Aphra Behn & Oroonoko

Aphra Behn was known as one of the most influential dramatists of the late 17th century. She was also a celebrated poet and novelist. Her reputation was founded on her "scandalous" plays, which she claimed would not have received criticism if a man were to have written it. Nobody really knows her birth name or even when she was born; the common belief is her parentage is traced to Wye, and she was born in 1640. Even facts from later on in her life are unclear. She is known to have met and taken the name of a man thought to be her husband whose last name was "Behn."

A similarity can be seen between Oroonoko and some of the characteristics from Marie de France's lais; a young man was in love with a woman who was taken property by the king. Oroonoko had the semblance of a hero-knight. The relationship between Oroonoko and his grandfather becomes strained when his grandfather takes Imoinda from him. He became overly distraught which can be seen as similar to the hero-knights in Marie de France's lais. Karma strikes Oroonoko when he becomes enslaved with the same group of people that he had been responsible for sending into slavery. The conclusion to the story had come as a bit of a surprise; Oroonoko kills Imoinda in an effort to "protect" them. After this the character of Oroonoko completely changed, and he himself was murdered; a charcter made out to be great (Oroonok) even suffered a downfall.