MISLEADING GAZE: IMAGE AND DESIRE IN THE ROVER

Abstract

This paper explores Aphra Behn’s The Rover (1677) as a complex interrogation of gender roles, libertinism, and the commodification of female sexuality in Restoration comedy. Drawing from Thomas Killigrew’s Thomaso, the Wanderer (1664), Behn both inherits and subverts the conventions of the genre, particularly through her treatment of masquerade, gaze, and social identity. Focusing on the figures of Angellica Bianca, Hellena, and Florinda, the study analyses how female characters navigate patriarchal constraints, erotic desire, and the unstable dichotomy between virgin and whore. It also examines Behn’s critique of violent male libertinism, exemplified by the character of Willmore, and her strategic use of theatrical devices such as costuming and misrecognition. The carnival setting, with its temporary suspension of societal norms, serves as a crucial backdrop for exploring the fluidity of gendered performance. Ultimately, the paper argues that The Rover challenges contemporary sexual ideologies while simultaneously revealing the limits of female agency within patriarchal structures