Death and the King’s Horseman

Analysis by Ananya Vartak

Act 1
Setting: The marketplace of an ancient Yoruba city in Nigeria

Life & Death

In the market, Elesin asks the women to change him into lavish clothes. He also notices a
beautiful young girl and immediately asks to marry her. This shows the audience that though
Elesin is supposed to die the next day, he still desires the pleasures of life. Iyaloja notices this
and warns Elesin not to forget his duty.

*Note that Elesin asks his Bride to be the one to wash him and close his eyes after death. This
repeats throughout the book and plays an importance at the end.

Women & Power

The Yoruba market is a market traditionally run by women for women. Elesin chooses it as his
place to die, telling the audience that he finds the market comforting and a place where he is
supported.

“When I come among the women I am a chicken with a hundred mothers.”

Spoken by Elesin

This quote further supports the comfort that Elesin finds in the market women. Soyinka uses an
analogy, calling the women of the market “mothers”. This is in order to emphasize the comfort
that is brought by the women and to further underline their importance.

Duty & Collective Responsibility

It is the duty of the King’s Horseman to commit suicide thirty days after the death of the King.
The King’s Horseman will then lead the King across the dangerous path from the world of the
living to that of their ancestors. The fulfillment of this duty ensures the well-being of the rest of
the tribe.

The women of the market honor Elesin because they are grateful that Elesin is prepared to
sacrifice himself. Their future well-being relies on this sacrifice.

“The living must eat and drink. When the time comes, don’t turn the food to rodents’
droppings in their mouth.”
Spoken by Iyaloja to Elesin

When Iyaloja notices that Elesin is still tied to earthy pleasures she warns Elesin that he must
complete his duty, or harm may come to the living. She uses proverbs that further emphasize
the importance of Elesin fulfilling his duty of death.

Act 2
Setting: The District Officer’s House

Life & Death

“What the hell is the matter with you man!”
“What’s that rubbish again?”
Spoken by Simon Pilkings in response to Amusa

In act two, the difference between the colonists’ and the Yoruba tribes’ views and life and death
are seen. The first example of this is shown through the Egungun costume. While the Pilkings
see the Egungun as a unique costume to wear to the ball, the Yoruba people see it as a deeply
spiritual costume representing death. While the Pilkings do not mind what the costume
represents, Amusa does. This tells the audience that the Yoruba tribe values death much more
than the colonists.

When Pilkings hears that Elesin is committing suicide he immediately wants to put a stop to it.
This is because Pilkings sees death as inherently bad. While the Yoruba people encourage Elesin
to commit suicide, the colonists try their best to prevent it. This is because of the difference
between Yoruba and English culture and the views on death that come with them.
Colonialism
“The old pagan wanted him to stay and carry on some family tradition or the other.
Honestly, I couldn’t understand the fuss he made.”
Spoken by Simon Pilkings about Elesin

In act two, Simon Pilkings recounts his previous encounter with Elesin. This encounter
highlights some of the differences between the colonists and the Yoruba people. While Pilkings
wanted to send Elesin’s son Olunde to London to study medicine, Elesin was firmly against it.
This is because Elesin was worried that Olunde going to London would deter him from fulfilling
his duty of becoming the next King’s Horseman and dying with the next King. The Pilkings didn’t
understand how a tradition could be based on someone’s death. They were rude and dismissive
of Nigerian culture. This led Pilkings to abduct Olunde and send him to London against the will
of Elesin.

Act 3

Life & Death

Elesin speaks with eagerness about fulfilling his role as King’s Horseman. He is telling those
around him that not only is he ready to die, but he is also excited about it.

*Note that Elesin repeats that his bride will cover his eyes after death.

Women & Power

Act three shows the audience how much power women truly hold in Yoruba society. When
Seargent Amusa comes to the market with his officers to arrest Elesin, the women ensure that
Elesin is left alone. The market women make fun of and harass Amusa until he leaves. Sergeant
Amusa is a man who holds a great deal of power, however, the women were still able to make
him and his officers leave. Amusa and his officers also had weapons that they could have used
against the women. This moment tells us that in the Yoruba tribe, women have so much power
that Amusa would not risk disobeying them.

“What gives you the right to obstruct our leader of men in the performance of his duty?”
Spoken by Iyaloja to Seargent Amusa
This quote shows the audience the authority wielded by Iyaloja as she prevents Amusa from
arresting Elesin.

“This is the home of our mothers”

Spoken by the market girls

The market women are once again referred to as ‘mothers’. This tells the audience that the
market women are the center of society. It can also act as a metaphor saying that the market is
where the conception of the world as a whole took place.

Duty & Collective Responsibility

In act three the ritual where Elesin will commit suicide commences. Elesin speaks with
eagerness about his death, telling the audience that he is happy to be fulfilling his duty. The
Praise-Singer begins the ritual call-and-response between himself and Elesin which prompts
Elesin to go into the trance and starts the ritual.

“I have freed myself of earth and now… It’s getting dark. Strange voices guide my feet.”
Spoken by Elesin

This quote suggests to the audience that Elesin is able to loosen his grip on life as he succumbs
to the mesmerizing trance.

Act 4

Life & Death

In act four, the audience, Olune, and Jane think that Elesin has committed suicide. However,
Elesin suddenly enters the scene, adding an element of surprise and making the scene more
dramatic.

Duty & Collective Responsibility

“Only that there was no other way to save lives”
Spoken by Jane Pilkings to Olunde.
Jane and Olunde discuss the war (World War II) and how it affects British soldiers. Jane and
Olunde express their views on the duty of a captain who blew himself up in order to save those
around him. Olunde finds his actions honorable while Jane finds them disgraceful.

Olunde tells Jane that he has returned to bury his father and to fulfill his duty as the next King’s
Horseman. Jane is shocked at Olunde’s acceptance of a job that would kill him.

“I have no father, eater of leftovers.”

Spoken by Olunde

When Elesin comes rushing in, Olunde is ashamed that his father failed to carry out the duty his
people have relied on him to do, that of the King’s Horseman. He insults Elesin and leaves him
sobbing in shame.

Colonialism
During the ball, the Pilkings' Egungun costumes are admired by all around them, showing the
audience that it is not only the Pilkings that are ignorant of Nigerian culture but all colonists.

“You have no respect for what you do not understand”

Spoken by Olunde

Olunde tells Jane that from his four years, he has learned that English people have no respect
for what they do not understand. He implies that Jane’s rudeness towards the Egungun comes
from her belief that her culture is superior and not recognizing that other people’s beliefs are
just as important as hers. He says that Jane has the capacity to understand Nigerian culture if
she wanted to learn.

“Life should never be thrown deliberately away.”

Spoken by Jane Pilkings

Olunde tries to explain the Yoruba custom of the King’s Horseman’s suicide but Jane refuses to
listen. She finds the custom’s reliance on death barbaric. She is shocked that even after Olunde’s
time in England, he accepts the tradition.
Act 5

Life & Death

Elesin talks to his wife about why he could not die. He tells her about his desires for worldly
things had made him long to stay. However, he still refuses to accept responsibility and tells his
wife that he would have resisted this desire if not for Pilkings.

“Now forget the dead, forget even the living. Turn your mind only to the unborn.”
Spoken by Iyaloja to Elesin’s bride.

This suggests to the audience that Iyaloja is trying to look to the future beyond the disaster
brought about by Elesin, especially because the baby that the bride is carrying will be the next
King’s Horseman.

Throughout the drama, Elesin repeats that once he dies he wants his bride to close his eyes.
When he does die, Pilkings tries to close his eyes, symbolizing the colonists' interference with
Yoruba tradition.

Duty & Collective Responsibility

Iyaloja visits Elesin and insults him for not fulfilling his duty.

“You have betrayed us”

Spoken by Iyaloja

Iyaloja feels extreme anger at Elesin for his betrayal. She feels like the lifetime of honors that
the women bestowed upon Elesin were a waste. She even considers that they were obtained by
trickery because Elesin failed to fulfill his predetermined role as King’s Horseman.

In order to make up for his father’s inability to fulfill his duty, Olunde kills himself.

“Well, I did my duty as I saw it. I have no regrets.”

Spoken by Simon Pilkings
This suggests that Pilkings still believes that he did the right thing by arresting Elesin.

Women & Power

The market women are the ones to bring the body of Olunde to Elesin. Such an integral part of
the play depended on them, underlining their importance in Yoruba culture.

Colonialism
“...it is what you brought to be, you who play with strangers’ lives.”
Spoken by Iyaloja to Pilkings

This suggests that Iyaloja believes that the inopportune deaths of Olunde and Elesin are a result of
Pilkings’ ignorant actions.