Dec 29, 2009

Death and the King’s Horseman | Death and the King’s Horseman

At a glance:

Author: Wole Soyinka
First Published: 1975
Type of Work: Play
Type of Plot: Tragedy
Time of Work: The 1940’s
Setting: Oyo, Nigeria
Genres: Drama, Tragedy
Subjects: Africa or Africans, Colonies or colonization, Sex or sexuality, 1940’s, Religion, Duty, Death or dying, Rites or ceremonies
Locales: Oyo, Nigeria

Characters Discussed

Elesin Oba (ay-LAY-sihn OH-bah), the chief horseman of the recently deceased king of a Nigerian village. Full of vitality, Elesin enjoys women, singing, and dancing. Despite his great thirst for life, he is a man of honor and wisdom. He must, therefore, adhere to native laws and customs that mandate that he kill himself prior to the king’s burial so as to accompany his master to heaven. Although he has an abundance of wives and is in his final hours on Earth, his eyes wander to a young woman who has been promised to another man; as a result of his...

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Death and the King’s Horseman | Death and the King’s Horseman

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

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