Monday 2 December 2019

'He had a spirit all rough and fierce, and that could not be tamed to lazy rest'

On Nobility and Grace | The Story of Oroonoko

Taking a leaf from one of our past posts on Oroonoko, let’s now move on to delve into qualities of gracefulness and gentleness as reflected in Oroonoko.

Oroonoko: or, the Royal Slave is a novella by Aphra Behn, and Behn, as we know, is one of the first ever woman writers, who also went on to become a huge role model for a generation of women writers. She wrote under the pseudonym Astrea!

Oroonoko, then, is a story about a royal prince from Africa, separated from his lady love Imoinda, as part of a vested plot, and is then forced into slavery by an English sea captain.

As a black, Oroonoko enjoyed great respect and attention from the English colonizers because of his unusual physical beauty, his royal bearing, his endearing manners, his gentleness, and his graceful social etiquette.

What interests the reader about this novella is that, genuine grace, gentleness and refinement, is not a matter of colour or religion or caste or race, but on how one is brought up - rightly trained, with proper care!


Although Oroonoko is black and now a slave, yet, it becomes quite impossible for him to hide his royal identity and graceful mannerisms for long!

Prompts me to quote yet this once from Count Baldassare Castiglione’s The Book of the Courtier, where he calls attention to this fact – 

And so it is with men, who if rightly trained are nearly always like those from whom they spring, and often better; but if there be no one to give them proper care, they become like savages and never reach perfection.

Oroonoko, ‘rightly trained, with proper care’, couldn’t possibly hide his nobility and graceful disposition for long! So much so that, he is venerated, admired and greeted by all the other slaves, inspite of the tatters he wears on him. The subtitle to the novella  - The Royal Slave - also foregrounds this fact that, outward situations quite don’t have the power and the verve to change the royal bearing and the grace within  person, and no matter the situation, no matter the time or the clime, rain or shine, a noble person’s gracefulness and gentleness are always like the candle that keeps shining, come what may!

On this count, me thought of sharing some delightful snippets straight from Behn’s Oroonoko for us all! Valuable snippets they prove! Moreover, these qualities that make up a gentleman, as presented by Aphra Behn, are also quite interesting revelations into the mind and the milieu of her own times! Indeed, each of the paragraphs reproduced below from Aphra Behn, speaks instances to such ideals!

Here goes from Oroonoko

His Mighty Actions / Bravery / Quick-Wit / Greatness of Mind / Sweet Conversations

I have often seen and conversed with this great man, and been a witness to many of his mighty actions; and do assure my reader, the most illustrious courts could not have produced a braver man, both for greatness of courage and mind, a judgment more solid, a wit more quick, and a conversation more sweet and diverting. He knew almost as much as if he had read much: he had heard of and admired the Romans: he had heard of the late Civil Wars in England, and the deplorable death of our great monarch; and would discourse of it with all the sense and abhorrence of the injustice imaginable. He had an extreme good and graceful mien, and all the civility of a well-bred great man. He had nothing of barbarity in his nature.

He Addressed himself to Me with the Best Grace in the World!

This great and just character of Oroonoko gave me an extreme curiosity to see him, especially when I knew he spoke French and English, and that I could talk with him. But though I had heard so much of him, I was as greatly surprised when I saw him as if I had heard nothing of him; so beyond all report I found him. He came into the room, and addressed himself to me and some other women with the best grace in the world.

His Discourse was Admirable Upon Almost Any Subject!

There was no one grace wanting that bears the standard of true beauty. His hair came down to his shoulders, by the aids of art, which was by pulling it out with a quill, and keeping it combed; of which he took particular care. Nor did the perfections of his mind come short of those of his person; for his discourse was admirable upon almost any subject: and whoever had heard him speak would have been convinced of their errors, that all fine wit is confined to the white men, especially to those of Christendom; and would have confessed that Oroonoko was as capable even of reigning well, and of governing as wisely, had as great a soul, as politic maxims, and was as sensible of power, as any prince civilized in the most refined schools of humanity and learning, or the most illustrious courts.

The Word ‘A Liar’, was A Word of Infamy to A Gentleman

They once made mourning and fasting for the death of the English Governor, who had given his hand to come on such a day to 'em, and neither came nor sent; believing, when a man's word was past, nothing but death could or should prevent his keeping it: and when they saw he was not dead, they asked him what name they had for a man who promised a thing he did not do. The Governor told them, such a man was a liar, which was a word of infamy to a gentleman. Then one of 'em replied, "Governor, you are a liar, and guilty of that infamy." They have a native justice, which knows no fraud; and they understand no vice, or cunning.

The gentleman that bought him was a young Cornish gentleman whose name was Trefry; a man of great wit and fine learning, and was carried into those parts by the Lord-Governor, to manage all his affairs.

Trefry Soon Found He Was yet Something Greater than he Confessed

He, reflecting on the last words of Oroonoko to the captain, and beholding the richness of his vest, no sooner came into the boat but he fixed his eyes on him; and finding something so extraordinary in his face, his shape and mien, a greatness of look, and haughtiness in his air, and finding he spoke English, had a great mind to be inquiring into his quality and fortune: which, though Oroonoko endeavored to hide, by only confessing he was above the rank of common slaves, Trefry soon found he was yet something greater than he confessed; and from that moment began to conceive so vast an esteem for him that he ever after loved him as his dearest brother, and showed him all the civilities due to so great a man.

His Eyes Insensibly Commanded Respect, and his Behavior Insinuated it into Every Soul

In their passage up the river they put in at several houses for refreshment; and ever when they landed, numbers of people would flock to behold this man: not but their eyes were daily entertained with the sight of slaves, but the fame of Oroonoko was gone before him, and all people were in admiration of his beauty. Besides, he had a rich habit on, in which he was taken, so different from the rest, and which the captain could not strip him of, because he was forced to surprise his person in the minute he sold him: the royal youth appeared in spite of the slave, and people could not help treating him after a different manner, without designing it. As soon as they approached him, they venerated and esteemed him; his eyes insensibly commanded respect, and his behavior insinuated it into every soul. So that there was nothing talked of but this young and gallant slave, even by those who yet knew not that he was a prince.

His Large Soul, was still Panting after More Renowned Actions

Though he suffered only the name of a slave, and had nothing of the toil and labor of one, yet that was sufficient to render him uneasy; and he had been too long idle, who used to be always in action, and in arms. He had a spirit all rough and fierce, and that could not be tamed to lazy rest; and though all endeavors were used to exercise himself in such actions and sports as this world afforded, as running, wrestling, pitching the bar, hunting and fishing, chasing and killing tigers of a monstrous size, which this continent affords in abundance, and wonderful snakes, such as Alexander is reported to have encountered at the River of Amazons, and which Caesar took great delight to overcome; yet these were not actions great enough for his large soul, which was still panting after more renowned actions.

Through the rich descriptions of Oroonoko’s royal bearing and graceful qualities, Aphra Behn seeks to drive home the thought that gracefulness, refinement and gentleness have nothing got to do with colour or being European! It’s a product of one’s right training with proper care!


Please permit me, ladies and gentlemen, to quote yet again, from Count Baldassare Castiglione’s The Book of the Courtier, where he says these amazing lines - 

And so it is with men, who if rightly trained are nearly always like those from whom they spring, and often better; but if there be no one to give them proper care, they become like savages and never reach perfection.

Of suchmuch truth this dictum proves! Aint it? 

To be continued…

image courtesy: Herge's Tintin

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