Character Analysis
Oroonoko
■ Prince Oroonoko
The last descendant of the King of Coramantien, Oroonoko was raised away from the court to be a skilful warrior by Imoinda father. The narrator stresses that he is extraordinarily handsome, intelligent, and honourable, despite being black. Oroonoko has strong notions of duty and perfectly follows the codes of his society, except when his love for Imoinda compels him to protect and honor their marriage by taking her life to protect her and their unborn child. He mistakenly assumes that his notion of honor means the same thing to the white Christians he comes into contact with—a mistake that several times ends up depriving him of his freedom. Trefry christens Oroonoko as “Caesar,” and he is referred to as such from then on. Oroonoko/Caesar is also incredibly brave and performs many skilful, daring feats while hunting game in Suriname.
■ Imoinda
Imoinda is described as a “black Venus,” corresponding to Oroonoko as the “black Mars.” To the narrator, Imoinda perfectly complements Oroonoko in beauty and virtue. Her beauty often brings her unwanted attention from men, however, even in the New World. This is a particularly big problem in Coramantien, where Imoinda catches the eye of the king. He takes her as his concubine, even though he knows she has pledged her love to Oroonoko and married him. Imoinda remains true to her husband, however, but this brings about her downfall when the king sells her into slavery. Not long after being reunited with Oroonoko in Suriname, Imoinda becomes pregnant. She then fights alongside Oroonoko to gain liberty and a better life for their unborn child. She is handy with a bow and arrow and wounds Governor Byam during a slave uprising. Imoinda is also incredibly obedient to Oroonoko and accepts her own death and her unborn child’s murder at his hands out of the abundance of her love for him.
■ Narrator (Aphra Behn)
The narrator is a female Englishwoman, and possibly the direct voice of the author, Aphra Behn, who lived in Suriname for a while and may have had similar experiences to the narrator. Almost the whole of Oroonoko is told in the narrator’s voice and from her perspective. For the most part, the narrator is open-minded (for her time) and not entirely bigoted in her opinions of the native peoples of the European colonies. She sees these “natives” as close descendants of Adam and Eve before the Fall of Man, but her opinions toward black Africans seems to be a bit murkier. While she highly esteems Oroonoko, there is a sense that he is the exception, not the rule, when it comes to African. While the narrator abhors how Oroonoko is treated, she never admits that she has a problem with the institution of slavery itself—the main injustice she decries is that a natural king like Oroonoko should be treated so disrespectfully. The narrator admires the foods and customs of the ethnic groups she comes into contact with, and in general, she has a keen sense of adventure. She describes her health as poor and is very sensitive to all kinds of odors. Her closest friends include Oroonoko and Imoinda, who often dine at her table.
■ King of Coramantien
Over 100 years old, the king is Oroonoko’s grandfather. He has many wives, both old and young. As the culture of his society is highly patriarchal, the king’s word is law, and his lust knows no limits. Even though he knows that Imoinda is married to Oroonoko, the king takes her as his concubine, safe in the knowledge that it would be taboo for Oroonoko to ever take her back, even if the king himself dies. The king is generally portrayed as wicked and depraved, and as lacking Oroonoko’s sense of honor. He often forces himself on Imoinda, and though Imoinda returns to Oroonoko a virgin, the king’s relationship with her is understood to be sexual in nature: he is willing but unable to perform. The king also lies to Oroonoko, telling him that he had Imoinda put to death when in reality he sold her into slavery—a much more demeaning sentence.
■ Aboan
A young warrior and good friend of Oroonoko, Aboan is basically Oroonoko’s “wingman.” He pretends to be in love with the much older Onahal, one of the king’s old wives, to help Oroonoko visit Imoinda while she is cloistered in the Otan. Aboan is extremely loyal to Oroonoko and a good liar, traits that help him seduce Onahal. Along with Oroonoko, he is captured and sent to Suriname as a slave.)
■ Onahal
A former wife of the king, Onahal takes charge of Imoinda after she becomes a concubine. Onahal’s beauty has long since faded, and she is now sort of a head housekeeper of the Otan, the king’s private court and inner sanctum. Onahal’s job is to make sure everything is in order for the king’s entertainment, whether that involves arranging court dances or evening activities with young concubines in his bedroom. Onahal falls in love with Aboan.
■ Jamoan
Jamoan is the leader of the opposing army that besieges Oroonoko’s troops. For most of the fight, the lovesick Oroonoko pines for the presumed death of Imoinda. When Oroonoko returns to his senses, however, he helps defeat Jamoan’s army, seriously wounds Jamoan, and then retains him as an attendant. They become good friends, and Jamoan helps cure Oroonoko of his melancholy over losing Imoinda.
■ The Captain
A seemingly well-bred and genteel English sea captain, the Captain, as he is called, first pretends to be Oroonoko’s friend. The Captain is welcomed at the Coramantien court and treated like a royal guest. One day, he sets a trap to capture Oroonoko and 100 of his men, so that he can sell them into slavery. After throwing a party on his ship and getting the men drunk, the Captain chains up Oroonoko and his attendants. When Oroonoko and his band then refuse to eat, the Captain lies to Oroonoko, telling him that if he will eat, the Captain he will set everyone free at the next port. Ultimately the Captain delivers his prisoners to Suriname and sells them as slaves.
■ Trefry
Trefry is a young Cornish gentleman in Suriname. He is skilled in math and linguistics and manages Governor Byam’s affairs. He also speaks French and Spanish. Trefry buys Oroonoko from the Captain and, after getting to know Oroonoko’s story, feels great sympathy for his plight. He gives Oroonoko the name Caesar and promises to help him back to his homeland. They become great friends, and Trefry always tries to look out for Oroonoko, though Oroonoko often gets frustrated by the lack of progress toward achieving his liberty. Trefry introduces Oroonoko to a beautiful slave he knows as Clemene, but whom Oroonoko realizes is actually Imoinda. After Oroonoko is killed, Trefry begins to record his biography but dies before he can finish it.
■ Tuscan
Tuscan is a slave in Suriname who stands out from his fellow slaves, not only because he is taller than the rest, but also because he has a “noble look” about him. He joins Oroonoko’s uprising and stays with Oroonoko and Imoinda to fight against the colonists after the other slave's surrender. Tuscan is whipped alongside Oroonoko as punishment for leading the band of runaway slaves, but he later reconciles with Byam. Tuscan finds Oroonoko lying beside Imoinda’s corpse, and he tries to save his starving friend from dying. Oroonoko stabs Tuscan in the arm for his disloyalty and for trying to intervene in his affairs.
■ Byam
A deputy governor in Suriname, Byam is not afraid to use low and dishonourable tactics to keep things running smoothly on the sugar plantations. He is not well regarded amongst the colonists, who all love Caesar (Oroonoko) more and dislike the governor’s manipulation of him. Byam initially pretends to be a great friend to Caesar and promises him that he will one day be free, along with his wife and child, but in actuality, Byam never intends to liberate them. He even lies to Caesar during the standoff in the forest, promising Caesar his freedom, but later breaks the contract they sign. Before this betrayal, however, Imoinda wounds Byam in the shoulder with a poisoned arrow
■ Colonel Martine
A British colonel in Suriname, he is very well-respected amongst the colonists and is a dear friend of Oroonoko, who trusts his judgment like a child trusts a parent. Colonel Martin deplores the actions Byam takes against Oroonoko and tries to encourage Oroonoko to give up his vendetta against Byam.
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