Death and the Kings Horseman by Wole Soyinka

Description

Widely considered to by Soyinka”s greatest work, this play goes to the heart of the disruption of pre-colonial reality and reveals the way in which – when cultures clash, the world is turned upside-down. The notes to this edition include an interview with the playwright, a discussion of themes and characters, a dossier of photographs and notes on the production history, compiled by Alby James

‘This play, by the winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature, asks- ”On the authority of what gods” the white aliens rupture the world. ”It puts exciting political theatre back on the agenda. . . a masterpiece of 20th century drama” Guardian. Elesin Oba, the King”s Horseman, has a single destiny. When the King dies, he must commit ritual suicide and lead his King”s favourite horse and dog through the passage to the world of the ancestors. A British Colonial Officer, Pilkings,intervenes to prevent the death and arrrests Elesin.