About Aphra Behn's Oroonoko

Aphra Behn wrote Oroonoko: or, The Royal Slave in 1688, the year before her death, during a particularly dark moment in English history. Behn was a strict royalist—a faithful supporter of the monarchy in England. Some scholars believe that the character of Oroonoko was a representation of King James II, who was deposed the very year Oroonoko was published. Despite pleas from Parliament for him to become a Protestant, James II believed in absolute monarchy and would not convert from Catholicism. In a similar light, Behn portrays Oroonoko as absolutely noble, regardless of his race or beliefs.