In The Rover, Aphra Behn details the exploits of Willmore as he chases after all sorts of women. He does not discriminate in his tastes – for example, he seduces both a courtesan and a gentlewoman headed for the nunnery. Do Willmore’s actions imply that all women are the same, despite their status in life? Most of the women that Willmore encounters fall for his charms, thus uniting them in this way. Or, is status reinforced by the fact that Willmore chooses the gentlewoman Hellena over Angellica?
Building on Sarah's question: in The Rover there are a few scenes where Florinda is threatened with rape. The first scene occurs when Willmore finds her in the garden, while the second occurs when she seeks to hide in the house where Blunt is staying. Why does Behn decide to threaten Florinda these two times? Is he implying that she should be punished for some reason – for her insistence on wedding Belvile, for example? Or is Behn describing what he perceives as a problem in society? Is he creating a more sympathetic character for Florinda? Overall, what prompts him to include these two scenes?
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