From the play, it is evident that this society had a very different understanding of marriage as is the case today. It was customary for women to be married off to people they did not love when their male relatives made that choice for them. For example, in the play, Florinda was supposed to get married to Don Vincento-her father’s choice or Don Antonio-her brother’s choice yet the man she truly loved was Belvile who was an English Colonel (Behn, 35). This play, therefore, shows that women at that time rarely made decisions concerning their lives. One can even argue that these women were powerless against male domination.
It is also apparent that they were perceived as tools for male satisfaction from the many instances when men wanted to rape them. On the other hand, one can say that this society favored the rich because they were always the first priority when it came to the selection of spouses. Men without titles could never really be with their true loves. One can also assess the state of morality in that society through the play. In this piece of work, several cases of revenge arise (Like Angellica against Willmore) and also cases of prostitution are still prevalent and so is deception. This society, therefore, tolerated a series of vices. The play illustrates the worldview prevalent in this society through its choice of a rake hero. Willmore is cynical yet witty at the same time; he is also a gentleman but is quite manipulative. He thrives in the dismissal of traditional concepts like love and he easily states this. However, he is still vulnerable to the feelings that stem from caring for someone. This play, therefore, denotes a worldview of outmoded morality. People in this society did not want to be constricted by such morality and preferred to break from that convention.
It should be noted that this playwright was a close associate of King Charles the Second. Consequently, he interacted with upper-class Londoners to a great extent. He was trying to illustrate how the people in his life behave. This play was written during the restoration period. At that time, King Charles had commissioned a number of theatres that were to perform only to royalty. Consequently, the messages they depicted needed to appeal to such a group of people. These audiences were individualistic in nature and most of them thrived on the manipulation of others. Furthermore, because the upper class was now threatened by the social mobility of the middle and lower classes, they needed to find something that would make them different from the others. While the poor held on to traditional values of chastity and marriage, the upper class tried to defy these traditions by focusing on their own interests. This is the reason why (in the play) someone like Hellena decides to go out and look for love even when she is supposed to live a chaste life as a nun. She places her own interests over and above others.
This play does relate to my own society because this society still has manipulative people who utilize sex in order to get ahead. Willmore wanted to have sex with Angellica and he manipulated her into doing so without charging her (Behn, 39). In today’s society, people practice manipulation through sex or other avenues in order to get ahead at work, graduate from college, or even get a spouse. Indeed, this play simply depicts human nature; man will try to focus on his needs over any other person’s needs even if this will involve acting immorally or going against societal norms.
Works Cited
Behn, Alpha. The Rover. ed Russell, Anne (1994). Ontario: Broadview press.