Oroonoko

“‘But if there were a Woman among them so degenerate from Love and Virtue, to chuse Slavery before the Pursuit of her Husband, and with the Hazard of her Life, to share with him in his Fortunes; that such a one ought to be abandoned, and left as a Prey to the common Enemy.’

To which they all agreed—and bowed.”

In this passage, Caesar is expressing that if a woman were to choose slavery over pursing a husband she would be better off abandoned and left as prey to the enemy. Given the horrors and brutality of slavery, the sentiment of Caesar’s speech makes sense, but it is the inclusion of the word “virtue” that is worth examining. “Virtue”, at the time Oroonoko was written, according to the Oxford English Dictionary meant “on the part of a woman; sexual purity; virginity”. With that information, it is important to note the significance of virtue and chastity at the time, as well as how pursuing a husband, and no longer being chaste was still less “degenerate” than slavery. What is curious about this is that through a noble pursuit of a husband, women could still retain their virtue, but if her pursuit was not respectable she could still potentially lose her virtue.

“Love” at the time had a definition of being “as an abstract quality or principle”. Knowing these definitions of both love and virtue while standing hand in hand in Caesar’s speech, it is clear to see how his meaning is different from the contemporary interpretations of the same words. By saying that any women would have to be degenerate from quality or principle, and chastity/purity, to favor slavery than to pursue a husband, is heavier in meaning than the significance we would have put with the modern definitions of those words.

Without saying it outright, Caesar is expressing how horrible slavery is. A woman would have to be void of virtue and love - a complete degenerate - in order to pursue slavery over marriage. She would have to be stripped of what makes her respectable, meaning, only someone who is impossible to respect would take slavery over marriage.

Works Cited

“Love.” Oxford English Dictionary , www-oed-com.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/view/Entry/110566?rskey=1Cnkbm&result=1#eid.

“Virtue.” Oxford English Dictionary , www-oed-com.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/view/Entry/223835?rskey=2fyJ4v&result=1&isAdvanced=false#eid.