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Chronology of Aphra Behn's Life
1640 -- Birth of Aphra Johnson, second daughter of Bartholomew Johnsonand Elizabeth Denham, baptized Dec. 14 at Harbledown outside ofCanterbury. (Although there has been much controversy over thecircumstances of Behn's birth, this appears to be the most likelycandidate.)
1663-64 -- Probable period of residence in Surinam.
1664 -- Possible date for marriage to Mr. Behn, merchant of "Dutch"(German) extraction.
1665 -- Death of Mr. Behn?
1667-67 -- Aphra Behn serves in Antwerp as a spy for Charles II.
1668 -- Sent to debtor's prison for debts she incurred in the serviceof the crown. Probably released shortly thereafter.
1670 -- Production of Behn's first play, The Forced Marriage, atLincoln's Inn Fields by the Duke's Company. It was a great success andran for six nights, providing its author with two nights' income. (The"third day" always belonged to the author of the play.)
1671 -- February - The Amourous Prince (published 1671); Dorset GardenTheater opened.
1672 -- Covent Garden Drollery published, probably edited by Behn.
1673 -- The Dutch Lover produced at Dorset Garden Theater; does nothold the stage until the third day (not published until 1677).
1675 -- Possible plays by Behn: The Revenge: Or a Match in Newgate,and The Woman Turned Bully.
1676 -- Behn's only tragedy, Abdelazer, produced in the summer. It wasfollowed a few months later by The Town Fop (both published 1677).
1677 -- The Rover, perhaps Behn's most successful play, produced inMarch and published the same year. Nell Gwyn returned to the stage toplay the role of the whore Angelica Bianca. Two further plays producedat Dorset Garden attributed to Behn, The Debauchee (February) and TheCounterfeit Bridegroom (September).
1678 -- Sir Patient Fancy produced in January (published 1678). NellGwyn once again took a role, that of Lady Knowell.
1679 -- The Feigned Courtesans, dedicated to Nell Gwyn, produced inthe spring at Dorset Garden (published 1679) and the tragi-comedy TheYoung King in the fall (published 1683).
1681 -- The Second Part of The Rover produced early in the year(published 1681), The False Count in November and The Roundheads inDecember (both published 1682).
1682 -- The City Heiress produced in the spring, (published 1682)followed by Like Father, Like Son, which was such a failure that itwas never published and has since been lost. Behn arrested for an"abusive" prologue, but probably let off with a warning. Merger of thethe King's Company and the Duke's Company (where Behn's plays wereproduced) to form the United Company.
1683 -- Publication of the first part of Love Letters Between aNobleman and His Sister, an epistolary roman à clef, the first majorepistolary novel in English literature.
1684 -- Behn's Poems on Several Occasions published.
1685 -- Another collection of poems, Miscellany, published. Death ofCharles II; accession of his brother James II.
1686 -- Publication of The Lover's Watch. The Lucky Chance, Behn'sfirst play since the failure of Like Father Like Son, produced atDrury Lane (published 1687).
1687 -- Her farce The Emperor of the Moon produced in March andpublished the same year.
1688 -- Three prose fiction works by Behn published: The Fair Jilt,Agnes de Castro and her most famous work, Oroonoko. Abdication ofJames II ("Glorious Revolution").
1689 -- Death of Aphra Behn, April 16. Buried in Westminster Abbey.Two of her plays produced posthumously: The Widow Ranter (1689 -epilogue by John Dryden) and The Younger Brother (1696).
Virginia Wolfs Quote on Aphra
"All women together ought to let flowers fall upon
the tomb of Aphra Behn, ...for it was she who earned
them the right to speak their minds"
Possible Partner - Johan (John) Behn
of the ship King David, which had sailed in the West Indies, may havemet and married Aphra on the return trip from Suriname. Whether Johanquickly died or else simply separated from Aphra is unknown.
Stefan
Eberhard
