The Rover Aphra Behn, fiche de personnages + résumé

THE ROVER

Summary: 

The story takes place in Naples, at the carnival. It is about two noble spanish sisters, Hellena and Florinda, and their controlling brother, four Englishmen, a courtesan and a prostitute. The play’s name is after one of the characters named captain Willmore who falls in love with the younger sister Hellena who also falls in love with him and wants to marry him before her brother can send her off to become a nun. But the courtesan, Angellica, falls in love with him too.

In parallel, the older sister is in love with one of the englishmen, Colonel Belvile. She goes through a lot of trouble (she was almost raped twice) to in the end run away from her brother with him and get married with the help of her cousin.

And the third major part of the play s about Blunt, one of the Englishmen who is naive and thinks that a girl is in love with him. She actually turns out to be a prostitute and a thief as she stole all of her clothes without even letting him touch her. He is mad and takes revenge on Florinda by almost raping her.

In the end Florinda and Colonel Belvile get married at the same time as Valeria and Fredrick do, and Hellena and Captain Willmore get engaged.

Characters:

Hellena: She is Don Pedro’s and Florinda’s younger sister. She is destined to be a nun but has never experienced love. Before being sent off to a life where she can not see men or have fun, Hellena wants to spend an evening in Naples for the carnival with her sister so she can flirt openly with anyone she wants. She gets engaged to Willmore, the Rover for her marriage is an escape since she will not be forced to become a nun anymore.

Florinda: She is Hellena’s older sister and Don Pedro’ younger sister. Florinda has been destined to marry an old man named Don Vincentio by her father, but she has fallen in love with Colonel Belvile since he protected her and her brother in Pamplona and she want and hopes to marry him as he is her hero. Her brother wants her to marry his friend Don Antonio and that the following day so she decides to go out in Naples with her sister to experience love as well and to maybe speak to Colonel Belvile.

Angellica: She is a famous courtesan. She sells her body to men for 1.000 crowns a month and places three portraits of her in front of her home to find a new « lover ». For her love is a tragedy because she wouldn’t win money anymore but she falls in love with Captain Willmore who uses her and than betrays her. Her juggles between her and Helena. She ends up with Don Antonio and quits her « job ».

Callis: She is Florinda's and Hellena’s governess. She grants them the permission to go to the carnival which was normally against they’re brother’s will so she takes a risk. When Florinda wants to leave and marry Belvile, Valeria puts her into a chest and locks it to buy her time to run away.

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