Oroonoko

Thomas Southerne transformed Aphra Behn's groundbreaking 1688 novel into a play that eventually became more famous than the original. Oroonoko, an African prince of nobility and fire, is betrayed by his own people and sold into slavery in Suriname. Yet nothing breaks his spirit so much as the loss of his beloved Imoinda. The play interweaves this core tragedy with a comic subplot involving the husband-hunting Welldon sisters, whose witty schemes provide sharp counterpoint to the main action. Southerne's version made crucial changes: Imoinda becomes white, shifting the racial dynamics of the original. The result is a fascinating document of Restoration theatrical taste, where profound questions about liberty, honor, and true love collide with the era's appetite for comedy and spectacle. The play kept Behn's novel alive for generations, ensuring that this tale of a prince who would rather die than submit found new life on stage.