... act smartly and aloofly (Maruhashi, 21). Aphra Behn subverts this very stereotype of restoration comedy when she gives the masculine trait to Helena. Helena through the agency of her wit is able to marry herself out of nunnery by taming Willmore. Therefore Helenas wit becomes the objective correlative ... what Runge terms a break away from the soft and retiring character of Drydens feminine prescription. This rupture is necessary not only for Helena but even for characters like the Widow Ranter and the Indian Queen, because they cannot attain personal agency according to the social norm...

• Word Count: 8176
• Approx Pages: 33
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate