Naples. Seeing her photo as Angelica's form of self-promotion/advertising, Willmore comments, "How wonderfully beautiful she is" and curses the "poverty" that prevents him from offering his prize, a poverty he "doesn't care about." never complained.” but when it hinders his approach to the beauty which virtue could never buy” (II.i.102-105). From Willmore's language, it is clear that Angelica is conceived as an object of "purchase" distinctly outside the realm of "virtue." “Purchase” and “virtue” are binary terms: if Angellica embodies market value, she must necessarily lack “honor” value. But what if Angellica wants to take back the honor she gave up as a prostitute? What if she wanted to explore love – explore the possibilities of “relationships” outside of a life of paid sexual services? She encounters such desire – and dilemma – in Willmore’s debauched character. When Willmore convinces Angellica to sleep with him for free, she essentially gives up the "powermarket” that her position as a courtesan gave her. Her value is not in virtue, but in sex. However, when she offers this sex for free, she loses her influence as a prostitute. In her monologue, Angellica confesses: In vain I consulted all my charms, In vain this darling beauty, in vain I believed that My eyes could light lasting fires. I had forgotten my name, my infamy, And the reproach that honor places on those who dare to pretend here to a sober passion. Good reputation, although she leaves behind more virtues than there are where she lives, but once gone, these virtues no longer shine. (IV.iii.396-405) In her role as a courtesan, Angellica had essentially insulated herself from the “reproaches” of the general public. In her context, quarantined for "so long against this general disease of (her) sex" (II.i.137-138), protected in what she later calls her "innocent security" (Vi270), she had found a place of acceptance. to the extent that she was idolized, coveted and adored. However, once she offers her heart to Willmore, who is not doting on her, who is false in the "vows" he initially takes (II.ii.148), she is exposed to judgment and expectations of a different value system. In this context, he is reminded of his "infamy", his dubious reputation and the fact that no one would take his desire for love seriously (the "sober passion here"). Angelica's soliloquy also reveals that she is aware of the importance placed on a good reputation, as it highlights how much such a reputation "costs". By adopting a “good reputation,” we abandon (or “leave behind”) less honorable “virtues”; that is to say, virtues more in keeping with the libertine spirit: ribaldness, “saltiness”, amusement, freedom, etc. However, “once gone,” the qualities of a good name – honor, purity, virginity – are lost forever and disappear. no trace of the “bolder” virtues they supplanted, for both sets of virtues “no longer shine.” But more importantly, Angellica realizes here that she cannot get back and the honor she would need to obtain love. She echoes this understanding in a speech to Willmore later in the play, where she says: But when love held the mirror, the undeceptive glass, Reflected all the weakness of my soul and let me know, My most rich treasure being lost, my honor. , All the remaining spoils could be worth neither the care nor the valor of the conqueror. Oh how I fell, like a long-worshipped idol, discovering all the cheating. (Vi268-279). In her prostitution, Angellica had continually protected herself from feelings that would interfere with her business. Once unguarded, Angellica is confronted with harsh truths exposed ("reflected") in the "undeceptive glass" of her unrequited love for Willmore. His romantic desires lay bare all the “cheats” of his profession, the vain “charms” and “precious beauty” mentioned in the previous soliloquy. What is more tragic for Angellica, however, is the recognition that her "richest treasure" was not her beauty or sexual attractiveness, but her "honor." Without this virtue, she only has her body, the “remaining spoils”. However, it is the body endowed with virtue that “is worth/the care (and) the valor of the conqueror.” “Value” here is multivalent: it designates both the market or economic value, as well as the love and respect granted to a woman of good reputation. In both economies then, that of commodity exchange and that of care, Angellica is denied space once she expresses her love for Willmore. Without a mark of honor, a woman is subjected to vile treatment andmalevolence, as Florinda demonstrates when she temporarily “loses” her virtuous distinction. Unlike Angellica, Florinda is a "woman of quality", an upper-class Spanish lady who has maintained her good reputation. However, she remains a member of the sexual economy to the extent that she reluctantly finds herself in an arranged marriage. Her father "plans" for her to marry the "rich old Don Vincentio" (Ii16-17), a relic of Spanish imperialism (having made his money by plundering the Spanish colonies) who will increase the wealth and social status of the Florinda family. Florinda, however, fears a possible future as Don Vincentio's wife, calling him a "hated object" (Ii19) in whom the qualities she recognizes as his marketable goods, his "youth, his beauty and his fortune (initial)” (Ii74). , would be wasted. Hellena agrees that Don Vincentio would be an inadequate lover, commenting that he is too old to reproduce with Florinda – capable "perhaps of increasing his baggage, but not his family" [Ii84]) and identifying "figuratively" his sexual defects through the metaphorical image of his “bad sheets” (ii115). The other man in Florinda's family, her brother Pedro, also views her and her intact sexuality as a potential bargaining chip. He would like her to marry Don Antonio, who is both Pedro's good friend and the viceroy's son. Therefore, Pedro might be motivated by some sense of male camaraderie, but he is more likely to advocate for his buddy's interests in order to increase his own political influence and status. In both cases, Florinda's romantic wishes are completely ignored, as she has fallen in love with the Englishman Belvile. During a street masquerade, disguised by her vizard, she freely promises Belvile to meet her later that night. Ironically, it is this disguised exchange that will lead to the obscuring of his honor and confusion around his chaste identity. Florinda leaves the carnival scene to wait for Belvile in a garden for their arranged date. Unexpectedly, however, she meets the impudent Willmore, who does not recognize her as "Florinda", an honest woman and his friend's love interest. To him, she is simply a beautiful woman alone at night, and therefore suspect of being both alone and a wanderer in the dark. Therefore, she must be a prostitute, and Willmore therefore declares her, in sexual enthusiasm, to be "a very young girl!" » (III.v.16). An attempted rape scene unfolds, with Willmore pressuring Florinda to consummate their encounter hastily - because, by pausing too long, she would allow a quick "accident" to turn into a blameworthy act of “voluntary fornication” [III.v.35-38. ]. She could claim rape but, as Willmore points out, who would believe her intentions were “honorable”? “Why, at this time of night,” he asks, “was your cobweb door open, dear spider, but to catch flies?” (III.v.53-54). Not only does Willmore's question/accusation deprive Florinda of any redeeming virtue, but it also flips the rape script by portraying Florinda as the predatory party, with the "spider" catching "flies" in her "spider web" . It is only when Belvile enters and recognizes her lover that Florinda's identity as a "lady" is affirmed. Furious at the shame and harm that might have befallen Florinda, Belvile wonders how Willmore could have taken her for a prostitute: "Could you not see something in her face and person, to rouse a terrible reverence in your soul ? » (III.vi.23-24) No -- apparently in the darkness of night, to the eyes of men blinded by lust anddesire, there is nothing innately incredible about a woman's virtue to distinguish her from a "wandering prostitute" (III.vi. .20). In the little-known figure of Florinda, Willmore simply saw “as simple a woman as he could wish for” (III.vi.25). This episode of mistaken identity confirms Angelica's observation that, indeed, once the title of "good character" is lifted, the virtues associated with it in women "no longer shine." In a rather tragicomic twist, Florinda finds herself in a similar situation later in the film. play, when she accidentally wanders into Blunt's room. Recently robbed and humiliated by a prostitute posing as a lady, Blunt sees in Florinda the opportunity to avenge his embarrassment: "(I) will take revenge on one whore for the sins of another" (IV.v.52 ). So, he and Frederick attempt to trap Florinda into forced group sex. It is only when Florinda gives Blunt a ring, showing him a physical representation of her virtue, offering a token of value rather than demanding it as a prostitute would, that the men question their assumptions. “I'm starting to suspect something; » says Frederick, “and it would make us angry to be tied up for the rape of a young girl of quality” (IV.v.123-125). These rape scenes and the speed with which they unfold underline the extreme fluidity of female identity. Although seemingly out of place, "formally" incongruous in a comedy, they are significant in the way they demonstrate how deeply the "female self" is involved in matters of sexual activity and male perception. Obviously, “honor” is not an innate quality, but one that must be corroborated by social status. This is precisely the “social” game Hellena will play to ensure her happy ending. Through the lessons modeled for her by Angellica and Florinda, Hellena understands the importance of female honor. Like her counterparts, Hellena is involved in economic exchange between the sexes, fully recognizing and appreciating the value of her quality products. In the first scene of the play, for example, Hellena speaks of herself as a rare art object, “worthy” of love. She asks Florinda: “Don't I have a world of youth? Gay humor? A passable beauty? Desirable vigor? In good shape? Clean limbs? Gentle breathing? (II38-40). Possessing these characteristics, it seems that Hellena saw herself as a true asset, placing a high value on her contribution to the sexual marketplace. It is this recognition of herself as a commodity that motivates her decision to play on the field before leaving for a convent and beginning “her eternal penance in a monastery” [Ii135]. She sets her sights on the Libertine Willmore, whom she meets in disguise during the street masquerade. His intentions, his priorities are rather ambiguous. While Florinda adores Belvile and Belvile alone, with the desire to eventually marry the Englishman, Hellena might be more interested in prolonging the moment of flirtation, the space of play and experimentation represented by the mask. “Is there no difference between letting you love me and letting you sleep with me? she asks Willmore, who can't wait to have her in his bed (I.ii.189-190). Perhaps this is Hellena's attempt to prolong the thrill of the carinvalesque and proof that she is a kind of female rover. For Hellena, the best way to prolong Saturnalia is to put on the mask of marriage. For Hellena to be accepted by her social context while contradictorily pursuing multiple romantic experiences, she must maintain her virtue. At the end of the play, she is eager to obtain Willmore's marriage wish, which, as a rake, Willmore is not.