Wole Soyinka’s play Death and the King’s Horseman relies on the real incident about the man who prepares to commit ritual suicide and accompany the deceased king to the afterlife. This is the tradition of his people, and the violation of it seems more terrible than death: a curse, shame, and dishonor (Soyinka, 2002). Soyinka shows that these traditions are not so archaic since the time of action is the 40th of the twentieth century. The world is shaken by wars that do not seem more civilized or correct than ritual death. The connection between the world of the living and the world of the dead is real to the local people. The atmosphere of the ongoing transition, its inevitability and necessity is perfectly conveyed in the play.
As Olunde says, Elesin has the deepest protection from the king and the dead ancestors. If he does not commit ritual suicide, the king’s wrath can turn into irreparable trouble for the whole tribe forever. He must complete his life path and convey the message to the king so that his spirit does not languish without a companion (Soyinka, 2002). His death is unavoidable so all rituals must be observed in the right way. Therefore, his son Olunde thinks only about the ceremony that his duty commands him to perform over the body of the departed (Soyinka, 2002). After all, if he makes any mistake, the prosperity of the tribe will be threatened.
Saying that community veneration is at stake Olunde means that their world has been pushed out of its normal course, and its inhabitants have fallen into a bottomless trap. Simon Pilkings did not succeed in preventing the trouble, no matter how he played the role of a person doing good to people who do not understand him (Soyinka, 2002). The deaths of Elesin and Olunde became a tragic outcome as a result of the interference of the British colonists in the traditional Nigerian rite. However, the act of Olunde saved the local people from dishonor. He took on the burden of Elesin and sacrificed his life to save their world.
As the tribe believed, the timely completion of the ritual by Elesin would give people peace. The horseman’s mind would also be in peace if he follows the ritual. However, when the right moment approached, the white people did not allow him to commit a ritual and leave this world (Soyinka, 2002). Only the gods know what will happen with the whole tribe after that, but they understand that the course of life is reversed. White people have violated the law of the tribe which is followed by punishment. They have doomed the king to wander in the bottomless abyss of evil.
Simon Pilkings has severed the cord that links the Nigerians to the great origin. It means that he has broken the tradition that connected those people with their ancestors. The point is that each person is born within a certain point of geography and is the bearer of one or another nationality. It is extremely important to honor traditions since it is a common base that unites thousands of people and makes them think about common well-being. If the feeling of unity disappears, then people simply cannot coexist peacefully.
Therefore, this play is important for those who live in Canada or other parts of the world and are disconnected from their roots. Everyone should understand that they have their language and land, as well as history and culture. It is history that makes the life of an individual citizen conscious. If people do not know their past, they will not be able to build a bright future. If people do not know the mistakes of their ancestors, they will not be able to exclude their occurrence in the future.
References
Soyinka, W. (2002). Death and the king’s horseman. WW Norton & Company.