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[ENGL 3203] The Rover Needs a Leash
Feb. 1st, 2007 12:21 amA short post for now - just to get me started thinking. More will come on Saturday, which is the day I do my blog reading.
So I am definitely starting to enjoy these plays more than I did at first, and I think a lot of that has to do with what Dr. Jones mentioned in class about "learning how to read" the plays. Despite my occasionally having to go back and figure out who was in love with who was betrothed to who hated who, I was able to follow the plot and enjoy the characters (some more than others - I had a hard time figuring Angellica out. I think it's the "poetry" in her first scene with Willmore, in particular. I was able to surmise what had happened in reading the rest of the play, but during the scene? Gone. No clue. Just the boy kneeling and begging, and the damsel "turning away" in pride or love or, I dunno, an untimely bout of gas.)
I want especially to look at this play in terms of its authorship. I hope we address this in class, because (being unfamiliar with this period) I'm not really sure how common a woman playwright was. What particular constraints would she have had to deal with?
On that note, I find it interesting that the introduction to the play that's in the text we're using for the class focuses so much on the "forgiving" that happens at the end of this story. Just to draw a brief contrast, look at Willmore as compared to Horner from The Country Wife. Willmore is at least as much of a womanizer as Horner, maybe more (I mean, seriously. Get this guy a leash.) Either way, both characters sleep with about as many dames as they can lay their paws on. Neither is the tiniest bit remorseful about it. They both lie and cheat their way into ladies' beds.
Both plays "forgive" this behaviour in one way or another. Wycherley has Horner's girls (that sounds so dirty) sanction his libertinism (yes, I looked it up - it's a real word!) when they find out that he's secretly sleeping with all of them. Behn has Angellica somewhat lamely decide not to kill Willmore (I knew he wasn't gonna die, but man, I was cheering her on). Neither Horner nor Willmore have to "own up" to their various nefarious deeds (including attempted rape on Willmore's part.)
However, Horner gets away almost 100% scott-free - in fact, the revelation at the end of the play informs Pinchwife about his "malady" so that he's actually safer than he was at the beginning! In contrast, Behn seems to have more going on - I will be more specific on this point later, but I feel that she did do more to address (if not outright condemn) Willmore's wandering tendencies. I mean, a woman pulls a pistol on him - rather a phallic image, don't you think? He winds up with Hellena, calling himself "constant" while she (dressed in men's clothes at the time, note) calls herself "inconstant".
It'd be fun to compare and contrast the Breeches roles in The Rover and The Country Wife. Hellena and Margery have some interesting similarities ("innocence" along with a heightened sexual desire) and differences (Hellena has some wits about her, while Margery... is smarter than she looks, but still a few bats shy).
I think there is a lot going on in The Rover, and I'm looking forward to investigating it further. (No, really this time.) For now, I have to go watch Blade Runner for my other English class.
Number of plays read: 3
Ladies-dressed-as-boys: 4
So I am definitely starting to enjoy these plays more than I did at first, and I think a lot of that has to do with what Dr. Jones mentioned in class about "learning how to read" the plays. Despite my occasionally having to go back and figure out who was in love with who was betrothed to who hated who, I was able to follow the plot and enjoy the characters (some more than others - I had a hard time figuring Angellica out. I think it's the "poetry" in her first scene with Willmore, in particular. I was able to surmise what had happened in reading the rest of the play, but during the scene? Gone. No clue. Just the boy kneeling and begging, and the damsel "turning away" in pride or love or, I dunno, an untimely bout of gas.)
I want especially to look at this play in terms of its authorship. I hope we address this in class, because (being unfamiliar with this period) I'm not really sure how common a woman playwright was. What particular constraints would she have had to deal with?
On that note, I find it interesting that the introduction to the play that's in the text we're using for the class focuses so much on the "forgiving" that happens at the end of this story. Just to draw a brief contrast, look at Willmore as compared to Horner from The Country Wife. Willmore is at least as much of a womanizer as Horner, maybe more (I mean, seriously. Get this guy a leash.) Either way, both characters sleep with about as many dames as they can lay their paws on. Neither is the tiniest bit remorseful about it. They both lie and cheat their way into ladies' beds.
Both plays "forgive" this behaviour in one way or another. Wycherley has Horner's girls (that sounds so dirty) sanction his libertinism (yes, I looked it up - it's a real word!) when they find out that he's secretly sleeping with all of them. Behn has Angellica somewhat lamely decide not to kill Willmore (I knew he wasn't gonna die, but man, I was cheering her on). Neither Horner nor Willmore have to "own up" to their various nefarious deeds (including attempted rape on Willmore's part.)
However, Horner gets away almost 100% scott-free - in fact, the revelation at the end of the play informs Pinchwife about his "malady" so that he's actually safer than he was at the beginning! In contrast, Behn seems to have more going on - I will be more specific on this point later, but I feel that she did do more to address (if not outright condemn) Willmore's wandering tendencies. I mean, a woman pulls a pistol on him - rather a phallic image, don't you think? He winds up with Hellena, calling himself "constant" while she (dressed in men's clothes at the time, note) calls herself "inconstant".
It'd be fun to compare and contrast the Breeches roles in The Rover and The Country Wife. Hellena and Margery have some interesting similarities ("innocence" along with a heightened sexual desire) and differences (Hellena has some wits about her, while Margery... is smarter than she looks, but still a few bats shy).
I think there is a lot going on in The Rover, and I'm looking forward to investigating it further. (No, really this time.) For now, I have to go watch Blade Runner for my other English class.
Number of plays read: 3
Ladies-dressed-as-boys: 4
