Aphra Behn
English playwright, poet, and spy of the Restoration era.
Aphra Behn (baptised 14 December 1640 – died 16 April 1689) was a Restoration-era English writer—playwright, poet, novelist, and translator. She was among the first women in England to support herself through writing, breaking social norms and later inspiring generations of female authors. She rose from obscure beginnings to catch the attention of King Charles II, who sent her to Antwerp as a spy. After returning to London and likely spending a short time in debtors' prison, she turned to writing for the stage. She was part of a circle of poets and libertines that included John Wilmot, Lord Rochester, and sometimes used the pastoral pen name Astrea. During the Exclusion Crisis, political turmoil led her to write a prologue and epilogue that landed her in legal trouble; after that, she focused mostly on prose and translations. A firm supporter of the Stuart monarchy, she refused an invitation from Bishop Burnet to write a poem welcoming King William III. She died soon after.
Virginia Woolf later wrote in *A Room of One's Own*: "All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn which is, most scandalously but rather appropriately, in the East Cloister, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds." Her grave is not in Poets' Corner but in the East Cloister, near the steps to the church. Her best-known works are *Oroonoko: or, the Royal Slave*, sometimes considered an early novel, and the play *The Rover*.
Details of Behn’s early life are scarce, possibly because she intentionally obscured them. One account says she was born to barber John Amis and his wife Amy, and she is sometimes called Aphra Amis Behn. Another version names her parents as a couple named Cooper. The 1696 *Histories and Novels of the Late Ingenious Mrs. Behn* claims she was the daughter of Bartholomew Johnson, a barber, and Elizabeth Denham, a wet-nurse. Colonel Thomas Colepeper, who said he knew her as a child, wrote in *Adversaria* that she was born at "Sturry or Canterbury" to a Mr. Johnson and had a sister named Frances. Contemporary Anne Finch wrote that Behn was born in Wye, Kent, the "Daughter to a Barber." Some accounts link her father to a man named Eaffrey Johnson.
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Aphra Johnson
- Birth Place
- Canterbury, Kent, England
- Baptised
- 14 December 1640
- Death Date
- 1689-04-16
- Death Place
- London, England
- Resting Place
- Westminster Abbey
- Occupation
- Playwright, poet, prose writer, translator, spy
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Information regarding Behn's life is scant, especially regarding her early years. This may be due to intentional obscuring on Behn's part. One version of Behn's life tells that she was born to a barber named John Amis and his wife Amy; she is occasionally referred to as Aphra Amis Behn. Another story has Behn born to a couple named Cooper. The Histories and Novels of the Late Ingenious Mrs. Behn (1696) states that Behn was born to Bartholomew Johnson, a barber, and Elizabeth Denham, a wet-nurse. Colonel Thomas Colepeper, the only person who claimed to have known her as a child, wrote in Adversaria that she was born at 'Sturry or Canterbury' to a Mr Johnson and that she had a sister named Frances. Another contemporary, Anne Finch, wrote that Behn was born in Wye in Kent, the 'Daughter to a Barber'. In some accounts the profile of her father fits Eaffrey Johnson.
By 1666, Behn had become attached to the court, possibly through the influence of Thomas Culpeper and other associates. She was recruited as a political spy in Antwerp on behalf of King Charles II, possibly under the auspices of courtier Thomas Killigrew. Her code name is said to have been Astrea, a name under which she later published many of her writings. Upon her return to London and a probable brief stay in debtors' prison, she began writing for the stage. She belonged to a coterie of poets and famous libertines such as John Wilmot, Lord Rochester. Behn wrote under the pastoral pseudonym Astrea. During the turbulent political times of the Exclusion Crisis, she wrote an epilogue and prologue that brought her legal trouble; she thereafter devoted most of her writing to prose genres and translations. A staunch supporter of the Stuart line, Behn declined an invitation from Bishop Burnet to write a welcoming poem to the new king William III. She died shortly after.
Reader's Guide
Aphra Behn is remembered as a pioneering figure for women writers, having earned her living by her pen at a time when few women could. Her work broke cultural barriers and served as a literary role model for later generations. Virginia Woolf in A Room of One's Own wrote: 'All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn which is, most scandalously but rather appropriately, in Westminster Abbey, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds.' Her grave lies in the East Cloister near the steps to the church, not in Poets' Corner. Her best-known works are Oroonoko: or, the Royal Slave, sometimes described as an early novel, and the play The Rover. Behn's life is marked by obscurity and conflicting accounts, leading biographer Janet Todd to note that she 'has a lethal combination of obscurity, secrecy and staginess which makes her an uneasy fit for any narrative, speculative or factual.' Despite this, her influence on English literature and the cause of women writers is enduring.
Did You Know?
- Behn was employed as a spy in Antwerp by King Charles II, using the code name Astrea.
- Her grave is in the East Cloister of Westminster Abbey, not in Poets' Corner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Aphra Behn?
She was a Restoration-era English writer who worked across several genres—playwriting, poetry, prose fiction, and translation—and is widely recognized as one of the first women in England to sustain herself financially through her literary output.
What was Aphra Behn's role as a spy?
King Charles II dispatched her to Antwerp to gather intelligence during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, making her one of the very few women of her era to serve in an official espionage capacity for the Crown.
What are Aphra Behn's most famous works?
Her best-known pieces include the stage play The Rover and the prose narrative Oroonoko: or, the Royal Slave, both of which remain central texts in Restoration literature.
How did Aphra Behn support herself financially?
After a period that likely included a stint in debtors' prison, she turned to writing for the London theatre and became one of the earliest English women to earn her living entirely through her writing.
Why is Aphra Behn important to women writers?
By publicly defying the social expectation that women should not earn a living through writing, she opened a path that inspired countless female authors in the centuries that followed.
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