LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 12 : 5 May 2012
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Copyright © 2012
M. S. Thirumalai
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Aphra Behn’s “Rampant Lion of the Forest”

Mohammed Sagheer Ahmed Al-fasly, Ph. D. Scholar
Rachel Bari, Ph.D.

This article intends to analyze the character of Willmore, Behn’s controversial character. Willmore is the hero, the rake and the rover of Behn’s play, The Rover. The Rover or The Banished Cavaliers (1677) is a popular Restoration comedy. The rover in the play is Willmore, and Willmore refers to Charles II, the King. The subtitle “Banished Cavaliers” is a clear reference to Charles II’s exile to France. Beach affirms, “This playful historical revision of the exile must have appealed directly to Charles II for a number of reasons, including the fact that he was well known as a lover of both boats and sailing” (12). Also, the last part of Belvile’s statement that Willmore is “a rover of fortune, yet a prince aboard his little wooden World” (5.1.492-3) is a reference to the exile of Charles II. In the play, Willmore is presented as if he is spending his time running after women. Behn intelligently presents him in this image which is considered a metaphor for Charles II who is lecherous. Furthermore, The Rover part I ends in an ambiguous resolution; we do not know whether Willmore will succeed in his marriage or not! Yet, The Rover part II opens in a way where he recollects his wife Hellena who died in a voyage. This means that Willmore will not get children, so he returns to his old habit of searching for prostitutes. This is an innuendo implicitly linking it to the real story of Charles II who has no heir, and because of that the future of the kingdom will be as ambiguous as the marriage of Willmore. Furthermore, Behn intends to tell the audience that Willmore is a rake and a careless character; and yet he could not be questioned in his loyalty to his friends in particular, and his country in general. In addition, he is kind, loyal, and brave as Charles the King.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Mohammed Sagheer Ahmed Al-fasly, Ph. D. Scholar
Dept. of P. G. Studies & Research in English
Kuvempu University
Jnana Sahyadri
Shankaraghatta-577451
Shimoga District
Karnataka
India
alfasli1976@yahoo.com

Rachel Bari, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Dept. of P. G. Studies & Research in English
Kuvempu University
Jnana Sahyadri
Shankaraghatta-577451
Shimoga District
Karnataka
India
rachelbari@rediffmail.com
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