Enslaving a Prince

In Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko she doesn’t outright speak out against slavery but it is quite apparent that she disagrees the enslavement of ‘natural kings.’ Oroonoko is described as “ceasar-like” and compared to other great European leaders, he is even given the name Ceasar. He is seen as being more civilized and still a leader even though he was in shackles. Behn showed what the men were doing to these apparent “savages.” The Europeans were taking strong, “roman” like men and tricking and dehumanizing them. Oroonoko shows his worth by starting a slave revolt and his princelike nature is shown when they surrender and their captors, instead of giving them the amnesty they promised, whip them and punish them. Oroonoko and Inoinda decide that he will kill her to keep her safe after he kills Bynam but he ends up getting executed. Instead of crying out like any normal man would at being dismembered, he calmly and very prince-like takes the pain. Behn makes it very clear that, even if she isn’t against slavery as a whole, she does not support true rulers being removed from their position and being enslaved,