Oroonoko Analysis - April 11, 2019


The story of Oroonoko by Aphra Behn is in itself a type of ironic, but overall, tragic story by the usage of the oxymoron “royal slave” in the title of this work. At the beginning of the story, it is made quite clear that Oroonoko is of royal standing in his country in that he is a Prince because his father and uncles all perished over the years and his grandfather is the King, “In his younger years he had had many gallant men to his sons, thirteen of which died in battle, conquering when they fell; and he had only left him for his successor one grandchild…” (1013). However, his status does come with some restraints that are difficult for him to maneuver which begins to imply this whole idea of a “royal slave”. Oroonoko falls deeply in love with one of the many mistresses of the King, Imoinda, which is something that is seen as a crime to the royal hierarchy they have in their culture. This entire issue begins to illustrate the type of constraints that Oroonoko has that seems to parallel when he is actually constrained and taken as a slave to the New World. Even though Oroonoko had a very high status in his country, it did not take precedence over things that were important to him such as being with the woman he loves, “... so he made her such propositions as were not only and barely such; but contrary to the custom of his country…” (1015). Furthermore, whether it was intentional or not, Behn set up this story to fit with the title of “royal slave” in that Oroonoko has a high royal status but he ultimately does not have much freedom in who he wants to love. During the story, Oroonoko is constantly dealing with the fact that he could possibly never be with Imoinda and is, in this way, a slave to the rules of his country. When the two are finally reunited in the New World, even if they are both slaves, they are overjoyed and celebratory that they overcame the boundaries that kept them apart. However, this story is one of tragedy and Oroonoko ends up losing Imoinda by white men in the New World, “They put off the flowers that covered her with their sticks, and found she was killed…” (1052) .This refers back to this idea of a “royal slave” in that he may have a special status but that means nothing when the cruelty and harmful ways of other men, the King and the men in the New World, constrain Oroonoko from the one thing he wanted, even above freedom, which was Imoinda. Overall, the story of Oroonoko shows the idea of a “royal slave” in that the status of royalty cannot always give a person what he wants or even protect him from the barbaric actions of other men.

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