Endings

Abstract

Endings of comedies tell us a lot about how the dramatist wants us to understand the play’s events, conflicts and debates. If all loose ends are tied up, all characters happy participants in a celebratory closure, and all discord resolved, the ending produces a feeling of completion and inclusion. We are presented with an image of a cohesive, festive society. If, on the other hand, loose ends are left unexplained, characters are left outside the social festivity, or discordant notes are sounded, the audience is left critical of the festive and inclusive images. Comedies employing the former method tend to be labelled ‘romantic’, and those the latter, ‘satiric’. We shall consider Behn’s endings in the light of these comments, starting with The Rover.