Why Are Plays Critical To Understanding?
Death and the King’s Horseman written by Wole Soyinka is a play that depicts not only cultural differences between the British and African communities, but tells a story of a man and his failure to complete a life-long task. Why didn’t Soyinka write a novel which is the most popular literary outlet? He knew better than to go the most obvious route because he wanted immediacy and a fast reaction which can’t be perceived from reading a book. Soyinka wanted his work to have a big impact on those who watched the play, and it did.
Plays are written to be performed in front of a live audience. Stage directions are written and the dialogue is carefully chosen to make sure it conveys the correct message. Without reading the author’s note before reading “Death and the King’s Horseman” the reader may interpret the play to be about cultural differences and how colonization is a terrible thing. Though Soyinka does address these issues, he states, “The Colonial Factor is an incident, a catalytic incident merely. The confrontation in the play is largely metaphysical…” (3) The metaphysical aspect of the play is transition which in Yoruba cosmology is the space between life and death (3). The true meaning of the play is about how a man (Elesin) fails to accomplish the only task that his job requires of him which is to commit a ritual suicide after the king dies so the king will be able to continue his journey to the next life. If one were to write about this aspect in a novel, the message may be clear about colonization, but the true meaning and the impact on the Yoruba culture may get lost in translation.
By watching a play instead of reading a book, the viewer is more in touch with the plot because everything is happening right in front of them. The viewer is more likely to understand what is going on because they can see the actions and reactions of the actors that are portraying the characters. Facial expressions and hand movements are very important to getting a point across as well as changes in the tone of voice and emotions that need to be produced by the actors. By seeing and hearing all of these things together, a bigger impact on the viewer is more likely because of the type of delivery. Reading a book just isn’t the same as going to see a play because a reader can’t truly feel the emotion and sense the reality without some sort of visual. A film may seem like the correct way to go because it could possibly reach a larger audience, so now the question arises, why did Soyinka not make a film? Films are not always taken as seriously as they should be. The actors are hidden by a screen and the smell of popcorn instead of being right there in the viewer’s face, nearly touchable. A play condones an immediate reaction whereas a film isn’t as up close and personal. Soyinka states “…that drama, like any other art form, is created and executed within a specific physical environment. It naturally interacts with that environment, is influenced by it, influences that environment in turn, and acts together with the environment in the larger and far more complex history of society,” (89)
Even though Soyinka is of Yoruba descent, he decided to write his play in English and use a British publishing company. This is interesting because in his play, the British come into the Yoruba community and try to seize it for themselves. Why would someone who is a native Yoruba want to seemingly side with the British? He wants to reach the biggest group of people, that’s why. If he had chosen to write his play in his own language, it would be read and acted out, but only in the Yoruba community. By writing the play in English, which is the second most recognized language in the world, he is attending to a much wider audience and the message he is portraying will reach many more people than it would if written in Yoruba.
When the British came into the Yoruba community and started their massive takeover, they didn’t realize they were ruining a culture that had been thriving. British rule soon became a part of the daily lives of the Yoruba and thus began the downfall of their community. By turning some of the Yoruba into guards or servants, like Amusa in Death and the King’s Horseman, the viewer can see a different side of the Yoruba community. Amusa is a key character in the first part of the play because he helps the viewer see how the British are mocking the Yoruba community by dressing up in costumes that are considered a “uniform of death” (19) in their community. Even though Amusa is a police officer for the government, he still carries his traditional background with him and gives insight to his community that is slowly losing a battle within a war of takeover.
On the surface the play seems to be about cultural differences and British colonization. Though the play incorporates these ideas, its main point is far more important and complex than a takeover. Elesin (the king’s horseman) fails to complete the only task that he is asked to do, which is to commit suicide so the king has a companion in his next step on his journey after death in the physical world. This situation is clashing with Soyinka’s identity as a Yoruba. He is recreating an actual event that happened right after World War II just with a few changes here and there. Elesin does not carry out his task, and by publicizing this, Soyinka is showing that his community can make mistakes. He is putting the Yoruba in a compromised position by showing their weak side, but by doing this, he is grabbing the attention of the British invaders. Getting the oppositions’ attention is key because then by seeing or reading the play, they will also see the effects of colonization on the Yoruba community. Soyinka is very intelligent to write with an underlying purpose so the British can see their mistakes.
Another key character in Death and the King’s Horseman is Olunde, which is the son of Elesin. In the play, Olunde has returned because he has assumed that his father has committed the ritual suicide since the king is dead. When Olunde arrives, he hears the drums which signal that the suicide is about to occur. The drums stop and Olunde thinks his father is now dead. He shows no emotion and Jane, the wife of Pilkings (the chief of police) is awestruck. Jane says, “How can you be so callous! So unfeeling! You announce your father’s own death like a surgeon looking down on some strange…stranger’s body! You’re just a savage like all the rest,” (45). Jane makes the viewer see that there is no hope for the British to ever understand the culture of the Yoruba by her reaction to Olunde’s apathetic feeling towards his father’s death.
Wole Soyinka won the Nobel Prize for literature for a reason; “broad cultural perspective…” (vii). Death and the King’s Horseman has two different perspectives; the British and the Yoruba. Realizing both perspectives are a part of the play is a key factor to understanding that the play is not only about colonization, but about Yoruba culture. Soyinka’s play makes such a forceful impact on the readers and viewers because of the specific dialogue and characters that he brings to life through perfect stage direction and conversation. Writing a play may not have been the most popular way to present his argument, but it was definitely the most effective.
Works Cited
Soyinka, Wole. Death and the King’s Horseman A Norton Critical Edition. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2003. Print.
