Aphra Behn was born in the midst of the English Civil War and by the time of her death in 1689 she had seen Charles I executed by his own parliament, the overthrow and the restoration of the monarchy with Charles II, and finally the deposition and replacement of James II for religious reasons. The only cultural context that Behn ever experienced was marked by major cultural and political unrest which pitted conservative royalists (Tories) against liberal parliamentarians (Whigs). In such a political climate, it is only natural that the artistic and literary production of this period would be marked by a sense of agitation over the English situation, and Behn's 1688 short story Oroonoko is a glaring example. In summary, Oroonoko tells the story of an idealized and highly romanticized African prince who is sold into slavery by his grandfather (the king) and taken to the Dutch colony of Suriname through the Middle Passage, where he eventually leads a slave revolt. , commits a mercy killing on his wife and is ultimately executed. Operating as a reactionary response to the political unrest of that era, Oroonoko is an allegorical narrative that asserts the divine right and honor of kings, a sentiment that echoes Behn's own royalist political leanings. While Behn's work is known for its major contribution to the development of the novel, it is also a text strongly conditioned by the culture of political anxiety in which it was written. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayIn order to fully understand the allegorical aspects of the novel, it is necessary to examine the meaning of “royalty” and “royal blood » in 17th-century England. The monarchs of England (as well as many other Western societies) are notable for the fact that their authority was considered a gift from God, which would indicate that divinity was present in the monarch's actual person and in his lineage. Anita Pacheco writes about the conceptual basis of hierarchy, saying that “. . . through the mysteries of blood, virtue would be passed from one generation of the ruling class to the next, so that power would be legitimized on the basis of dignity, authority presented as hereditary and innate. . .” (494). In other words, the circumstances of a royal's birth are crucial because, by being born into this position, he or she is said to be naturally granted the idealized virtues and elevated status of divine authority. These notions were central to royalist ideology and are even more critical given the context of the time, where parliamentarians sought to overthrow what they believed to be the authority of God, manifested in the person of the monarch. The nature of royalist belief is essential to understanding the political climate of the time, marked by mutual anxiety and violent conflict between two parties that supported radically different notions of government. Written about a royal prince whose authority and honor are challenged by corrupt officials, Oroonoko is a text clearly shaped by the political climate of the time, allowing it to function as an allegorical novel about divine authority of royalty and the corrupt nature of royalty. those who try to take away their power. From the beginning of the novel, Oroonoko is characterized by highly admirable characteristics that Behn deliberately implies are the result of her royal status. When introduced, the narrator notes that he has: “. . . this true greatness of soul, these refined notions of true honor, this absolute generosity and this gentleness capable of the highest passions of love andof gallantry. . .” (79-80). While this conveys the respect the narrator (or Behn herself) has for this man of royal birth, Oroonoko also stands out from the others, almost as if he is inherently different from them by virtue of his birth. This is even manifested in his physical appearance, where it is said that “. . . he was adorned with a native beauty, so transcending all those of his dark race that he aroused fear and respect even among those who did not know his quality. . .” (79). Oroonoko's character is established in such a way that even his humanity seems negligible, since he is clearly depicted as someone who appears God-like to others. What is significant about Behn's writings is that they paint a picture of kingship as she saw it: divine, faultless, and untouchable. The perfections of Oroonoko are so, according to Behn, because these qualities are granted to those of royal birth, who are models of God's perfection and are thus granted to maintain authority on earth. Therefore, the divine presence of Oroonoko is intended to represent the nature of all members of the royal family, who are too endowed with the perfect virtue of kings and too exalted among men. Behn continues the narrative with more subtle but nonetheless poignant illustrations of the prince's naturally elevated status. . Oroonoko is brought into slavery by being guided (along with his people) onto the ship of a slaver, whose corrupt captain had previously befriended the prince only to betray him. What is remarkable is that the captain turns out to be a villain less because of his profession, but more because of (as Oroonoko tells him) the fact that he betrays his honor by kidnapping a man with the status of prince (104). While Pacheco argues that this example shows the prince separating his sense of morality from that of the Christians, I would instead suggest that this moment is instead intended to distinguish Oroonoko's high position from that of others, including both his people and the captain. Oroonoko himself is a slave trader and has never objected to this practice on moral or honorable grounds; It is only when he himself is taken as a slave that the practice of slavery becomes a dishonorable practice in his eyes. With this in mind, it can be interpreted that Behn wants the audience to understand Oroonoko as a person who (at one time) had the right to act as he wished, regardless of his honor, simply by virtue of his royal position. In this way, Behn once again seeks to separate the hero of this story from the other characters on the basis of his eminent and divine status. Another key aspect of Oroonoko is that it deals with the problem of corruption of individuals in positions of power, something which is meant to reflect Behn's dislike of the ultimately victorious Whig Party. Convictions of these officials appear throughout the second half of the story, illustrated by Deputy Governor Byam's description as follows: ". . . a man whose character is not worthy of mention among the worst of slaves” (128). In this statement, Behn seeks to discredit the ideologies and actions of the authoritative individual (Byam) by aligning his character with those considered the dregs of society. Although Byam is not based on any specific historical figure and is not meant to represent any specific individual, Byam and his forces are meant to represent an authority that is both criminal and illegally in power. In a case of more generalized criticism, Oroonoko presents a poignant denunciation of her captors, saying: “. . . there was no faith in the white men, nor in the gods they worshipped; who instructed them in principles so false that men..