Characters
This man is chose to commit ritual suicide after the king dies
Who is Elesin?
The play is set in this 1940s Nigerian city during British colonial rule.
What is Oyo?
The belief that the dead king must be accompanied to the afterlife represents this aspect of Yoruba cosmology.
What is the cycle of life/death?
A key theme is the clash between these two cultures.
What are tradition and colonialism?
"The world is not something we pass through. It is what we leave behind..." – This quote reflects what concept?
What is legacy or the impact of one's actions?
This character is the British colonial officer who intervenes in the ritual.
Who is Pilkings?
Elesin must die to follow this person to the afterlife.
Who is the king?
This term refers to the spiritual world in Yoruba belief.
What is the afterlife or “Orun”?
The market symbolizes this in Yoruba tradition.
What is the center of life/community?
"My will was squashed beyond redemption" – Who says this, and what does it reveal?
Who is Elesin? It reveals his guilt and failure.
She is Elesin's new young bride.
Who is the Bride?
The disruption of Elesin’s ritual leads to this tragic outcome
What is cultural and spiritual imbalance?
Yoruba rituals emphasize the balance between these three realms.
What are the ancestors, the living, and the unborn?
Elesin’s hesitation reveals this theme about duty and desire.
What is conflict between personal desire and societal duty?
A character describes the British view of the ritual as this, showing cultural misunderstanding.
What is savage?
This character is Elesin’s son, educated in England.
Who is Olunde?
This character ultimately takes his own life to restore cosmic balance.
Who is Olunde?
This ceremony is central to the conflict in the play.
What is ritual suicide?
The play questions whether colonialism can ever truly understand this.
What is indigenous spirituality?
"You have shattered the peace of the world forever" – Who says this and to whom?
Who is the Praise-Singer to Elesin?
The praise-singer serves this symbolic role in Yoruba tradition.
What is the praise-singer?
The British interrupt the ritual because they believe it is this.
What is barbaric or uncivilized?
The Horseman is considered this to the king's spirit.
What is the spiritual escort?
The title refers to this symbolic role in the king’s afterlife journey.
Who is the King’s Horseman?
This character speaks most in poetic language, symbolizing oral tradition.
Who is the Praise-Singer?