Death And The King Horseman Essay

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The Strength of Dedication Lies in Actions
“Death and The King’s Horseman” by Wole Soyinka tells the story of a man in Nigeria who must fulfill his obligation to follow the king into the afterlife in order to guide the king’s spirit and avoid complete chaos. The visitors from England hold no understanding toward the traditions of the locals and spoil the sacredness of many of their traditions, shedding light on Europe’s ignorance of traditions. They ruin the Horseman’s suicide, and the Horseman’s son has to step up to complete the ritual. In reality, it was due to the selfishness of the king’s horseman that led to the failed ritual, and the horseman is completely distraught. One of the main themes of the play is individual duty, and how each character understands the concept and how they act in accordance to their duty. Although Elesin, …show more content…

He illustrates this through his song of the Not-I bird, a representation of death. In his story, the Not-I bird travels to many people, and they shoo it away, exclaiming that they are not ready or that it is not their time. Elesin claims that when he sees the Not-I bird perched, “bade him seek his nest again, safe, without care or fear. I unrolled my welcome mat for him to see” (1055). He continues, saying “I am a master of my Fate. When the hour comes Watch me dance along the narrowing path… My soul is eager, I shall not turn aside” (1056). Elesin seems like he understands his fate and what will become of him. Yet he is almost too eager to leave. He does not express enough sobriety when dealing with the idea of his own suicide. In the beginning of the play, Elesin enjoys life too much, and shows an over eagerness and joking attitude. The gifts and women granted to him because of his sacrifice has gone to his head and affected him. He may understand his individual duty, but has not shown all that much dedication to it through his

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