The Rover is arguably an early piece of feminist writing. Given that this is a love story, and that women are more ultimately successful in their pursuits by ignoring the advice of the patriarchs is, in itself, subversive for the time period. There are also far more female characters than males in the play; a key figure representing patriarchal authority, Don Vincentio, does not appear in the play at all.
As for the vulnerability of the women in the play, it could be said that this is Behn’s comment on how little power was afforded to women during this time. By bringing attention to these obvious facts of life, she made the dangers of women in her time more publicly visible.
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