HW On Death and the King's Horseman Coursework

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05 December 2018
Death and the King’s Horseman
In the final paragraph of the author’s note in the play Death and the King’s Horseman, Soyinka noted that his play might alternatively be interpreted as and seen as a cruel joke on the British colonial District Officer. He was quick to dismiss that such a reading would be misguided and said that he intentionally refrained from writing dialogue that would favor such an interpretation. Soyinka firmly added that “No attempt should be made in production to suggest it” (Banham, Martin & Jane, 304). He concluded the authors note by saying that, “The Colonial Factor is an incident, a catalytic incident merely” (Banham, Martin & Jane, 304). According to Soyinka, the conflict he was referring to in the play was metaphysical and was central in “the Yoruba mind – the world of the living, the dead and the unborn, and the numinous passages which links all: transition” (Banham, Martin & Jane, 304).
Study Questions
Act I
1 Elesin Oba is the king’s horseman. He is described as great, honorable and a man of enormous vitality in the stage directions. “Elesin” means “horseman” and “Oba” means “king,” making Elesin Oba both his royal title and name.
2 The king has died, and it is the responsibility of the king’s horseman to follow the King in death to the world of the ancestors. The responsibility of the king’s horseman was so important to the community that he was considered a hero and as Elesin declares that he was born to maintain the world as it is. His self-sacrifice will keep the balance in the three worlds of traditional Yoruban cosmology: the ancestors, the living and the yet to be born.
3 Elesin wishes to sleep with a beautiful young girl he spots in the market. He later learns that she was engaged to Iyaloja’s son, but that does not dissuade him from his wish. He justifies his desires by explaining that a traveler may like to shed part of his excess luggage to benefit those left behind.
4 At the end of Act I, Iyaloja expresses her concern to Elesin that his desires would distract him from his duty. She is worried that some of his final actions alive would earn him curses. However, she grants his wishes and goes to prepare the girl for him.
Act II & III
2.1 Simon Pilkings move to Nigeria with his wife to work as the District Officer of Oyo for the British colonial administration. He works with local police officers to govern under the British colonial law.
2.2 They attend a European party wearing a Yoruban ritual dress. Donning of this attire shows that they have so little fear and respect for the Yoruban religion and culture tradition.
2.3 Simon is informed by Amusa of the ongoing ritual and that it will involve the death of a chief. Initially, Simon thinks it’s a murder that Amusa wanted to let them know since it is illegal under British law. After seeking clarification from Joseph, he learns that Elesin is to sacrifice himself. He is bummed by the news and seems to have a history with Elesin; they clashed when Simon helped Elesin’s son study medicine in England.
2.4 There...