![]() She was prolific, being the second most published playwright of the period. Aphra Behn set about giving a firmly female perspective on the exceptionally patriarchal society of the time. ![]() Up until the Reformation, women were not allowed to work in theatres, but Charlie II changed all of that. She gets that gig as a scribe for the Dukes players and the Kings players in London sometime around the 1660s. The mystery of the first half of her life is one that still perplexes scholars to this day, she spent some time in South America, dropped off the map, randomly appears as a spy in service of King Charles II, goes to debtors prison and needs a gig. No one knows exactly where she was born or precisely when, we do know she was baptised in Canterbury, England in 1640. Add into that, that she is genuinely an exceptional writer and you have a pretty unique prospect and backlog of work. A spy during the Dutch-Anglo war, a former prisoner and the first woman to make a living solely as a playwright in an exceptionally patriarchal society, Aphra Behn is a genuine trailblazer. A mystery, wrapped in an enigma, drenched in poetry and social commentary. Aphra Behn is one of the most extraordinary playwrights in history. ![]()
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