How does Willmore woo the prostitute Angellica in Behn's novel 'The Rover'?
How does Willmore woo the prostitute Angellica in Aphra Behn’s The Rover?
The relationships among money, sex and love during Behn’s The Rover are intricately entangled and markedly numerous. One character is connected to another through being involved in multiple of the themes mentioned above. During Act II Scene 2 we see the lustful relationship between Willmore and Angellica brought to life. By analysing Willmore’s persuasive, yet manipulative rhetoric we can see his deep desire to engage Angellica sexually. Ultimately, through his cunning speeches which utilise forceful words and phrases, we are able to see how Angellica is compelled into agreeing to have sex with him for free.
Willmore is very sneaky, almost Machiavellian in the ways he chooses to persuade Angellica to sleep with him. He exploits her beauty to try to make her understand that she doesn’t need to demand money from men. His view is that she is beautiful enough without having to prostitute her gorgeousness for material gain. He describes her as “this Heaven of Beauty” (183). Thus by relating her to a Goddess, as something that is out of this world, he is deliberately manipulating her through being charming and through appealing to the consciousness of her female beauty. By this I mean that Willmore knows that women like to be called beautiful. By engaging her in this way, he can cunningly manipulate her through arguing that the money she demands does not equate to, or parallel her beauty. Hence, this demand, in effect, is unnecessary and derogatory to her person. He further utilises her beauty to encourage Angellica that because of her attractiveness she should raise her standards. She should demand more from men in terms of affection, rather than lust, because she deserves better than they give. Willmore states, “[I am] one that scorns this baseness which you practise” (185) demonstrating that prostituting herself is the lowest of the low, and somebody of such beauty does not deserve to
The relationships among money, sex and love during Behn’s The Rover are intricately entangled and markedly numerous. One character is connected to another through being involved in multiple of the themes mentioned above. During Act II Scene 2 we see the lustful relationship between Willmore and Angellica brought to life. By analysing Willmore’s persuasive, yet manipulative rhetoric we can see his deep desire to engage Angellica sexually. Ultimately, through his cunning speeches which utilise forceful words and phrases, we are able to see how Angellica is compelled into agreeing to have sex with him for free.
Willmore is very sneaky, almost Machiavellian in the ways he chooses to persuade Angellica to sleep with him. He exploits her beauty to try to make her understand that she doesn’t need to demand money from men. His view is that she is beautiful enough without having to prostitute her gorgeousness for material gain. He describes her as “this Heaven of Beauty” (183). Thus by relating her to a Goddess, as something that is out of this world, he is deliberately manipulating her through being charming and through appealing to the consciousness of her female beauty. By this I mean that Willmore knows that women like to be called beautiful. By engaging her in this way, he can cunningly manipulate her through arguing that the money she demands does not equate to, or parallel her beauty. Hence, this demand, in effect, is unnecessary and derogatory to her person. He further utilises her beauty to encourage Angellica that because of her attractiveness she should raise her standards. She should demand more from men in terms of affection, rather than lust, because she deserves better than they give. Willmore states, “[I am] one that scorns this baseness which you practise” (185) demonstrating that prostituting herself is the lowest of the low, and somebody of such beauty does not deserve to