The Importance of Economy in The Widdow Ranter

Aphra Behn, 1688

Aphra Behn’s late-1600s play, The Widdow Ranter explores and critiques the dynamics of the colony of Jamestown through a retelling of Nathanial Bacon’s relationship with the colonists and the indigenous people, but also through the scope of a mysterious widow whose motives support the colony under their nose. Apart from Widdow’s masterful sidestepping within the colony, the most interesting aspect of the play lies in the colonial economy. The acceptable and unacceptable in early Jamestown society can be seen in the background of the story, and one does not always pay in money. It is recorded that Behn herself traveled to the American colonies before or while writing The Widdow Ranter, adding an interesting layer to the underlying forces at work in her play (McInnis and Salzman). Her travels indicate a narrative paradox to readers who know of them. She introduces both an outside view as an English visitor, but also a bias toward her home country and the comparatively high status it gave her. The fascinating history behind the high-demand punch and tobacco seems to control the male colonists' lives in the background as well. They parade about drunk much of the play, and even after the final conflict, in Timorous' final words he states, “ I'le to my old Trade again, bask under the shade of my own Tobacco, and Drink my Punch in Peace” (Behn 56). Tobacco and punch drive the colonists to work and socialize, meaning that those in control of these commodities share in that power.  However, many of the women seem to use a different kind of currency in the same economy, that can be found in beauty, honor, and “fairness.” Widdow Ranter seems to escape the increasingly tighter boundaries of this complex, gendered, and racialized colonial economy.

Widdow manages to evade some social standards, but is not completely elusive, as she must work within the systems and resources around her to move the plot in a favorable direction, or to be heard at all. Specifically, Widow is working within the English and colonial systems of conventional beauty, class, wealth, and racecraft. Although not specifically stated, Behn states that she is not as fair and pure as some of the other colonist women, and was bought off a ship, implying that she may not fit into the conventional net of “beauty” as seen in the eyes of the white colonists. In a colony where beauty is seen as currency, the colonists take sides of whether they should pillage or protect their savings. This leaves Widdow in an interesting position between having no authority and having the ability to manipulate others, where her wealth and class push her to the latter side. 

At first glance, it might be argued that Widdow fully evades the constrictions put on the other women in the play, but a further look into her dialogue reveals she participates in the same system, but must use channels other than conventional beauty to buy into it. In the play’s fourth act, Widdow is an agent of comedy. After vowing to fight Dareing, she humorously inquires about his nicknames, “What's that, Rascal, or Coward?” to which she earns his laughter. Further, she explains to Dareing, “Therefore resign her fairly—or fight me fairly” (Behn 43). Widow acts as a comic and warrior in a conventionally masculine way in an economy where these characteristics are measured in power. Ultimately, Widdow’s dialogue shows how she works within the boxes set up by the white colonists to move the plot. However, her body and status as a widow remains commented on by the male characters, even when she is wearing breeches (Behn 45). Although the male gaze in certain lines of the play excludes her ability to fully evade the norms that other characters act within, it allows for an explanation of how she earned her unquestioned status in the settlement. She may not have been as fair as Chrisante or as charming as Flirt, but her advantage of wealth and her ability to play into its other channels earned her a spot in the more and more constricting Jamestown economy in all senses of the word.

Sources: Behn, Aphra. The Widdow Ranter. London: Printed for James Knapton, 1690. Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership, http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A27331.0001.001  

Paul Salzman, David McInnis. "Virginian Culture and Experimental Genre in Aphra Behn's The Widow Ranter". Early Modern Englishwomen Testing Ideas. ISBN  9781317147015 

Image Source: Donate to the Aphra Behn Statue | Canterbury Commemoration Society (cantcommsoc.co.uk)