The Rover

It's a comedy set in a 17th century Spanish colony during carnival time where scenes of infidelity, elopement and seduction are juxtaposed with images of elaborate sword play creating a mood of frantic, endless celebration

Behn recreates a male-dominated society but responds with clear-sighted and sympathetic portrayal of the female predicament. The female voice gave the play a distinctiveness in its time and portrays "... the fine line drawn and doodled around between the brutality of rape and the art of seduction" ~ Michael Coveney, Financial Times

This volume contains expert notes on the author's life and work, historical and political background to the play and a glossary of difficult words and phrases

"Masterpieces are not single and solitary births; they are the outcome of many years of thinking in common ... All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn" ~ Virginia Woolf on Aphra Behn