June 1, 2025

Shakespearean Failure in Aphra Behn's Emperor of the Moon

Key Points

Failure shapes the core of Behn's farce, as Doctor Baliardo's dreams of alien empires dramatically collapse.
The play draws from Shakespeare's The Tempest, suggesting narrative parallels in themes of illusion and failure.
Observational analysis is conducted within Behn's work, emphasizing patriarchal and colonial failures in the narrative.
This analysis highlights how theatrical disruptions reflect societal challenges during the Restoration stage.

Abstract

Abstract: Failure shapes Aphra Behn's hugely successful farce, The Emperor of the Moon (1687). The play depicts Doctor Baliardo, a Neapolitan virtuoso whose belief in extraterrestrial empire implodes when a masque-like spectacle that projects his fantasies collapses. Behn's farce arguably derives this emphasis on theatrical disruption from Prospero's interrupted masque in Shakespeare's Tempest , and further borrows from the Dryden-Davenant and operatic Tempest s, to depict failing patriarchal and colonial authority. Through these Prospero-esque figures of failure, Behn tests the theatrical possibilities of illusion's collapse and reflects critically on the Restoration stage's response to scenes of cultural and political decline.

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