Death and the King’s Horseman

by

Wole Soyinka

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Death and the King’s Horseman: Act 1 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
As the market is closing up for the day, Elesin dances through it and sings, accompanied by drummers and his praise-singer. The praise-singer teases Elesin about racing too quickly toward the women in the market and forgetting the people who already know and love him, but Elesin insists that he loves the market and needs to be among the women there. Laughing, the praise-singer points out that this is a special day for Elesin, and maybe he shouldn't be running for the women in the market. He asks if Elesin is certain that there will be someone as skilled as he is at singing Elesin's praises in the afterlife and says that if Elesin needs him to come too, he'll follow.
Given the way that Elesin acts and dances so happily through the market, it's clear that he loves life and specifically, loves women and the market. Keep in mind that in the Yoruba belief system, the market is a metaphor for the center of the world. This shows that Elesin wants to be in the middle of the living world—and by extension, among the women who are there and who, biologically, are responsible for creating life.
Themes
Life and Death Theme Icon
Women and Power Theme Icon
Elesin assures the praise-singer that he doesn't need him to accompany him to the afterlife; instead, the praise-singer needs to remain in this world so he can sing about Elesin for those who are still alive. Elesin again praises the market, where the women dote on him and spoil him with fine fabrics and food. The praise-singer warns Elesin that if he's not careful, the women might weaken his resolve to die, but Elesin says that he wants to die having danced with the women and smelled the smells of the marketplace.
The conversation between Elesin and the praise-singer tells the reader that Elesin is going to die later on in the play. This is Elesin's last hurrah, and because he loves life, women, and the market so much, he wants to spend his last hours there with them. The way he speaks about the women shows that he's a beloved figure to them as well.
Themes
Life and Death Theme Icon
Women and Power Theme Icon
Quotes
Elesin and his praise-singer discuss that the world has never "wrenched from its true course," despite the city's history of destruction and of "white slavers" that brought damage to Elesin's people. The praise-singer, through this, seeks to encourage Elesin to do what he's supposed to do and die later. Elesin tells his praise-singer that the "Not-I bird" has been calling around. According to Elesin, who dances and sings the story of the bird, the Not-I bird flies around to people, telling them that death is getting close, and everyone--animals included—says "not I" and pretends to not hear the bird. Even the immortal gods are afraid of this bird. As Elesin performs, more women enter to watch him, including Iyaloja, the “mother of the market.” Iyaloja asks how Elesin feels about the Not-I bird, and Elesin says that when the bird came to him, he invited it inside and then sent it home, happy.
Elesin and the praise-singer note that colonialism and slavery have done horrible things to their culture and their ancestors, but they insist that the world is still pretty much in balance. This suggests that they possibly underestimate the destructive power of colonialism at this point. Given the way that Elesin talks about the Not-I bird, he gives the impression that he and he alone isn't afraid of death. With this, he shows that he accepts that it's his duty to die and welcome the bird. His performance is boastful but also shows his general exuberance and popularity.
Themes
Life and Death Theme Icon
Duty and Collective Responsibility Theme Icon
Colonialism Theme Icon
Quotes
The women in the market and the praise-singer ask Elesin if there's anything that will keep him from dying, but Elesin assures them that when the time comes, he'll eagerly dance toward death to go keep the king company in the afterlife. He says that in life, he and the king were close and spent all their time together, enjoying the best things the world had to offer. The praise-singer says that Elesin came upon "the calabash of honor" and, thinking it was wine, drank the entire thing. Elesin again says that he's honorable and will take care of his people by behaving honorably.
It's important that there's this call-and-response exchange between Elesin and the praise-singer and the market women. This allows them to demonstrate that Elesin's death isn't something personal to him; instead, it's something that they all have a stake in. Notice too how the praise-singer speaks about how honorable Elesin is. This gives the reader evidence for why they should take Elesin seriously when he says he's going to die as planned.
Themes
Life and Death Theme Icon
Women and Power Theme Icon
Duty and Collective Responsibility Theme Icon
Quotes
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When the women tell Elesin that he's a man of honor, however, Elesin tells them to stop. The women worry that they offended Elesin, and Elesin confirms that he's extremely offended. Nervously, Iyaloja asks for Elesin to forgive them and tell them what they did wrong. Iyaloja and the women kneel and beg Elesin to correct them as Elesin asks if his body should "be taken for a vagrant's." The women are still baffled, and the praise-singer tells Elesin to tell them what they need to do. Elesin says that a man of honor shouldn't be wearing the clothes he's wearing, and he laughs. The women run to fetch rich clothing from their market stalls.
Playing this joke on the women isn't especially nice, but it again establishes Elesin as a beloved figure among the women at the market. They want to please him and make him happy, and it never occurs to them that Elesin might actually be the one at fault here. This does show that Elesin (and men more broadly) have more power than women in terms of action in the play, while women must do what they can to keep men happy and satisfied.
Themes
Women and Power Theme Icon
The women dress Elesin in the rich clothing and again ask for forgiveness. Elesin insists that since he loves all the women so much, he has to forgive them for anything and everything. The women and Iyaloja dance and sing that they feared that they'd upset the balance of the universe by offending Elesin on this great day. When Elesin is fully dressed, he stands surrounded by the dancing women. As he catches sight of something offstage, he says that the world is good. The women respond that they know he'll leave the world in a good place. Elesin says that he cannot disconnect himself from his roots, even though he can't actually see the "navel of the world."
Just as the women have a responsibility to make Elesin happy, Elesin understands that he must return the favor and make the women happy if he wants to keep the world in order. This begins to show that there's a symbiotic relationship between the men and women in Elesin's society, and everyone has a role to play in order to make the society function properly. Notice too that offending someone means upending the entire universe. This sets up the stakes for not behaving properly—it would be catastrophic.
Themes
Life and Death Theme Icon
Women and Power Theme Icon
Duty and Collective Responsibility Theme Icon
The distraction that caught Elesin's eye—a beautiful young woman—walks into the market. Elesin says that the world is creating a fantastic farewell for him, unless he's already dead. He asks the surrounding women and the praise-singer if he's still in the market, or if he's gone. The praise-singer is concerned by these questions and assures Elesin that he's still the one speaking to him, not departed praise-singers in heaven.
Here, Elesin's musings about the bride show that women are powerful in ways not necessarily connected to their actions—the bride has the power, through her beauty, to make Elesin question if she's of a different world.
Themes
Life and Death Theme Icon
Women and Power Theme Icon
Elesin points out that as the horseman of the king, he had access to any woman he wanted. He notes that people would say that if they hid a beautiful woman in a tree, he'd choose that tree to camp under. The praise-singer says that Elesin certainly has a reputation. He reminisces about the time that they caught Elesin with his bride's sister, and Elesin insisted that he was honoring her like a "grateful in-law." The praise-singer praises Elesin's virility and reputation with the women, but Elesin stops him and asks who the young woman is whom he saw enter the market.
By establishing Elesin's reputation as a ladies' man, the praise-singer and Elesin continue to make it clear that Elesin's love of life is rooted primarily in his desire for carnal pleasures. Notice, however, that this isn't portrayed as a bad thing, even when Elesin does something that seems uncouth (like sleeping with his sister-in-law). Instead, it's what gives him a good reputation with women.
Themes
Life and Death Theme Icon
Elesin describes how beautiful the young woman’s body is and again asks who she is. Hesitantly, Iyaloja tries to speak. She agrees that Elesin is still alive and therefore able to notice beautiful women, but she says that the woman is already engaged. Annoyed, Elesin asks why Iyaloja had to share this information with him. Iyaloja says that this day belongs to Elesin, but suggests that Elesin should want to be remembered by what he leaves. Elesin agrees with this and says that it's only through memory that people can defeat death, but suggests that he'd like to "travel light" and leave behind something that will benefit all of those still living. The women tell Elesin he's honorable, and Elesin replies that since he's so honorable, he needs to marry this young woman.
What Elesin is referring to, in a roundabout way, is that he'd like to have sex with the bride and conceive a child with her to leave behind after he dies. This suggests that this child would be one other way that the people still living could remember Elesin, alongside the memories of his honor. His annoyance when Iyaloja shares that the bride is engaged shows that while Elesin may talk the talk about doing what's right for his community, he also has a selfish streak and wants to get his way, regardless of the cost.
Themes
Life and Death Theme Icon
Duty and Collective Responsibility Theme Icon
Iyaloja points out that Elesin, in his honor, doesn't ruin other people's happiness for his own pleasure. Elesin, however, says that the women are trying to stop him from one final pleasure. He says he'd like to "travel light" by having sex with the young woman and allowing their child to stay behind. Iyaloja turns to the women and says that since Elesin is already so close to death, she can't refuse him. They remind Iyaloja that the bride is already engaged to Iyaloja’s own son, but Iyaloja says she can't ruin Elesin's final day for him. In order to keep the world in order, she cannot let Elesin die with regrets.
By leveraging the fact that Elesin is preparing to die for his people and do them a massive favor (his death will keep the cosmic order in line), Elesin is able to get Iyaloja to allow him to marry the bride. This shows that in addition to getting extra privileges just because he's the king's horseman, Elesin also gets special treatment because of the sacrificial service he's going to perform for his people.
Themes
Life and Death Theme Icon
Women and Power Theme Icon
Duty and Collective Responsibility Theme Icon
Elesin asks if the women have come to a decision, and Iyaloja answers that they have: Elesin can have the young woman. She points out, however, that Elesin should take care to not leave a curse. This offends Elesin a little, and he becomes even more exasperated when Iyaloja says that they need to go prepare both his bridal chamber and his burial shrouds. He recovers and asks that his young bride perform the final rites after he dies. The women leave and return with the woman.
When Elesin seems to startle at Iyaloja's mention of the burial shrouds, it suggests that he's actually not as keen on dying as he’s previously pretended to be. He's far more interested in having sex with his bride than he is in dying—something that, on a grander scale, suggests that Elesin is more interested in the pleasures of life than he is in an honorable death.
Themes
Life and Death Theme Icon