Essay - Behn, Oroonoko Summary of and Character Analysis for the Novel...

Behn, Oroonoko

Summary of and Character Analysis for the Novel *****: or The Royal Slave (1633) by Aphra Behn

The novel Oroonoko: ***** The Royal Slave (*****) by ***** Behn, a female English writer, tells the sad story of a young African prince, ***** (later captured by the British, enslaved and renamed Caesar as his "slave name" - a name that, ironically, fur*****r underscores his original noble heritage). Oroonoko is, as Aphra ***** tells us at the story's beginning, an extremely h*****dsome young man. As she st*****es:

***** most famous Statuary cou'd not ********** the Figure of a M*****n more admirably turn'd from head to foot...H***** Nose was rising and Roman, instead of ***** and flat. His Mouth, the finest shap'd that could be seen...The whole

Proportion and Air of his Face ***** so noble, ***** exactly form'd, that, bating his Colour, there ***** ***** nothing in Nature more beautiful, agreeable, and hand*****me (Behn, Oroonoko: or The Royal Slave).

The unidentified first person narrat*****, who tells the story but does not participate in the main plot, is perhaps ***** ***** herself, or simply an un*****d **********. The young Afric***** prince Oroonoko, who is later made into a ***** in Suriname, and who later leads an unsuccessful slave revolt *****re, is the main character. Oroonoko's love interest ***** Imoinda, a ***** ***** African woman who is also sold into slavery (earlier than Oroonoko), and is then called Clemene. Jamoan is an enemy warrior chief ***** captures in battle, ********** then makes ***** a v*****ssal for himself. Other key characters in the novel include: Oroonoko's treacherous grandfa*****r the King of the tribe; the deceptive ship captain ***** lures Oroonoko onboard his ship one evening and then takes him prisoner; a plantation owner, Trefey, who buys Oroonoko in Suriname, and on whose plantation he (and his love interest, *****/Clemene) work together.

As a young man, Prince ***** falls madly in love with beautiful Imoinda, but unfortunately for Oroonoko, his own grandfather, who is King, ***** fancies Imoinda ***** himself. T***** potential conflict alone between royal grandfather and ***** grandson would likely have made for an interesting ***** in ********** ***** itself, ***** unfortunately, for both Oroonoko and his ***** object, *****, the future turns even worse.

***** background of what happens next is that, since these are the days of African enslavement by the British and the Dutch (and because Oroonoko's own tribe is, itself, a slave trade supplier for the Europeans who bring *****ir slave ********** into port) Imoinda is herself one day sold into slavery. Imoinda is taken off to Suriname, ***** a fledgling Brit*****h colony ("*****"). Surin*****m is "a country in northern South America, in between French Guiana to the east ***** Guyana to ***** west. The southern border is sh*****d with Brazil and the ***** border is the Atlantic coast" ("Suriname").

Young Prince Oroonoko is heartbroken ***** Imoinda being ***** in***** slavery. The ***** thickens again, though (much for the worse) when another English slave ship arrives into *****