Seventeenth-century writer Aphra Behn (1640-89) made her name in London’s theatre world as the playwright who provided the Duke’s Theatre Company (the theatre company chartered by King Charles II at the start of the Restoration era) with some of its biggest hits. Now her Restoration play, The Amorous Prince, has been rescued from obscurity, after returning to the stage for what appears to be the first performance since 1671.
Most of the published female writers in Behn’s day wrote political pamphlets or religious reflections. There were other female playwrights – such as the Duchess of Newcastle, Margaret Cavendish – but they did not make a living from their work.
