Death and the King's Horseman
In Oyo in 1946 the king has been dead a month, and Elesin, his horseman, is expected to follow him by will at the close of the market day. The colonial District Officer hears what is planned and moves to prevent it, while Elesin's son arrives home from medical study in England into the middle of the arrangement. Soyinka's preface refuses the clash-of-cultures reading and insists the play is about a metaphysical threshold; it stands as the central work of modern African drama.
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Lineage
- influenced by ↑ The Bacchae
Attributes
Archetype (Jung / Campbell)
Plot structure
Symbol / motif
Conflict
Culture / tradition
Closest analogues
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