Oroonoko

Oroonoko by Aphra Behn is a story about how a young prince and his wife are slaves in Surinam. Oroonoko and is wife Imoinda are originally from a place called Coramantien which is present-day Ghana. Oroonoko is a prince in Coramantien with his grandfather as the king. The king wants Imoinda as his wife which she cannot refuse the royal veil from the king. Oroonoko who is heartbroken decides to break into the otan where Imoinda is kept to break her out. The king ends up catching them both and Oroonoko flees. Imoinda is then sold into slavery but the king told Oroonoko is told that she has been put to death. A captain from Britain arrives in Coramantien to buy slaves. Oroonoko is tricked by the captain and takes Oroonoko and his guest captive. Due to Oroonoko's high social status and his education he is never sent to work and is told that he will be freed once lord-governor Willoughby arrives in Surinam. Imoinda and Oroonoko then meet once again and fall in love. Imoinda becomes pregnant shortly after they meet. Oroonoko doesn’t want his child to be born a slave so he and other slaves from a plantation decide to revolt and escape back to Africa. Governor Byam discusses with Oroonoko and says he will give him amnesty. Byam does not hold up his offer and Oroonoko gets beaten. Oroonoko decides it is best he kills Imoinda, so the child is not born into slavery. Imoinda is now dead and he decides to kill Byam but cannot gain enough strength to actually do it. Oroonoko is then brutally killed.      

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