Betrayal from All Sides in Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko Essay Example
Betrayal from All Sides in Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko Essay Example

Betrayal from All Sides in Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko Essay Example

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  • Pages: 3 (803 words)
  • Published: August 27, 2016
  • Type: Essay
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Trust is the basis of all human collaboration; without it, our world wouldn’t exist as we know it. Infants start learning to trust as soon as they open their eyes. Children develop based on their environment and are sometimes programmed to trusting everyone around them. This often occurs when children spend a lot of time at home and are not exposed to outsiders. In the case of Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko, Oroonoko is a prince and as a result is taken care of impeccably. Unfortunately, this can lead to many people trusting too often and consequently pay for their child-like tendencies.

Individuals take advantage of the trust others may have for them. This betrayal sometimes influences others to never trust again, unfortunately, in Oroonoko, the royal slave is betrayed continuously, yet still continues to

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believe others are being truthful. Betrayal effects the victim greatly and often leads to the need for justice. The series of unfortunate betrayals of Oroonoko eventually lead to his unfortunate physical and psychological demise. Family is considered the most sacred relationship by most people. Families are never supposed to hurt one another.

Oroonoko was unfortunately dealt horrible cards as his own grandfather, the King, committed the greatest of all betrayals. Not only was Oroonoko his family, he forced him into the worst fate for anyone of that time. The King’s betrayal of Oroonoko began when the king fell in love with the beautiful Imoinda. Imoinda and Oroonoko were deeply in love at the time. Even though the King had known about their relationship, he gave Imoinda the royal veil which she could not refuse. Like many in lov

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couples, Oroonoko and Imoinda could not keep apart.

The King found out about their secret visit and that Imoinda’s loss of her virginity, this initiated the King’s disloyalty to his family. Instead of killing the two, he sent Imoinda off to slavery (slavery being considered the worst of all fates of the time). Rather than being truthful with Oroonoko, the King’s convictions about what happened forced him to lie and he told Oroonoko Imoinda was dead because it was considered a better fate. The betrayal continues with Byam; the captain of the ship and a slave trader from Surinam. Byam convinces Oroonoko to join him on his ship.

The trusting Oroonoko of course graciously accepts the invitation only to find out later this was a plan to capture him. After refusing to eat, Byam convinced Oroonoko he will be giving his freedom but does not keep his promise. Regrettably, Oroonoko has no defense against this man who can convince people of such lies. As a result, after the two meet again later in the story, Oroonoko is convinced once again that Byam will give him and his family their freedom after returning to their homeland. The worst of all these betrayals was forced upon Oroonoko by his own need for revenge.

Oroonoko had begun to feel the betrayal of all the people in his life. His thoughts on this are clear in the passage where he states “but Caesar told him there was no faith in the white men, or the gods they adored; who instructed them in principles so false that honest men could not live amongst them; though no people

professed so much, none performed so little... ” (Behn). The buildup of his anger towards these people was only pushed further as he refused to have his child brought into the world as a slave. His wife, Imoinda, trusted him to do what was best for her.

Oroonoko violated this trust when he murdered his wife and child. He realized his betrayal after it sunk in that he would never hear his wife’s voice again. He could not even continue to follow out his plan for revenge, making her death a severe tragedy that was unnecessary. The betrayal of others corrupted Oroonoko and caused him to betray the only person that would never betray him. The demise of Oroonoko did not only include his tortured death as a slave but also his change in heart caused by the betrayals in his life. Oroonoko started off as a great man that was trusting of everyone.

The family, friends and slaves who betrayed him tainted Oroonoko’s innocence and gave him his own characteristics of betrayal. He vowed revenge on the captain who refused to keep his word. As he tried to unfold his plan, he betrayed his wife as he couldn’t keep his word to follow through and get revenge; the reason he gave for her death. Without this ending, the domino effect of betrayal would be lost from the story. Oroonoko died in a broken psychological state caused by the death of his wife and was physically torn to pieces by his betrayers.

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