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Iyaloja
The district officer in the colonial Nigerian city of Oyo. He's self-important, pompous, and has no time for the native religious practices, which he refers to as "nonsense" and "mumbo-jumbo." Because he thinks so little of the Yoruba religion and the people, he sees no problem with wearing the egungun to a costume party a few weeks after confiscating the costumes from the leaders of the egungun cult of the dead. Pilkings is cruel and callous to everyone who is (or who he believes is) below him in the hierarchy. This includes Elesin and Amusa, as well as his wife, Jane. He's especially dismissive of Jane's attempts to make him understand the importance of being sensitive to the local culture and customs, and shouts at her to stop interfering with his work. Pilkings only takes Elesin's suicide so seriously because the prince of England is visiting, and because of that, Pilkings feels that he has to look competent and in control in front of his superiors. His manner implies that the rest of the time, he takes control when the mood strikes him or when it suits him to do so, and simply behaves rudely and derisively the rest of the time. Though Pilkings says that Elesin dying wouldn't be a great loss—he's had run-ins with Elesin in the past and finds Elesin difficult to deal with and annoyingly entrenched in native customs—Pilkings does fully believe in the Christian idea that suicide is a sin. To this end, Pilkings does his best to stop Elesin's death, and succeeds. He tells Elesin that he's doing his duty by saving him, and refuses to consider that he's actually doing Elesin and the local people a major disservice.
Simon Pilkings Quotes in Death and the King’s Horseman
The Death and the King’s Horseman quotes below are all either spoken by Simon Pilkings or refer to Simon Pilkings. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 2 Quotes
Pilkings: Nonsense, he's a Moslem. Come on, Amusa, you don't believe in all this nonsense do you? I thought you were a good Moslem.
Amusa: Mista Pirinkin, I beg you sir, what you think you do with that dress? It belong to dead cult, not for human being.
Pilkings: Oh Amusa, what a let down you are. I swear by you at the club you know—thank God for Amusa, he doesn't believe in any mumbo-jumbo. And now look at you!
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Jane: But Simon, do they really give anything away? I mean, anything that really counts. This affair for instance, we didn't know they still practised the custom did we?
Pilkings: Ye-e-es, I suppose you're right there. Sly, devious bastards.
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Jane: Simon, you really must watch your language. Bastard isn't just a simple swear-word in these parts, you know.
Pilkings: Look, just when did you become a social anthropologist, that's what I'd like to know.
Jane: I'm not claiming to know anything. I just happen to have overheard quarrels among the servants. That's how I know they consider it a smear.
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Act 4 Quotes
Resident: You should have kept me informed Pilkings. You realise how disastrous it would have been if things had erupted while His Highness was here.
Pilkings: I wasn't aware of the whole business until tonight sir.
Resident: Nose to the ground Pilkings, nose to the ground. If we all let these little things slip past us where would the empire be eh? Tell me that. Where would we all be?
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Act 5 Quotes
Elesin: You did not save my life District Officer. You destroyed it.
Pilkings: Now come on...
Elesin: And not merely my life but the lives of many. The end of the night's work is not over. Neither this year nor the next will see it. If I wished you well, I would pray that you do not stay long enough on our land to see the disaster you have brought upon us.
Pilkings: Well, I did my duty as I saw fit. I have no regrets.
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You did not fail in the main thing ghostly one. We know the roof covers the rafters, the cloth covers blemishes; who would have known that the white skin covered our future, preventing us from seeing the death our enemies had prepared for us. The world is set adrift and its inhabitants are lost. Around them, there is nothing but emptiness.
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You were the final gift of the living to their emissary to the land of the ancestors, and perhaps your warmth and youth brought new insights of this world to me and turned my feet leaden on this side of the abyss. For I confess to you, daughter, my weakness came not merely from the abomination of the white man who came violently into my fading presence, there was also a weight of longing on my earth-held limbs. I would have shaken it off, already my foot had begun to lift but then, the white ghost entered and all was defiled.
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It is when the alien hand pollutes the source of will, when a stranger force of violence shatters the mind's calm resolution, this is when a man is made to commit the awful treachery of relief, commit in his thought the unspeakable blasphemy of seeing the hand of the gods in this alien rupture of his world. I know it was this thought that killed me, sapped my powers and turned me into an infant in the hands of unnamable strangers.
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Elesin: Go to the gates, ghostly one. Whatever you find there, bring it to me.
Iyaloja: Not yet. It drags behind me on the slow, weary feet of women. Slow as it is, Elesin, it has long overtaken you. It rides ahead of your laggard will.
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No child, it is what you brought to be, you who play with strangers' lives, who even usurp the vestments of our dead, yet believe that the stain of death will not cling to you. The gods demanded only the old expired plantain but you cut down the sap-laden shoot to feed your pride. There is your board, filled to overflowing. Feast on it.
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Simon Pilkings Character Timeline in Death and the King’s Horseman
The timeline below shows where the character Simon Pilkings appears in Death and the King’s Horseman. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 2
At the district officer Simon Pilkings's home, Pilkings and his wife, Jane, are tangoing through their living room, dressed in egungun...
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Pilkings is very disappointed by Amusa's explanation and says that he didn't think Amusa believed in...
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...trouble, but he didn't touch the egungun and must treat the egungun with respect. Annoyed, Pilkings says that there's nothing to be done when the natives get this way. He doesn’t...
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After Amusa leaves, Pilkings emerges, reads his note, and immediately calls for Jane. The note reads that tonight, Elesin...
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Pilkings thinks that this may just be an unfounded rumor, but Jane points out that Amusa...
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Joseph knocks and Pilkings calls him in. Pilkings confirms that Joseph is a Christian and isn't bothered by the...
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Jane asks Pilkings and Joseph whether Olunde was Elesin's oldest son. Joseph says that Olunde was, and because...
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Joseph stiffly excuses himself. Jane reprimands Pilkings, as "bastard" isn't just a swear word here—it's extremely offensive. Pilkings is unconcerned and says...
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Once Joseph is gone, Jane implores Pilkings to understand that insulting holy water in front of Joseph is like insulting the Virgin...
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As Jane walks away to change, Pilkings shouts that he'll look extremely foolish if the drumming is just about a marriage and...
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Jane calls Pilkings for supper and asks how Joseph reacted when he said that the holy water isn't...
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Act 4
...a corner. The resident brings couples over to introduce them to the prince, and finally, Pilkings and Jane approach the prince. The prince is fascinated by their egungun costumes, and Pilkings...
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The resident is concerned about the contents of the note, but Pilkings says that it's just a strange custom and, apparently, Elesin has to commit suicide because...
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Sternly, the resident reprimands Pilkings for not informing him earlier about all of this. He says it'd be disastrous if...
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...uniform is missing "colorful sashes" and a "colorful fez" with pink tassels. Through his teeth, Pilkings tells Amusa to not act superstitious and threatens to feed him pork if he does....
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Once the aide-de-camp is gone, Pilkings turns to Amusa. Amusa starts to speak, but then stops and looks at the ceiling....
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...Jane recognizes him as Olunde. Olunde is thrilled once he recognizes Jane, and asks for Pilkings. Shocked to see Olunde, Jane says that he looks well. Olunde says that from what...
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Olunde asks again for Pilkings. For the first time, Jane understands the significance of Olunde being here. She says that...
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...explains that he knew he needed to come home to bury Elesin. Jane says that Pilkings is going to stop Elesin from dying, and Olunde says that this is why he...
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From offstage, Pilkings tells someone to "keep them here." He steps into Jane and Olunde's line of sight,...
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Quietly and privately, Pilkings asks the aide-de-camp if the cellar where they used to store slaves is still useable...
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Pilkings turns to Jane and asks her to stay with Olunde. When Olunde asks to see...
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...men to get their hands off of him. Jane tries to move Olunde inside as Pilkings gives the order to carry Elesin. Elesin continues to shout at the white men until...
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Act 5
...sits outside the cell, looking at the ground, and there are two guards watching him. Pilkings enters, leans against the bars, and joins Elesin in looking at the moon. He attempts...
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After a moment of silence, Elesin says that he knows Pilkings is waiting for dawn, as he believes that Elesin will be safe once the sun...
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Elesin tells Pilkings that he doesn't blame him, even though he stole Olunde and sent him to England...
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Pilkings offers that he spoke to Olunde about the matter, and Olunde asked for Elesin's forgiveness....
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Pilkings turns to go, but asks if he can ask Elesin a question. He explains that...
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Elesin turns to his bride and says that first he blamed Pilkings for his failure, then the gods, but now, he wants to blame her. He's not...
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Pilkings and Jane return to the cellar. Pilkings is annoyed that Jane keeps interfering as he...
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Pilkings leaves to fetch Iyaloja while Jane encourages Elesin to understand that Pilkings is trying to...
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Pilkings returns and asks Elesin to swear on his honor that he won't accept anything from...
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...over the line, and the guards blow their whistles and jump up to restrain Elesin. Pilkings races in, learns what happened, and Elesin asks them to leave Iyaloja alone. This makes...
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Pilkings says that it's time for Iyaloja to leave and explains that they're moving Elesin tomorrow....
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Iyaloja says that she's not here to explain things to Pilkings. She tells him that Elesin understands what happens when a king dies. He knows that...
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The aide-de-camp points out that the group is just women, so Pilkings agrees that they can enter. As the aide-de-camp runs off, Pilkings warns Iyaloja that his...
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...form a circle around it, and continue to chant with the drummer and the praise-singer. Pilkings asks what the object is, and Iyaloja says that it's the burden Pilkings made. Elesin...
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...the guards can do anything to save him, so they lower him to the ground. Pilkings races into the cell and performs CPR on Elesin while the women continue to chant.
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Iyaloja asks Pilkings why he's trying so hard to do something that nobody, not even Elesin, will thank...
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When Pilkings moves to close Elesin's eyes, Iyaloja shouts at him to stop and nods to the...
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