ENGL 454: Death and the King’s Horseman

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ENGL 454 Death and the King’s Horseman 1. Why is ritual important in the play? Ritual is a significant in the play because it is the presentation of cultural beliefs of the Yoruba community. Ri ... tuals are performed to create a transition from life to death, making it the central theme of the play. The Yoruba community honours the dead as they offer them guidance and companion. The European are however not pleased with the culture of rituals as they see it as ungodly and this is why they are obsessed with changing the ritual culture. Because of ritual the Yoruba is faced by colonial control and oppression and this is seen where the Pilkings tries to stop Elesin from performing his death ritual and he succeeds in the long run. When Elesin is blinded from his duty and responsibility the culture of the community is lost and this makes European succeed in their efforts to change the culture, hence they win the battle. Ritual is important as it also brings out the theme of colonialism as we see throughout the text this is the base of conflict between the African and Europeans. Through lack of ritual performance, colonialism is seen to actively take place. At the end of it, even though Elesin and Olunde, it is evident that the cultural way of the community has finally come to an end. 2. Discuss the role of either Jane or Iyaloja. Iyaloja also known as the mother of the market has a close relationship with Elesin and she acts as the moral compass and conscious him. As an important component of the community, she acts as an advisor to the girls and women. As a figure of moral compass, she acts as the main influence of Elesin so that he does not leave a curse behind and the cultural values of the Yoruba community are maintained. For example, when Elesin gets a new bride, Iyaloja pushes him not to have sex with her so that he remains pure for the rituals. Another important role held by Iyaloja is that she has to help Elesin transition from life to death and this is to help the community hold its rituals. However, Elesin does not perform the ritual and this is the turning point between the two because Iyaloja viciously turns against him. She intimidates him and keeps on reminding him of how he let his community down. Iyaloja also take on the role of saving the community’s culture, so that the Europeans do not take away their culture completely. Therefore, she acts a very important figure in preserving the cultural practices of the Yoruba community. 3. How does Soyinka use Yoruba myth and culture to promote an understanding of contemporary Nigeria? The play, death and King’s Horseman is a good representation of how the African culture, in this case Nigeria is set up. In the text, there are two cultures, The European Culture and the African culture and it is through this that we see value and qualities of each culture because of the differences each of them possesses. Yoruba ritual of self-sacrifice is one the factors that represent the myths of African culture. Performing of the rituals in the culture are not seen as a form of suicide, as the European want to portray it but as a form of glory and sacrifice to the community. The act also comes in form of an individual’s dedication to the community, as seen in the death of Olunde, where he dies on behalf of his father. Through the ritual performance done by people in the community, Soyinka tries to show that culture is the basis of a person’s identity in the Nigeria culture, and not following the community’s cultural beliefs not only affects one person but the whole community. The Yoruba mythology therefore supplies the idea that ritual performance is not a sign of oppression but a sign of protecting and upholding the culture. 4. The play deals with the world of the living, the dead and the unborn and gateway of transition. Explain. Life and death have a great relationship in the play because the Nigeria community believes that life is a continuum. During the masquerade balls, the men dress like the ancestors to invite them in their presence and this shows that even though one might be dead, they are still in the presence of the living via spirits. The dead are never forgotten, the community also honours the ancestor and cherish and the new born are valued because they are transition of ancestors from the world of the dead to the living. Because of this, the process of transitioning from each life to the next is very important to this community and therefore, process of birth and dead are very significant. Elesin has the duty of transitioning from the living to the dead so that he can go and be with the King and show the community that life is a continuum, and he has to do this through a ritual. The sacred process of transition comes with a lot favour, and anything that the person asks during this period has to be granted. For example, during his transition, Elesin asks for a new bride, and his wish is granted. By getting the bride pregnant the community considers the chid to be born extraordinary. The process shows how important the cultural belief is important to people in this community. 5. Why does the King’s Horseman not die at the appointed time? The king’s Horseman, Elesin is supposed to die thirty days after the king dies because he has the duty and responsibility to perform the ritual so that he upholds the cultural values of the community. However, when the time comes for him to kill himself, because of the influence from different people in the play. One of the influences is from Simon, a British representative in Nigeria who is not pleased by the performance of ritual as he terms it a pagan way of life. Therefore, as a way of by-passing the culture, he convinces Elesin not to kill himself saying that his life must be protected and that there is no reason for him to kill himself because the king is dead. Pilkings manages to by-pass the culture because Elesin does not die on the appointed time. Elesin also refuses to kill himself because he is distracted by the world pleasures. He is connected more to life than death and this makes him admit that he is afraid to live the world. He therefore cannot transition to the world of the dead and leave the world of the living to join the king. The pleasures of the world that he is already accustomed to makes him forget about his duty. [Show More]

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