Book Report: Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko

In aphra Behn’s Oroonoko, the reader encounters many themes at play such as love triangles, slavery, British Colonialism, race, gender and betrayal.The latter of these themes prominently permeates through this narrative on different levels. The main character of the story was Oronooko the prince, despicts a person of power. This story teaches many different life lessons on trust and betrayal. In Oronooko many betrayals occur because of complete trust in one another. Oroonook’s character embodies a magnificence nobody else can come closer to. He possesses insurmountable dignity in addition to the content of his physical characteristics. He had only left him for his successor one grandchild which was sent into the fields to be trained up by one of the oldest general war from his natural inclination to arms and the occasions given him, with the good conduct of the old general, he became at the age of seventeen, one of the most expert captain and the bravest soldiers that ever saw the field of Mars, so that he was adored as the wonder of all the world and also known as the darling of soldier.
Although a man of such a magnitude of character, Oroonooko is ignorant to what true betrayal was, ignorant to love, ignorant to beliefs and pain to others. This ignorance of his, is inevitable as Aphra Behn’s description of Oroonook’s society is a community that values truth, honor and honesty above everything else. Thus his trust in others an innocence cause his betrayal three times; when the king takes Imoinda Oroonooko’s lady love as a wife behind his grandson’s back, then the desception by the sea captain in Coramantien, And finally by Byam, the betrayal which ultimately seals his fate. In the story the first instance of betrayal against Oroonooko’s is done by no one other than his own blood which is his grandfather. Although he knows of his grandson’s attachment to Imoinda, the old man cannot help him and falls instantly in love, send Imoninda the royal proposal she