Death and the King's Horseman: A Play

By: Wole Soyinka

Published April 17th 2002 by W. W. Norton Company (first published January 1st 1975)

Category: Biography

Pages: 80 pages

ISBN: 9780393322996

Description:
Based on events that took place in Oyo, an ancient Yoruba city of Nigeria, in 1946, Wole Soyinka's powerful play concerns the intertwined lives of Elesin Oba, the king's chief horseman; his son, Olunde, now studying medicine in England; and Simon Pilkings, the colonial district officer. The king has died and Elesin, his chief horseman, is expected by law and custom to commit suicide and accompany his ruler to heaven. The stage is set for a dramatic climax when Pilkings learns of the ritual and decides to intervene and Elesin's son arrives home.