Courtship/sexual politics/POWER in ‘The Rover’
1- Subversion in Blunt/Lucetta courtship
2- Helena and Angellica- power in courtship
3- Willmore’s power in courtship, reverts back to normal
- In ‘The Rover’, Behn presents a subversion of sexual politics through
the manner in which Lucetta holds power over Blunt in the pairs’
courtship, serving as a means to comment on the Spanish
dominance of the English cavaliers following the Spanish Armada,
given the political constancy of Anglo-Spanish tensions throughout
the 16th and 17th century.
- Behn uses the inversion of sexual politics, in which males would be
expected to hold the power over their female counterparts in
courtship, through Blunt and Lucetta to express attitudes regarding
the English cavaliers following the Armada.
- The fact that "Blunt undresses himself" is particularly significant in
his feminisation as it inverts the stereotypical trope of a discovery
scene, which would conventionally consist of a male gazing upon an
undressing female.
- The fact it is Lucetta gazing upon Blunt inverts this typical power
dynamic- Lucetta's gaze replaces the male gaze to demonstrate the
masculine dominance and sexual power she is able to exert over
Blunt, who is emasculated in his vulnerability to her gaze having
relinquished any control he may have possessed by undressing
himself.
- The feminisation of Blunt is furthered by his inability to dominate
setting over Lucetta- despite his proclamation of "I locked the door",
Blunt is still able to be robbed of all he possesses. His perception
that the room is secure is contrasted by the trapdoor Lucetta uses
furthers the inversion of the power between them, as she
juxtaposes Blunt in her ability to utilise space, furthering his
emasculation.
- The fact that Blunt is able to be robbed and humiliated by Lucetta, a
Spanish wh+re of contextually lowly status, completes the sense of
emasculation. This extends to the other English cavaliers given
Blunt is robbed of the gold he carried on their behalf
- Through Phillipo's reference to "a quarrel...with old Bess...since
eighty eight", Blunt's robbing is passed as a "justified theft" to
reclaim Spanish defeat in Armada 1588. The fact that the pairing of
a Spanish whore and pimp are able to undermine and dominate the
English cavaliers, in particular the "Essex calf" that is Blunt, serves
1- Subversion in Blunt/Lucetta courtship
2- Helena and Angellica- power in courtship
3- Willmore’s power in courtship, reverts back to normal
- In ‘The Rover’, Behn presents a subversion of sexual politics through
the manner in which Lucetta holds power over Blunt in the pairs’
courtship, serving as a means to comment on the Spanish
dominance of the English cavaliers following the Spanish Armada,
given the political constancy of Anglo-Spanish tensions throughout
the 16th and 17th century.
- Behn uses the inversion of sexual politics, in which males would be
expected to hold the power over their female counterparts in
courtship, through Blunt and Lucetta to express attitudes regarding
the English cavaliers following the Armada.
- The fact that "Blunt undresses himself" is particularly significant in
his feminisation as it inverts the stereotypical trope of a discovery
scene, which would conventionally consist of a male gazing upon an
undressing female.
- The fact it is Lucetta gazing upon Blunt inverts this typical power
dynamic- Lucetta's gaze replaces the male gaze to demonstrate the
masculine dominance and sexual power she is able to exert over
Blunt, who is emasculated in his vulnerability to her gaze having
relinquished any control he may have possessed by undressing
himself.
- The feminisation of Blunt is furthered by his inability to dominate
setting over Lucetta- despite his proclamation of "I locked the door",
Blunt is still able to be robbed of all he possesses. His perception
that the room is secure is contrasted by the trapdoor Lucetta uses
furthers the inversion of the power between them, as she
juxtaposes Blunt in her ability to utilise space, furthering his
emasculation.
- The fact that Blunt is able to be robbed and humiliated by Lucetta, a
Spanish wh+re of contextually lowly status, completes the sense of
emasculation. This extends to the other English cavaliers given
Blunt is robbed of the gold he carried on their behalf
- Through Phillipo's reference to "a quarrel...with old Bess...since
eighty eight", Blunt's robbing is passed as a "justified theft" to
reclaim Spanish defeat in Armada 1588. The fact that the pairing of
a Spanish whore and pimp are able to undermine and dominate the
English cavaliers, in particular the "Essex calf" that is Blunt, serves
