Carnival time in The Rover is a period when prohibitions are
temporarily removed, privileges and rank suspended, and women - from
convent girls to courtesans - take the initiative. Featuring multiple
plot lines, which deal with the adventures of a group of love-struck
Englishmen in Naples, Aphra Behn's play explores issues of love,
trickery and deception, forced marriage, male power, fidelity, and the
excesses of sexual passion. Hers is a male-dominated society, but one
with a clear-sighted portrayal of the female predicament.
The play is widely taught on A Level courses as well as on undergraduate
literature and women's writing courses. This new edition contains a
completely new introduction, and takes into account important criticism
from the past decade, as well as a new understanding of the nature of
theatre in Behn's time, and the significance of her contribution to
English drama.