The Wanderer is a Restoration comedy about three exiled Cavaliers and their love affairs with a group of women in Naples during Carnival. It is clear from the beginning that the themes of the play are love and marriage, seen from a woman’s perspective. The opening scene features two sisters: the stubborn Florinda and the outspoken Hellena, the former is in an arranged marriage with an old man named Don Vincentio but loves Belvile, one of the Cavaliers. The latter is destined for a convent.
Conflicts are immediately established between the young women and their patriarchal society, since neither Florinda nor Hellena are satisfied with their perspectives: ‘With indignation; and how close my father thinks I am to marrying that hated object ‘(I.1.17-18) and’ And do you think I’ll ever be a nun? Or at least until I’m so old I’m good for nothing else? Faith no, sister ‘(I.1. 28-29). The world of these women seems restrictive and oppressive.
Ned Blunt is a sucker for the Cavaliers and acts partially as a comic foil to cast the other male characters in a better light. The “marketability” of women is a notion alluded to in the first act and is evident in the scene where the hapless Blunt is robbed by a prostitute named Lucetta. During this short scene, Blunt mentions money on two occasions: “ She is damned in love with me and will never mind the deals ” (III.2.13-14), referring to the prostitutes of her native England as “ lavish mercenary whores ” (III.2.23). Throughout the scene, Blunt assumes that he is controlling the proceedings when it is actually Lucetta.
The subversive elements in The Wanderer It could be said that they are incorporated in the female characters, especially Florinda and Hellena, but also Lucetta. The oppressive patriarchy can be seen as the status quo against which women rebel. This patriarchy is represented in the figure of the authoritarian brother of the sisters, Don Pedro, who, in the absence of his father, is arrogantly asserting the destinies of his sisters.
However, Florinda and Hellena are aware of their limitations and are determined to escape. When Pedro reveals to Florinda how much Vincentio wants her (I.1.52), she responds with: ‘I hate Vincentio, sir’ (I.1.56) and when he tells Hellena that she is’ not designed for lovers’ conversation ‘ (I.1.78) retaliates with an aside: ‘Nor saints yet for a while, I hope’ (I.1.80). The notion that women are innately subversive is further strengthened when Blunt takes revenge for Lucetta’s theft by attempting to rape the virginal Florinda in Act IV, simply by arguing that she is also a woman: ‘Ha, What’s in here Are my wishes granted? And is it not a creature of hers? (IV.5.21).
The Wanderer it is decidedly revolutionary since its subversive elements are largely unstoppable. Behn uses its subversive elements as a means to fiercely attack the institution of arranged marriages. Although her work is preoccupied with private matters, it still seems to convey a political agenda, such as highlighting the concerns of women during the Restoration era.
