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riften's review against another edition
3.0
The banished cavaliers! A roving blade! A popish carnival! A masquerade!
Glad to hear that even in the 1660s Essex lads’ holidays mostly involved disgracing yourself, cheating on your significant other (Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell), falling for really transparent cons, and getting into violent life threatening situations every night.
I could not stand the cavaliers, and almost abandoned this play many times because of their whinging and stupidness. My only solaces were 1) the Italian characters relentlessly berating Englishmen and 2) all the fire and wit of Hellena.
Hellena/Don Pedro/Florinda’s dynamic is hilarious and very true to real siblings. Trust that if I was knocking about Restoration-era London and the theatres had just opened again, I’d be guffawing and slapping my knee and jabbing my neighbour in the side at that first scene. Very cool that Aphra Behn is considered the first professional female playwright in England - there’s so much confidence and cheek and passion in this play, and a real sense of rebellion against patriarchal social order. But it wasn’t the easiest to read, just for the sheer unlikeableness of those main “heroes”.
Glad to hear that even in the 1660s Essex lads’ holidays mostly involved disgracing yourself, cheating on your significant other (Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell), falling for really transparent cons, and getting into violent life threatening situations every night.
I could not stand the cavaliers, and almost abandoned this play many times because of their whinging and stupidness. My only solaces were 1) the Italian characters relentlessly berating Englishmen and 2) all the fire and wit of Hellena.
Hellena/Don Pedro/Florinda’s dynamic is hilarious and very true to real siblings. Trust that if I was knocking about Restoration-era London and the theatres had just opened again, I’d be guffawing and slapping my knee and jabbing my neighbour in the side at that first scene. Very cool that Aphra Behn is considered the first professional female playwright in England - there’s so much confidence and cheek and passion in this play, and a real sense of rebellion against patriarchal social order. But it wasn’t the easiest to read, just for the sheer unlikeableness of those main “heroes”.
oliverjohnson1483's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rev's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
_mariaaa's review against another edition
challenging
funny
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
stormbxrnbaby's review against another edition
4.0
Was rooting on that man’s downfall the whole time but I had fun
sophs_mind's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
megsk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
oliviaengland05's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0