| Abstract: |
This dissertation examines the contrasting representations of female agency in Aphra Behn’s TheWiddow Ranter through the comparative analysis of the characters Widow Ranter and Semernia. Situated within the political and social context of Restoration colonial Virginia, the study explores howgender, race and colonial ideology shape the possibilities and limitations of female autonomy within theplay. While Widow Ranter embodies social mobility, performative masculinity, and adaptability withinsettler society, Semernia represents Indigenous sovereignty, communal responsibility, and resistance tocolonial expansion. Through the analysis of themes such as identity, religion, romantic relationships, authority, socialexpectations, and cross-dressing, this dissertation argues that Behn grants both women significant formsof agency, although their narrative outcomes differ substantially. Widow Ranter survives because herunconventional femininity remains compatible with the emerging colonial order, whereas Semernia’spolitical and cultural identity becomes incompatible with colonial modernity. Drawing uponRestoration feminist criticism and postcolonial approaches, this paper demonstrates that both characterswork within patriarchal structures to assert autonomy on their own lives, while being loyal to theirvalues and morals established throughout the play. |
guest ::
