Heroines and Whores

Abstract

Behn’s most compelling characters are women, from the heroines to the marginalised whores: she enlivens their characters with a greater sense of interiority, wit and eloquence than she does the men. She asks us to recognise them as women in a particular society. We shall examine one speech, or participation in dialogue, of each of the main female characters in each play, and consider Behn’s modes of characterisation. We have already seen how femininity, gender and sexual identity are flagged up as key issues in the plays’ openings, and how the endings leave us asking questions about social and gender inequalities. Let us consider now how Behn furthers these questions through characterisation.