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Historical Background of the 17th century & Reception of Oroonoko

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Historical Background of the 17th century & Reception of Oroonoko

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The first Africans  to go to a British colony were among the original settlers of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619. After 1640, slavery in British colonies became legal and the transportation of 10 - 12 million slaves through the Middle Passage was occurred(Hylton).

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After the death of Elizabeth I Parliment assumed more power and had the final say in laws and in collecting taxes. Parliment and crown came to head in the the Civil War of 1642 between those who espoused Parliament  and those who supported Charles I. It resulted due to Parliment's opposition to his economic and political decrees. In the end, Parliament won and Charles the I was beheaded in 1649(Robinson and Laura).

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In 1660 Charles II, son of Charles I ascended to the English throne. He was more shrewd than his father and was able to bypass parliment. He had had a secret treaty with France, the Treaty of Dover, which gave him enough funds to rule without Parliament support or funding.

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Many people at the time knew that slavery was inhumane and infringed on the rights of people. While the vast majority found a way to justify enslaving blacks, a minority ever did speak up against this oppression. Many clergy men, like Morgan Godwyn did speak up and argued that the instituion of slavery was not in line with christian beliefs(Loomba and Burton). Additionally, a few secular thinkers of the Enlightenment saw slavery as a violation of the rights of man(Wyman-Mccarthy).This lead to many discussion among white people, but no formal steps were taken in the 17th century to prevent in British colonies. African revolts and rebellions were wide spread and were often failed.

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Oroonoko was publish a few years before Aphra Behn's death and after she had already established herself as a well known write(Robinson and Bonnie). The story was written during increasing British imperialism. As it contained many anti-slavery sentiments, it was looked down by British expansionists. Additionally, because the book was based on Aphra Behn's travel to Suriname, many criticized wether she did indeed go to Suriname. However, it later was later appreciated for many of its literary aspects and not for its views.

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Aphra Behn  Background and relation to Oroonoko

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Aphra Behn  Background and relation to Oroonoko

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Aphra Behn was one of the most influential writer, poet and dramatist(Ortiz). She was so good she was the first woman to live off of the writing she made. At some point in the mid 1600s she travelled to Suriname and that is where she is said to have based the story Oroonoko about. Many say that the narrator in the story is her as she tells us about the story of the enslaved prince in Suriname. After returning from Suriname, she went on to serve as a spy for Charles II in Antwerp. She was later imprisoned for failing to pay the debts she acquired  to complete the mission for the king. These two experiences are what helped her write the story or Oroonoko.

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Oroonoko: or the Royal Slave - Literature Summary/Review

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Themes of the story: Their relation to the period, events or values

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Themes of the story: Their relation to the period, events or values

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The theme of love is present with every interaction betweeen Oroookono and Imoinda. Love ends up leading both Orookono and Imoinda from Coramentien to slavery in the British Colonies. Additionally, Oroonko's love for his wife is what dictates his motives. While he was an African prince, trained to be a fierce general, he ends up leaving all of this due to his love for the beautiful Imoinda. This parallels how unions between many royalty was governed in Britian. It was not unusual for British Kings or Queens to marry for alliances with other countries or create to even just create heirs for the crown. Some didn't even marry, as Elizabeth I did, for the sake of her country.

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In Oroonoko, Oronooko experiences three betrayals that significantly alter his life. Oroonoko’s grandfather, the Captain, and Byam and his cronies. These three events ultimately lead to his life being so tumultuous and uncertain. It was almost gauranteed that many of the people he trusted would end up betraying him for their own benefit. In relation to the time period, betrayal wasn't unusual as the author herself was betrayed by King Charles II. He refused to pay her for her trip back to England after she served as a spy for him, resulting in her incarceration for indebtedness.

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The Honor Code of Orookono's cultute was what he lived by. While love was the motive for the majority of his actions, the honor code was what controlled his actions.His entire thought process revolved about doing the most honorable thing with regards to his culture. 17th century was a time where many cultures began interacting with one another, especially in the New World. Being honorable was universally desired and allowed for respectable interactions between different groups.

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Racism is evident throughout the story. The narrator of Oroonoke, although not outwardly racist, has racist views  on those not white. Description of Oroonoko alone hints at prejudice towards others. In a time period where anyone not white was seen as inferior,  these beliefs were certainly not frowned upon by the British culture.

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Oroonoko himself was a slave trader and a slave himself. In the story, the narrator sympathized with the slaves and portrays the cruel slave masters on the Island as evil. Benevolent portrayal of Oroonoko implies anti-slavery feelings. Additionally, the ambiguity as to which side the narrator is on is typical of many people who were against slaves then. This anti- slavery sentiment eventually was what led to Britian abolishing the slave trade in 1807. However, racism towards other races was still prevalent.

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Analysis, Interpretation & Relevance to US

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Analysis, Interpretation & Relevance to US

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One theme that can be seen through the novel Oroonoko by Aphren Behn is racism. This is seen through her quotes “Oroonoko, who was more civiliz’d, according to the European Mode, than any other had been, and took more Delight in the White Nations; and, above all, Men of Parts and Wit”(2145). This quote sheds light on the fact that they viewed people based on their mannerism, being that the men in the “white nation” were seen to be more respectable. Along with that the racial slurs used  “...taking his Opportunity one Sunday, when all the Whites were overtaken in Drink, as there were abundance of several Trades, and Slaves for Four Years, that Inhabited among the Negro Houses; and Sunday was their Day of Debauch…” (2162). With this quote the reader can infer that during this time these weren’t seen as a racial slur but more of what they were known as, where as today using words alike are considered very disrespectful and cruel.

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Slavery is a major theme in the story of Oroonoko, as he was previously a slave owner himself, but ended up getting kidnapped and enslaved, going from riches to rags definatelychanged Oroonoko’s perspective on slavery. Many people thought Oroonoko and his wife Imonida were too good and royalty to be slaves. While being held captive, Oroonoko refused to be treated better than the other slaves, but still got special treatment from his owner, Trefry, when he noticed how noble and honorable Oroonoko really was. “He begged Trefry to give him something more befitting a slave, which he did, and took off his robes: nevertheless he shone through all, and his osenbrigs…could not conceal the graces of his looks and mien; and he had no less admirers …the royal youth appeared in spite of the slave, and people could not help treating him after a different manner, without designing it.” When the Lord Governor fails to let him go back to Coramantien, Oroonoko gets impatient and leads his fellow slave friends to freedom. Upon failing to get the men to freedom, he returns to Coramantien and apologizes about thinking that he could free everyone. He goes back to the standard way of thinking back then, that whites and royalty should be free, and blacks and commons should be enslaved.

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Oroonoko’s take on honor is represented throughout the story by keeping his promises, and keeping the citizens safe from danger. Like Beowulf, honor is more important to him than his own life, this is an important quality seen in countless heroic figures. In the novel, Oroonoko’s number one priority was honor, even while enslaved. Fellow slaves, as well as his slave owner admired his nobility, intelligence, and charm, as seen in this quote, “The whole proportion and air of his face was so nobly and exactly formed that, bating his color, there could be nothing in nature more beautiful, agreeable, and handsome.”  Oroonoko makes it clear that no man, woman or child should ever be enslaved. Because he did everything with honor and rebellion, he knew the end would be disastrous. Oroonoko and his significant other Imoinda came to a conclusion that the most honorable thing to do was to kill Imoinda so that she could no longer be raped by the king. Doing so, left Oroonoko terribly sad and grieving, eight days later he tried to commit suicide by cutting off a piece of his throat and eventually getting executed by men.

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Another major theme that can be taken from Aphras tale is that of betrayal and deception. Oroonoko is royalty that has been betrayed over and over by those he believes he can trust, beginning with his own family when his grandfather took Oroonoko's love Imoinda from him when he had gone to hunt even though she was unwilling, “what Love wou’d not oblige Imoinda to do, Duty wou’d compel her to” (2133). This is only the first time he is deceived, he is lead to believe that she is dead afterwards, then he is also deceived by a friend and sold into slavery. This trend continues through the story, with deceit after deceit as Oroonoko tries to first escape with his wife, then is beat by the slave masters.

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Love plays a significant part in the story of Oroonoko by Aphra Behn, which ultimately caused conflict and death. While attempting to reach a point between love and obedience, he meets the love of his life Imoina. “To describe her truly, one need say only, she was female to the noble male; the beautiful black Venus to our young Mars; as charming in her person as he, and of delicate virtues. I have seen a hundred white men sighing after her, and making a thousand vows at her feet, all in vain, and unsuccessful. Imonina teaches Oroonoko to obey and trust his heart, leaving him more passionate as a person. Unfortunately, the king took Imonia in as a mistress but Oroonoko’s love still radiated for her. He angrily rejects his grandfather and his society’s unjust traditions. Even Though Oroonoko was on a path to becoming the future king, he disobeyed generations of traditions out of love and respect for Imonia. It was Imonia and her unborn child who gave Oroonoko the motivation to keep going even though he may never be a free man. The unconditional love led to Oroonoko murdering his own wife out of honor, and shortly killing himself eight days later.

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Interpretation & Relevance of the work to US

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Interpretation & Relevance of the work to US

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The story of Oroonoko is perhaps one of the first novels ever written in English, making it important to English literature. Additionally, it was written by a woman, a very rare occurrence in its time. These two things alone make the story of Oroonoko paramount when studying literature. However, as a contemporary reader, almost 300 years later, many of the sentiments and ideas in the story are still present today . Through a contemporary lens, Oroonoko is filled with many racist views and beliefs. Even the narrator, who many have argued is Aphra Behn herself, holds inherently racist ideals. The narrator in Oroonoko  holds white people as the benchmark of beauty and adornment, while comparing any other person of color to being "close" to white people. Even today, many people are still comparing themselves to the white standard, with some people trying to “tone” down their own skin color to make them look white. The Clark Doll experiment in 1939, showed how even black children were choosing white as more beautiful than black(Blakemore). Society had influenced them so negatively, that many began to cry when asked which doll looked like them, clearly perceiving their own skin color as “bad”. Today, we are experiencing protesting regarding racism and discrimination against blacks by our own cops, in a movement known as Black Lives Matter. Even now, hundreds of years later, people of color are still being treated and looked at differently. In order to change the way black people are treated today, we must look back at the root of this prejudice. Understanding the causes, is one step to finding a solution to hundred of years of oppression.

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BLAKEMORE, ERIN. “The Dolls THAT CHANGED The World.” Popular Science, vol. 292, no. 2, Summer 2020, pp. 46–51. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=hxh&AN=143183855&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Hylton, Raymond Pierre. “Slave Trade.” Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2020. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=ers&AN=89551519&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Loomba A., Burton J. (2007) Morgan Godwyn (1640–ca. 1686). In: Loomba A., Burton J. (eds) Race in Early Modern England. Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

Ortiz, Joseph M. “Aphra Behn.” Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2018. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=ers&AN=88070103&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Robinson, Bonnie J., and Laura J. Getty. British Literature I Anthology: From the Middle Ages to Neoclassicism and the Eighteenth Century \. Open Textbook Library., 2018.

Wyman-Mccarthy, Matthew. “British Abolitionism and Global Empire in the Late 18th Century: A Historiographic Overview.” History Compass, vol. 16, no. 10, 2018, doi:10.1111/hic3.12480.