I titled my blog entry "The Masked Rover" because Many of the characters, especially the females, wear masks in "The Rover" to hide their identity and allow them to move freely in a different environment. Characters in masks may cross social boundaries with ease and play/ act different social roles from their usual ones. Thus, the character may live out a fantasy or intrude upon a scene to which he or she would otherwise be denied.
Behn's characters use their masks both for freedom of movement and to hide their identity. Hellena and Florinda, two noble ladies, want to explore the underworld of the carnival and experiment with sensuality, without being detected. Unmarried young ladies were not permitted to visit the carnival, and their brother kept them from doing or going anywhere on their own.
Although the idea of the masks and hidden identity is overly used in drama It amazes me how many times I catch myself laughing at those scenes, saying "how can you not know!!"..ha ha. This play is a great read and I just have to conclude by saying that Blunt will be sure to get his, because boy do I hate that character.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Perceptive point about the masks; they are central. We will no doubt talk about that in class.
I'm interested in the mechanics of producing a play in which the characters wear masks more often than not. How did they make sure everyone knew who was who, while still keeping it reasonably realistic as to why nobody recognized anybody once they're wearing a mask?
Post a Comment