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Her Illusive Nature
There isn't that much known about Aphra Behn, and what facts are known seems to contradict and differ from version to version in the academic world. Many say her illusive, unknown nature is intentional -- often related to her many masks that hide the true face or invented stories she crafted of her youth. Though not all is known, the impact she left is certain. -
Birth
Behn is thought to have been born in Canterbury, England, to a barber and a wet nurse (who, though they struggled financially, breastfed children of wealthy families). It is speculated that Behn may have been introduced to higher circles through Sir Thomas Culpepper, who her mother might have breastfed. -
Inspiration
In her early years of learning, it is believed Behn found inspiration in Francis Kirkman. Just like Behn, he did not know Greek nor Latin (a staple of writing at the time) and she would have similar views as his on a disregard for both languages in literature. -
The Restoration Period: return of the stage
After 11 years without a king, Charles II takes the throne and re-established the monarchy while theatres return from a period of shutdown. The restoration period begins, and artists and audiences alike rush to theatres. Plays begin to depict more bawdy and illicit subject matter, free from the morals of past works. Women were also able to become prominent playwrights -- as primarily seen with Behn. -
Creation of the King's Company
Thomas Killigrew, a poet within King Charles II's court, was granted permission to form the King's Company, which Behn would eventually become a scribe for. Eventually, she'd become a contemporary for the Duke's Company (the only other theatre company in London at the time. -
Voyage to the Indies
Aphra travelled to an English colony in the West Indies called Surinam when she was a youth. There she would have befriended an indigenous prince, which would inspire her first novel: "Oroonoko". As for her education, she possibly educated herself by copying literature. -
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Marriage
Upon returning to England, Behn met Johan Behn, a merchant, and her soon-to-be husband. Unfortunately, the marriage wouldn't last long due to Johan's untimely death, possibly of the plague. With her husband gone, so too were her finances, driving her to become a spy to make her own money. -
First Assignment
Behn becomes a spy for King Charles II in her mid-twenties, taking the monikers Agent 160 and Astrea. Some say she moved to this profession due to her friendship with Thomas Killigrew. She was successful in this initial mission -- to convince a Dutch enemy of the crown to become a double agent for Charles II -- yet left went unpaid for her labor (possibly being put in debtors jail additionally) due to bankruptcy of the treasury. -
Criticisms
Though Behn was on par with other famed poets/playwrights of the era, she received little respect for her craft. Even early into her career, she used her agent name (Astrea) as a genderless moniker in an attempt to avoid remarks about her sex. Though she carved a path for her female peers, in the 19th century she was scorned and slandered for her "smutty" writing that was "debasing" for her sex despite her male counterparts doing the same. -
Debut to the Stage
Having switched to writing in search of a more lucrative career (quite bold for a woman of her time) Behn published the "The Forc’d Marriage", "The Amorous Prince", and "The Dutch Lover" (which was criticized for being written by a woman, to which she responded that women were unjustly excluded), yet none were successful. "The Forc’d Marriage" was ahead of its time, criticizing arranged marriages typical of the time -- speaking on how women wanted more in life than a husband. -
Violence and Pleasure
Behn's relationship with John Hoyle (a bisexual lawyer) is reflected in her play "Abdelazer" -- the story of a queen who (when finally feels pleasure during sex) is killed by her lover who stops desiring her due to this pleasure. Similarly, Hoyle cared little for Behn's pleasure and was an outright violent man. He is thought to have written on her gravestone "Here lies a proof that wit can never be / Defense enough against mortality." which reveals some of his sentiments. -
Success at Last
Seven years later, her play "The Rover" became popular and solidified her career as a playwright, as even king King Charles II watched her work. From then on she published 19 plays overall. Aside from plays, she wrote novels and poetry (becoming compared to Sappho). Inspired by Killigrew's "Thomaso", "The Rover" possesses themes on social/political and sexual themes of her time while displaying a carnival motif. -
One Play Too Far
One year after her breakthrough into success, Tories (a British political party) and Whigs (an opposing party) heavily debated on who should take the throne upon King Charles II's death (as he lacked an heir). Behn, a Tory, wrote five plays in her party's defense while attacking the opposition. However, she was nearly arrested for her attacks in 1682 due to her play "Romulus and Hersilia" (though some say it was "Like Father, Like Son") though nothing came of it. -
The Nature of "The Disapointment"
Behn's plays were not the only pieces well ahead of their time. Her poems had just as much impact and radical ideas for the time. "The Disappointment" speaks on the nature of female sexuality and the challenging of gender roles -- flipping them so that the man in the poem occupies the woman's place of a power imbalance. -
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Declining Health and Older Age
Though her health was steadily diminishing, Behn continued writing till her death. She published five more plays, from "The Luckey Chance", to her final being "The History of the Nun". -
End of the Restoration Period
The restoration period ended with King Charles II's death via stroke, while the Glorious Revolution begins (ushering in the permanent British parliament/political democracy) -
Representation on the Stage
Aphra's plays on slavery have many different theories on the possibility of her anti-imperialist/racist viewpoints or oppositely Behn being anti-slavery and giving voice to black people (as she had the platform to do so). Some accuse her of engaging in previously stated imperialism during her stay in the West Indies, along with the violence against black people in "Oroonoko" (1688) yet the same play is considered the first play in favor of abolition. -
Royalism
As seen in her strong political views of the past, Behn remained faithful to King Charles II's lineage and monarchy for all her life -- despite the wrongs done to her by them. Even in her old age, she refused to write a poem for King William III for his (as he wasn't of Charles II's line) even when she was destitute. -
Behn's Death
Her last moments were in London, and she was buried in Westminster Abbey. Behn was 49 when she passed, an old and fulfilling age for an era with a life expectancy of 20. -
Her Influence
Unapologetic for discussing her bisexual identity, female desire, and pre-feminist ideas, Behn left behind a legacy for women to both aspire for and build upon. In particular, she directly inspired Virginia Woolf who praised Behn for leading the way as the first professional writer of her sex and having women speak their minds. -
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