Florinda:
Florinda is the older sister to Helena and the younger sister to Don Pedro. They live in Naples and are a rich Italian family. In the beginning of the play their father has died and in his will he wishes for Florinda to marry a rich Indian lord called Don Vincentio. However her brother, Don Pedro wants Florinda to marry his best Don Antonio. But Florinda has madly fallen in love with a British colonel who saved her from being raped in an attack. His name is Belville and at the Carnival him and Florinda plan to run away.
Her sister Helena is told that she is to become a nun so she also plans to go to the carnival so that she can have her way with men as a celebration of her freedom. Because Florinda is the older sister she is expected to marry for wealth however Helena is seen as a burden and trouble maker and would be better of in a nunnery where she can't destroy the reputation of their family.
Unlike her sister, Florinda is very much a typical woman of the restoration period. She is subservient to men and she often is seen as an object to be sold onward. However her sister very much defies all conventions as she is very head strong and she is not afraid to stand up to the men. Due to the close relationship between Florinda and Helena, Florinda often has spurts where she defies her brother as her sisters has a big influence on her however she then remembers that she is the lesser to her brother.
Since the play, the Rover, is written by Apha Behn, who was the first female playwright, the women and men's roles are almost reversed as the females are very boisterous compared to the men who are more seductive and sensitive. I therefore think that both Florinda and Helena are very amazing characters for the modern mannerisms compared to the society they live in.
Women on the Stage:
It was until Charles II was in power in 1660's that women were finally allowed to start acting on stage. Originally all of the female parts in plays had been performed by men. These men went to special acting schools in which they were stripped of all their masculinity and instead they were turned into women. They would learn special gestures that were viewed as feminine and they were taught to speak in a feminine pitch and tonality. However when the women actresses were allowed on the stage, the men actors who had forever been taught to be women, had no jobs as they could perform as woman and they no longer had the ability to present as men.
When the news actresses started, playwrights started to write their play where women were seen as sexual objects rather then equals to the men. This is because the females aroused the attentions of audiences in more ways then just the ability of being able to act. Many female actresses were also prostitutes so an audience member could watch their performance and afterwards have their way with them after wards.
One of the most famous of these actresses was Neil Gwyn. She was originally an orange girl who would sell oranges during the plays and she would send messages between audience members. She started her acting career when she was 13/14.years old and she was considered to be a very beautiful actress to watch. There was even rumours that she was King Charles II's mistress.
Some other famous actresses in the Restoration Period were:
. Anne Bracegirdle
. Elizabeth Barry
. Margaret Hughes ( she was the first ever female actress)
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