The Rover

Willmore is an English Cavalier and sea captain for Prince Charles II, who is currently in exile. Given the source material, the title of the play, and the conventions of Restoration Comedy, Willmore is the most likely candidate for the intended protagonist, which is emphasized when Belvile first greets him as “my dear rover” (14).

The more unsentimental and cynical Restoration Comedies typically center on a rakish and charismatic male protagonist, who devises wild and convoluted plots to elicit sex, but has no interest in love or marriage. Willmore is the charismatic rake, but his convoluted plotting is subpar. In fact, he tends to act without any planning at all, but it is his actions, however thoughtless, that drive the play forward. His objective in the play is simple: he wants to have sex with a woman before his two-day shore leave runs out—or preferably, to seduce as many women as possible. His name, “Willmore,” suggests that he will always push for more, even to excess.

Willmore’s attempts to bed as many women as possible are often foiled, due to a variety of factors. First, everyone is wearing masks during Carnival, so he does not know who is going to be sexually available, or which tactics to use on which woman.