Death and the King's Horseman essays
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Death And The King’s Horseman by Wole Soyinka tells the story of the importance of tradition in African culture. The play follows the life of Elesin Oba, who had the career title of “The King’s Horseman”, and his obligation to follow an African tradition of a ritualistic suicide following the death of their king. As the play goes on, Soyinka illustrates the importance of this tradition in African culture and shows what it means when the tradition is not fulfilled...
4 Pages
1752 Words
As in other plays, reflecting a specific culture, “Death and the King’s Horseman” has kept close to religious and traditional issues, but it has shaped culture into a great tragedy. Aristotle defines tragedy in his book poetics as: A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself; in appropriate and pleasurable language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play;...
5 Pages
2347 Words
The Death and the King’s Horseman play is based on a real incident that took place in Nigeria when it was under the British colonial rule, where a Horseman of a Yoruba King was prevented from committing ritual suicide by the colonial authorities. In growth to the British interference, Soyinka calls the Horseman’s own fervour toward suicide into enquiry, posing a trouble that throws off the community’s balance. Through the play of Soyinka I would try to analyse the Rasa...
1 Page
560 Words
