Raja Sharma - Ready Reference Treatise: Death and the Kings Horseman

Ready Reference Treatise: Death and theKing's Horseman

Raja Sharma

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Death and the Kings Horseman by WoleSoyinka was first published in 1975. The story of the play is basedon a real incident.

The incident had taken place in Nigeriaduring the British colonial rule. There was an important nativechief who was going to commit ritual suicide, but he was preventedfrom doing so by the colonial authorities.

On one hand, the authoritiesprevented him from committing suicide, but on the other hand, thechiefs own intention comes under question in the play. Thus aproblem is posed before the community, and it disturbs thecommunitys balance.

Wole Soyinka had won theNobel Prize for Literature. Death and the Kings Horseman is saidto be the Wole Soyinkas greatest and most enduringwork.

The play has been staged worldwide. Ithas been included in the course of studies at several schools andcolleges. The play is frequently performed at several schools andcolleges around the world.

It is said that Wole Soyinkahad started writing the play when he was a fellow at Cambridge inthe early 1970s. The events described in the play had really takenplace in Oyo, an ancient Yoruba city of Nigeria, in1946.

Death and the Kings Horseman is afive-act play. The play is to be performed without an intermissionor break.

Since the play presents acritical stance on imperialism, it is frequently admired bycritics. The play provides insights into Yoruba religion and theirrituals.

There are several characters who arevery appropriately handled by the playwright. The prose writing ishighly praiseworthy.

It is generally pointed outby several critics that Death and the Kings Horseman simplypresents a clash of cultures, but Soyinka does not agree with thecritics.

In the prologue of the play,Wole Soyinka calls a clash of cultures a facile andprejudicial idea.

Wole Soyinka claimed that, Death andthe Kings Horseman presupposes a potential equality in everygiven situation of the alien culture and the indigenous, on theactual soil of the latter."

In the opening scene of theplay, Elesin and his praise-singer enter a marketplace. Ittranspires that Elesin has come there to see the women on the eveof his death because Elesin was the kings horseman who has to diebecause the king has died. He has to travel to the afterlife withthe dead king.

Elesin is a very gregarious andexpansive character. He is full of zest. He and the praise-singerbanter back and forth.

Several women come to the marketplace.Iyaloja is the mother of the marketplace. She also arrives thereand watches and listens.

Elesin boasts that he is notafraid of death and he is ready for his fate. The women admire himand call him a man of honor.

Elesin tries to show that he is angry.He tells them that his clothes are not very honorable. He feelsrelieved when the women agree to help him find beautifulclothing.

Before leaving the place,Elesin suddenly notices an extremely beautiful young woman. Hedeclares that he wants that woman. Iyaloja and the women begin toconflict, because that beautiful woman is betrothed to Iyalojasson.

After the conflict, theydecide to give Elesin what he wants. For his ritual death a weddingand consummation are arranged.

Iyaloja tells Elesin to keephis goal in mind and leave no curse with his seed. Eventually, agala is arranged. The District Officer and his wife Jane prepare toattend the gala.

The officer and his wife aredressed in the clothing of the egungun. It is taken from therituals of a Nigerian death cult.

They put on the costumes which theyfind very amusing and they frighten the local Nigerian constable,Amusa.

Pilkings happens to be atypical Englishman in colonial Africa. His is in his costume but heis annoyed because Amusa does not want to talk to him.

Amusa gives him the messagethat a local chief named Elesin is preparing to commit a ritualsuicide.

Jane is frightened andPilkings groans. He says that he had thought that those sorts ofrituals had already been finished.

Hearing the sound of drumsin the distance, they begin to wonder whether the ritual suicide isreally going to happen. Pilkings calls in his houseboy,Joseph.

It transpires that Joseph is a Nigerianwho has refused to become a Christian. Pilkings asks Joseph aboutthe chief and the ritual. Joseph confirms that the ritual suicidewill be committed.

Pilkings remembers that he had onceclashed with that man named Elesin before. He recalls securing thepassage of his son Olunde to England where he would study to be adoctor.

Pilkings remembers thatElesin was very angry and his son Olunde was more or less smuggledout of the country.

It transpires that if forsome reasons Elesin is not able to commit the ritual suicide hisson would have to complete it.

Jane begins to giggle that that mightbe the reason why the chief was angry while his son was leaving forEngland.

Pilkings thinks about thesituation, trying to sort out whether he should intervene or not.Jane encourages him to go and intervene. She says that it soundsbarbaric.

Pilkings sends Joseph with anote to Amusa. Through that note, Pilkings has ordered Amusa toarrest Elesin.

Pilkings and Jane are ready to go tothe ball. He informs Jane, his wife, that the Prince will be thespecial guest at the ball that night.

The scene shifts to themarketplace. Amusa and two constables come to the marketplace toarrest Elesin.

The girls and women areobviously very angry and they begin to taunt them. Amusa and hisconstables leave, warning that they will be back soon.

Elesin marries his bride and thewedding is consummated. He begins to prepare for death. He declaresthat he is quite eager to make his journey.

Elesin dances and delivers aspeech. The praise-singers chanting accompanies hisdancing.

Elesins eyes begin to droop and hisdance movements become very heavy. His trance seems to havedeepened. It appears that he is sinking deeper and coming close todeath.

The scene shifts to the party. Theguests are greeted by the Prince. He is assisted by the Residentand the Residents aide-de-camp. When Pilkings and Jane comeforward, the Prince admires their costumes.

The Resident takes Pilkingsaside and scolds him for not knowing about the Elesin situationearlier.

Amusa comes and wants toinform Pilkings about the arrest of Elesin, but he feels nervousbecause Pilkings is in strange costume.

Pilkings is frustrated and he sendsAmusa away. Pilkings goes back to take care of the Elesinaffair.

Suddenly, June noticessomeone waiting in the wings. It transpires that the man is Olunde.He has just come back from England. He seems to be quite, reserved,smart, and composed.

Jane and Olunde greet eachother but their conversation becomes tense when Jane tells Olundethat she does not understand the ritual of committing suicide. Shethinks that the ritual is crass.

She is quite confused when Olundeinforms him that he came back to home from England when he heardthe kind had died. He says that he has come home to bury hisfather.

Jane tries her best to understand thesituation but she is still very much confused andunconvinced.

Pilkings comes back andimmediately asks for the aide-de-camp. Seeing Olunde there, he issurprised. He begins to act awkwardly.

Pilkings moves away and begins to takecare of things. Seeing Pilkings disturbed, Jane and Olunde wonderwhether he is upset because of Elesins death.