Self-reflexive Identity in Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman: A Metadramatic Approach

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المستخلص

This paper attempts to explore the pivotal role of the metadramatic techniques of 'role- playing within the play', 'real life reference within the play', and 'Ceremonies within the play'in presenting the indigenous identity in Death and the King's Horseman (1975) by the Nigerian playwright, Wole Soyinka (1934- ). This is investigated through adopting the literary theory of resistance. “Role- playing” will be investigated through the sarcastic play-acting by Yoruba girls to one another in English accent. ‘Real life reference' within the play will be tackled through the devices of music, dance, Yoruba metaphorical language, as well as the adoption of a true story into a literary work of art. 'Ceremonies within the play' will be elucidated through showing Yoruba rituals of the king and his horsemen's death. The Nigerian struggle against the colonial/postcolonial practices and the negative consequences that seek to eliminate the indigenous culture and identity by replacing it with the culture of the colonizer will be examined. Hence, the present study will investigate how far the metadramatic devices in the play act as elements of self- reflexive identity against the so called 'English culture crawling'.

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