Myth and Worldview in Wole Soyinka's Death and The KIng's Horseman and Ola Rotimi's The Gods Are Not To Blame

MYTH AND WORLDVIEW IN WOLE SOYINKAS DEATH AND THE KINGS HORSEMAN AND OLA ROTIMIS THE GODS
ARE NOT TO BLAME
BY
ADOH CALEB IFEANYICHUKWU 090102019
BEING A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS, AKOKA. IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE RE UIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE IN ENGLISH
FEBRUARY, 201!
Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com
CERTIFICATION I certify that this project was carried out by A"#$ C%&'( I)'%*+,-$./0. under my supervision
.. DR ADENIJI ABIODUN SUPERVISOR DATE
DEDICATION I dedicate this project to God Almighty whose strength and favour saw me through my four years at the University of Lagos and for a successful completion of this research project. I also dedicate this project to every single member of my family. You guys roc ! I super love you guys"#ad$ %um$ &osh$ 'uthy and my (id brother$ )recious.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS %y sincere appreciation goes to my fantastic supervisor$ #r Adeniji Abiodun for his invaluable support and encouragement during this research. %any than s to my brother$ &oshua Adoh$ for his support throughout the course of this research. %y sincere appreciation goes to my wonderful friends amongst friends* Alvina Ibe$ +seohe Imonah$ ,guntade #amilola$ -inclair A onam$ Ife oya .abitha$ +lvistiniti$ A inola ,gunsa in$ Abimbola Adego e and +ragbie +lijah and to all my fantastic roomies in /012$ %ariere 3all. And finally$ I want to use this opportunity to specially appreciate #r. Afolayan$ #r. 4hris Anyo wu and #r. .ope , eto i 5of 'hema 4ampus 6ellowship$ Unilag7 for their support. I also appreciate all the lecturers who have taught me and imparted me with nowledge throughout my stay at the prestigious University of Lagos. God /less you all!
TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE .itle )age 4ertification #edication Ac nowledgement .able of 4ontents CHAPTER ONE1 INTRODUCTION Aims of -tudy /ac ground to the -tudy ,bjectives of the -tudy -cope of -tudy .heoretical 6ramewor %ethodology #efinition of .erms CHAPTER TWO1 LITERATURE REVIEW CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR -ummary 6indings -uggestions 4onclusion =or s cited
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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION AIMS OF STUDY .he central plan of this study is to identify and e>amine the concept of myth and how tradition$ culture coupled with history form the foundation of a people?s myth. .his project will analyse the elements that combine to carve myths@@ not a haphaAard espousal$ but a critical analysis of history$ the element that e>plains the state of things. In simplified terms$ this study see s to critically give readers a panoramic view on how the worldview and philosophy of a people $ in terms of death$ predestination and birth form the myth that is passed down from generation to generation. .his study also see s to analyse what I call the Bartistic and cultural consciousnessB of the writer$ that is$ to determine the writer?s standpoint and to evaluate the creative ingenuity of the writer in incorporating cultural ideologies into the art of composing literature. .he African artist is not of the school of thought that believes in the Cart for art sa eD philosophy$ but the African artist sees art as the medium for the communication of CtruthsD that pervade the spheres of the African society. In a much larger sense$ the African artist is concerned with the C utileD function of his construct rather than the CdulceD function of art.
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY .his research project is as a result of +EG 09F$ Introduction To Drama$ which triggered my interest in myths and how philosophical beliefs form the basis of human e>istence. .he course e>posed me to various aspects of African and Gree dramaturgy$ revealing them not only as aesthetic constructs$ but more importantly$ as creations borne out of the need for cultural
uniGueness$ encapsulating deep aspects of a culture. .his research see s to change the supposed CworldviewD of certain critics who are mostly non@Africans$ who critiGue the employment of myths by African writers as Caesthetically@motivatedD. =ole -oyin aHs Death and the Kings Horseman and ,la 'otimiHs The Gods Are Not to Blame are aimed at revealing the distinct nature cum strangeness of the African society. .his is evident in ,la 'otimiHs Adaptation of -ophoclesH Oedipus Rex. 3e perfectly adapts the wor to reveal the point of view of the Yoruba people in response to birth$ death and predestination. The Oxford Advanced earner!s
Dictionar" defines culture as Cthe customs and beliefs$ art$ way of life and social organisation of a particular country or group.D .hat is$ the total representation of a peopleHs thin ing and way of life. 4ulture is not wholly formed around its conventional elements* language$ dressing$ food etc.$ these are minute aspects that are set in motion by communal e>periences which give birth to the ideologies and sense@perception that form the basis of diverse cultural elements. A popular African Guote says Cthe story is more important than the storytellerD. .his means that the story is the binding element that unites legendary and historic events performed by ancestors with the present society. It is therefore imperative that the society preserves even for generations unborn the CstoryD$ which may represent the culture and the mythology of the people. In the same way$ cultural beliefs and myths do not come to e>ist just li e the Cbig@bang theoryD$ but they assume their acceptance not in spontaneity$ but a gradual process$ which thereafter becomes accepted by the people who ma e up the society. 3owever$ anthropologists define culture as what everybody has. In the same vein$ a society cannot e>ist if its members do not mutually agree to a consensus$ with a view to CmarryingD all perspectives in order to live in communion. .herefore$ society can only be functional when individuals come together$ bringing with them their independent ideologies or values to what I call the Ccommunity sGuareD$ with the
aim of establishing a unifying belief system. %yths e>ists in every society$ therefore myths are an important aspect of any culture. .o an uninformed audience$ myths are generally perceived to be philosophical and highly speculative@@speculative in a sense that myths are seen as non@ factual e>periences. .he introduction of the word CworldviewD$ in the project serves as a bac drop$ which helps to give a better understanding of myths and their e>isting relationship with religion$ anthropology and cultural history. A school of thought also believes that myths are generally referred to be hypothetical$ based on conjecture and speculation. /ut this research will reveal that a societyHs mythical beliefs can only be understood only from the point of view of those who belong to such societies. According to 4hristian postulates and philosophy$ the death and resurrection of 4hrist is aimed at saving man ind from sin and its retribution. Also$ Islamic adherents posit that believing in Allah and the message of the holy )rophet %uhammad is the only way to paradise. .o non@believers$ the 4hristian and Islamic beliefs are mere myths founded on speculation$ but to the devout followers$ the cru> of their followership is more than a religion but a lifestyle they have come to CliveD. .his means that in order to understand myths$ one must first understand that any society has the right to view the world around them from a uniGue vantage point$ and one must analyse the history of a people without any bias. .his research will e>plore the #eltanschauung$ the worldview of the Yoruba people$ with a view to understanding why they see the world around them from a certain perspective. =ole -oyin aHs play Death and the King!s Horseman and ,la 'otimiHs The Gods Are Not to Blame reveal the Ccollective consciousnessD of the Yoruba people$ and it is therefore imperative to study the mythic cum archetypal symbols prevalent in the te>t to
be reviewed. African societies do not see physical things as sacred as beliefs$ myths and their culture. It is therefore important to evaluate the sacredness of myths and how it adds to a societyHs identity and psyche. =orldview is employed in this research project because it is only through worldview that Guestions posed by myths are answered. A lot of research has been conducted on the study of myths$ but only a few research projects have studied myths in relation with cultural philosophy. A lot of these research projects study the eywords@@ ?myth? and ?worldview? in isolation. =hile some research projects erroneously believe that myths are historic fictions. .his project see s to establish a synthesis between myth and worldview@@?worldview$? an e>planation of myths. .his espousal thereby gives a fuller and a much richer perspective@@revealing the motive behind these actions. .his project will e>plore values$ ethics$ emotions$ philosophy and beliefs peculiar to both writers of the te>ts to be analysed and their characters. .his project evaluates the established connectedness of myth and worldview. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY .he objectives of this study are* 0. .o establish the relationship that e>ists between myths and worldviewI J. .o e>plore and analyse mythic symbols and their significance$ thereby revealing cultural themes e.g. #eath$ predestination$ ritual etc. in the boo s to be reviewedI And F. .o e>plore the differences and similarities that e>ist in the boo s to be reviewed$ that is$ analysing both writersH points of view.
SCOPE OF STUDY =ole -oyin a?s Death and the King$s Horseman and ,la 'otimi?s The Gods Are Not To Blame will be used critically to analyse the eywords@@myth and worldview. .his study will give a general overview of the two terms and how they function interdependently. .hese boo s contain a plethora of myths and their significance with history and worldview. .hese boo s carry the idea of mythology from a completely uniGue standpoint"the Yoruba point of view. .his project is completely concerned with the issue of the metaphysical$ rather than the physical. .he Yoruban idea of the metaphysical is inherently identified in these plays. .hese boo s do not merely identify the e>istence of myths$ rather they advance the thesis of this project"the fact that one cannot understand the concept of myth$ without introducing the idea of worldview. In other words$ worldview with history helps to e>plain myths. Unli e other boo s which have tal ed about myths$ these boo s"The Gods Are Not to Blame and Death and the King!s Horseman relate myths with culture. %ost importantly$ from an aesthetic standpoint$ these boo s do not only emphasise myths and worldview$ but they also emphasise the fact that oral African resources are employed in order to properly advance the focal point of these wor s.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 4ontrary to the defunct view that myths are borne out of superstition@@a fictitious event orchestrated by a people. B%yth is fundamental$ the dramatic representation of our deepest instinctual life$ of a primary awareness of man in the universe$ capable of many configurations upon which all particular opinions and attitudes dependB5-chorer J27. .he mythic or better called mythological approach will give a more insightful and incisive analysis and e>ploration of myth
and worldview in this research. .his approach will be used as a guiding post so as to enable a critical and proper analysis.
.he mythic or mythological criticism is a literary approach that is e>tensively related to other fields li e anthropology$ psychology$ religion and cultural philosophies which see to identify and e>plore in succinct terms the concept of myth and mythic symbols. .his approach is rigorous and wide in its application$ unli e other literary approaches. Archetypes or archetypal symbols are an important aspect of the mythological approach. .hese symbols are not universally interpreted but analysed from a specific culture?s point of view$ for e>ample$ death$ creation$ the celestial bodies$ predestination are identified as common archetypal symbols and themesI however$ they can only be understood when placed within the conte>t of a people?s e>istence. .he mythic approach is not only concerned with myths in their entirety$ but with the ?whys? behind these myths. According to Aristotle?s law of causality$ the e>planation of why things happen$ the mythic approach e>tensively loo s at the motivating factors that determine these myths. .he mythical approach supplies e>planation to different culture?s beliefs$ thereby constructively evaluating the author?s artistic creativity. %ost importantly$ the mythological approach see s to analyse and e>patiate on significant ideas peculiar to all types of myths@@be it religious or cultural e.g. -acrifice$ ritual$ creation$ and death. .his can be found in most myths e.g. &esus? birth and death$ a significant e>ample. 'udolf ,tto is a significant contributor to myth criticism. 3e established the concept of the numinous. The %ree Dictionar" &" %arlex posits that the numinous is an +nglish adjective ta en from the Latin word$ numen and which is used to describe the power or
the presence of divinity. 4arl Gustav &ung and 4arl Lewis freGuently used this concept in their writing. Another important aspect of myth criticism is the presence of archetypes and their application in the wor of art. The %ree Dictionar" &" %arlex defines archetypes as Can inherited pattern of thought or symbolic imagery derived from the past collective e>perience and present in the individualHs unconscious.D5E)7. It is therefore important to identify five major types of archetypes$ and these include* the self$ 5the regulating centre of the psyche and the facilitator of individuation7I the shadow 5the opposite of the ego image often containing Gualities with which the ego does not identify7I the anima 5the feminine image in a manHs psyche7I the animus 5the masculine image in a womanHs psyche7and$ the persona5the image we present to the world$ usually protecting the ego from negative images7. Also highly significant is the idea of the collective unconscious$ which The %ree Dictionar" &" %arlex defines as Ca part of the unconscious mind shared by a society$ a people or all human ind "the product of ancestral e>perience which contains such concepts as religion$ science and morality D5E)7. It also sees the concept of the collective unconscious as Ca part of the unconscious mind incorporating patterns of memories$ instincts and e>periences common to all man indD 5E)7. &ames 6raAer is a follower of the myth@ritual school$ a school of thought which believes myths emerge out of ritual during the natural process of religious evolutions. =hile another anthropologist$ /ronislaw %alinows i believes that myth and myth criticism tend to reveal unreal$ fictitious CrevelationsD of the origin of rituals$ therefore providing a justification for those rituals. %ircea +liade supports the notion that myth criticism functions to give e>planation to
ritual and cultures. %ircea +liade and /ronislaw %alinows i believe that myth cannot be separated from religion. -igmund 6reud too on a psychological standpoint 5myth in relation to psychology7 in the analysis of myths in his Interpretation of '"ths. 3e however saw myths as an e>pression and communication of repressed ideas. Another psychologist$ 4arl Gustav &ung tal s about the Bcollective unconsciousB and also about mythical symbols and archetypes. 'udolf ,tto$ +liade$ 4laude Levi -trauss$ /ronislaw %alinows i and &ames George 6raAer are major contributors and analysts of myth. .his project see s to e>pand the concept of myth and its relationship with worldview using theories and analysis of these authorities.
METHODOLOGY .his research will employ a step@by@step analysis of the salient words in the research topic$ myth and worldview$ in order to give a more general overview of the relationship between these concepts and how they are emphasiAed in the te>t. A thorough analysis of archetypal$ mythic and cultural symbols and their e>istence in the te>ts will be done. It is important to note that =ole -oyin a and ,la 'otimi are devout traditionalists and followers of Yoruba mythology. 3owever$ one cannot employ the mythological approach by merely analysing the author of the te>t and the story without analysing the setting and the society from which both comes from. .he mythological approach loo s not only at culture$ but also at history@@evaluating and analysing those events that underlie human behaviour which in turn create communal ideologies that trigger myth. .his research project will use the writers and their characters as samples representing the entire Yoruba people. -ampling these characters will help give a better
understanding of who the Yoruba people are and what they stand for. .hat is$ loo ing at the historical development$ in terms of tracing the events that ma e up Yoruba history and how they significantly carve culture. It is said that history gives the best e>planation to culture$ the same way that the 4hristian /ible gives e>planation to what the 4hristians believe in. .he /ible chronicles the history 5the birth and the death of &esus or the creation and the after@life story7 which 4hristians have been made to believe in. African societies have a collective consciousness which is based on communitarian ideologies$ that is$ an e>istence not based on the individual$ but on the common good of the community. In the course of this research$ wor s and boo s written by authorities in this area of mythology will be read to advance this academic research. A lot of internet sources$ journals and library materials will be consulted in the course of this research.
DEFINITION OF TERMS .he following terms will be used e>tensively and repeatedly in the course of this research. It> is therefore imperative that these words are e>plicitly defined according to how they will function in the course of this research process. .hese words are not defined according to their dictionary meaning but according to their functionality. M+3$1 A sacred belief of a people passed on from generations which see s to give e>planation to certain cultural and religious practices W#4&"5,'0* .his is a people?s complete and total way of thin ing and perceiving natural and spiritual phenomena.
I"'#&#6+* .his is a set of ideas that ma e up the perceptions$ thoughts and views of an individual or a people. .he word BideologyB and BworldviewB will be inter@substituted in this research. M+3$#&#6+* .his is the study and compilation of myths. M+3$,-7M+3$,-%&7M+3$#&#6,-%& A884#%-$ * .his is a literary approach that is wide in scope and related to other literary approaches and which is mainly concerned with analysing myths from different vantage points with a view to espousing thoughts and events that arise from man ind? psyche.
CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW In this chapter$ two distinct methods will be employed in order to properly advance the central plan of this research project. .he methods include* identifying$ evaluating and reviewing of different definitions of the word CmythD posited by authorities in relation to this present paperI and identifying$ evaluating and reviewing e>isting literature overtly related to this research project$ with a view to understanding all other perspectives. .he method of identifying$ evaluating and reviewing of different definitions of the word CmythD as posited by authorities in relation to this research$ is to enable us get a proper grasp of the word and its overt and covert conceptualiAation and application. .hese definitions help us to identify and understand the similarities in definition and the recurrent or overarching ideas identifiable in various definitions and their manner of application in the course of this research. Lawrence &. 3atab in his wor '"th and (hilosoph") defines myth as Ca narrative which discloses a sacred worldD5027.=hile Keronica Ions in The *orld!s '"tholog" says Cthe myth in a primitive society$ that is$ in its original form$ is not just a tale. It is a reality. .his nowledge provides man with motives for rituals and moral actsD5;7. %yth according to 3atabHs definition merely states that the myth of a specific society reveals distinct aspects of a people. It is important to note that the concept of myth$ though universal$ differs in manner and approach from society to society. KeronicaHs definition identifies that myths go beyond revealing a societyHs distinctiveness. -he further says that myths Care of an original$ greater$ more important reality$ through which the present life$ fate and man ind are governedD 50;7.
Eorman Austin in his boo 'eaning and Being in '"th says Cmyth purports to offer an adeGuate e>planation for everything@@for the elements$ and laws of nature for social structure$ ethics and the dynamics of the peopleD5J7 . .his definition or e>planation of the concept of myth by Eorman Austin poses a significant Guestion that this present paper see s to answer* #oes everything around a societyHs culture$ either concrete or abstract$ revolve around the notion of myth and worldviewL .o an e>tent$ it can be emphasised that the concept of myth and worldview function interdependently to concretise a societyHs belief and what they represent$ what he calls "Cthe dynamics of the people.D The %ree Dictionar" &" %arlex defines myth as* A traditional$ typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings$ ancestors or heroes that serve as a fundamental type in the worldview of a peoplee>plaining aspects of the natural world or delineating the psychology$ customs or ideals of the society.5E)7 A peculiar and recurrent idea that is emphasised in these definitions is that$ these definitions do not bother about the authenticity of the myth of a peculiar society$ but the overarching idea emphasised is the fact that myths are li e a binding force uniting society$ which also can be seen as what I call an Cidentity symbol.D .he truth@value and the implausibility of the myth is not emphasised$ rather they espouse the significant relationship between myth and worldview$ thereby emphasiAing what &. 3atab refers to as Cthe disclosing of a sacred worldD5J7.
It is important to note that these definitions do not undermine the total value of myths$ but instead they identify the fact that myths reveal the distinct aspects of a societyHs e>istence. =orldview or ideology refers to a cultureHs total belief in the physical and the metaphysical. .he concept of myth cannot be analysed in isolation$ it is therefore important that myth and worldview are evaluated not as individual$ independent entities but as functioning interdependently. It is therefore e>pedient to reiterate the aim of this research project$ which is to identify how the worldview of the Yoruba people emphasises the concept of myth and how it functions in =ole -oyin aHs Death and the King!s Horseman and ,la 'otimiHs The Gods Are Not to Blame+ It is therefore important to evaluate literatures that are related to this research studyI identifying$ evaluating and reviewing their distinct standpoints. In Anyo wuHs essay* King!s Horseman or Olo,un-.sin/ Histor" and the (olitics of Translation) he says* 6or -oyin a$ it will not do to indulge in culture clash theoretics. In the light of this$ the mythopoetic artist is usually wont to deploy concrete human events and actions as metaphoric Indeed$ =ole -oyin a chooses to MepochaliAeH 3istory in order to e>propriate its mythopoeic resourcefulness. 3ere$ clearly the dramatist has cashed in on the tragic essence of the028; saga *metaphysical confrontation$ the universe of the Yoruba mind which places the historical world of the living at the centreI and the human
vehicle$ +lesin.5F227 In =ole ,gundeleHs paper$ Death and the King!s Horseman* CA )oets Nuarrel with 3is 4ultureD* Research in African iterature$ he ta es on a view that see s to e>pose the historical relevance of the ,lo un@+sin myth the Yoruba people have come to believe in over the years. 3e says* ,ral history tells us that originally$ the ,lo un@+sin5master of the horse7 did not have to die along with his ing for any reason at all$ political or metaphysical. .he first to die did so willingly. .he reason oral historians say$ was that the particular ,lo un@+sin and the ing were uncommon close friends. -uch was the friendship that the ,lo un +sin enjoyed all the rights and privileges that the ing himself had$ plus all the good things of life available to the empire. =hen the ing died$ this particular ,lo un +sin thought that the only way to show his love and loyalty to his friend$ the dead ing$ was to die$ too. 59;7 6rom this e>cerpt from Anyo wu and ,gundele$ it can be deduced that the ,lo un@+sin myth came to e>ist in the Yoruba society from history"an historic event. And this CprocessD in 5which the ,lo un +sin must go through7 which the Yoruba people have come to believe over the years was fashioned out of what I call the Csheer commitmentD of the first ,lo un+sin to his
ing. .his event of the first ,lo un +sinHs sacrifice has carved for the Yoruba people a belief or worldview that posits that it is imperative that a ingHs horseman dies with the ing. Anyo wuHs and ,gundeleHs espousal has raised some Guestions that this present paper see s to answer* It is believed that African belief system and their inherent worldview come to e>ist by a direct interaction with the metaphysical"what I posit as Cdivine revelationD. .he Guestion raised now is* is the historic event 5the decision of the first ,lo un+sin7$ which is a completely human decision and a non@supernatural injunction able to create a worldview for the Yoruba people which they have come to believe inL .his present paper see s to answer this Guestion and other various Guestions that will emerge in the course of this review of different related literatures. 4heryl -terling in her treatise The 01n2&ro,en 3"cle in Death and King!s Horseman emphasiAes her viewpoint by trying to answer the Guestion. -he says* Asa in Yoruba translates simply to CcultureD or CtraditionD. It implies an awareness of the historical process$ itan and the engagement between history and story. Itan has dual signification$ in that it translates to both history and story. =hen the Yoruba employ the term pitan$ which means Cto tell historyD and Cto tell storyD$ could they be implying that in a historical retelling that there is always an elementof storytelling.D5<7 -he further goes on to say Cit is through the concept of asa and ori that the balance between the mythic and the historic be understoodD 527. -he further goes on to Guote ,labiyi Yai who says* Csomething cannot Gualify as asa$ which has not been the result of deliberate choice 5sa7 by individual or collective ori.D527
As emphasiAed earlier$ African societiesH belief system and worldview is created out of a direct interaction with ancestors and gods"a numinous and divine revelation. It inherently means that cultural norms beliefs$ and worldview Ccannot come into place without the human agent choosing such a condition.D527 .his means that the Yoruba worldview$ with respect to the first +lesinHs decision is by individual choice$ and which has arbitrarily become a norm society has come to believe in. .herefore we can infer that Cculture and tradition are mutable in the Yoruba worldviewD. 527 .his raises an important Guestion that this present paper see s to discuss* what is the spirituality of +lesinHs death when the belief that has come to pervade their belief system came into e>istence by a non@spiritual process"by the first +lesinHs volitionL #eath$ predestination and the death@rebirth theme or archetype are important aspects of the African society present in -oyin a and ,la 'otimiHs construct$ and this present paper intends to analyse these ideas and how they are emphasiAed in the te>ts from a Yoruba standpoint. 4heryl -terling further tal s about death from the Yoruba viewpoint. -he says* #eath$ it is important to understand is not the end. #eath is part of the cycle of life$ the cycle that lin s the unborn$ the living and the ancestral. 4rossing and lin ing these forces$ +lesinHs death is the Guintessential moment of cosmic communication 50J7 . %ost African religions believe in the transitional power of death. 6or instance$ the Igbo society also believes in a form of numinous passage into eternity. .hey emphasiAe the Yoruba belief that
there e>ists a direct relationship and interaction between the physical world and the metaphysical world. %.3 Abrams tal s about the deathOrebirth archetype in his boo A Glossar" of iterar" Terms. 3e says* the deathOrebirth theme was often said to be the archetype of archetypes$ and was held to be grounded in the cycle of the seasons and the organic cycle of human lifeI this archetype$ it was claimed$ occurs in primitive rituals of the ing who is annually sacrificed$ in widespread myths of gods who die to be reborn.5087 4heryl -terling further goes on to emphasiAe +lesinHs 3uman sacrifice. -he says$ Cthis is not to say that the death of the +lesin ,ba is not an act of human sacrifice$ but the very notion of sacrifice is pivotal in the Yoruba worldview as the propiatory act by human ind to secure the balance of the cosmosD. 5087 'egardless of the authorial heavy handedness of -oyin a towards critiGuing his wor as a Cclash of culturesD$ &ames /ooth in Human 4acrifice in iterature* The 3ase of *ole 4o"in,a$ he says* -oyin a adopts an organicist myth of communalism or negritude$ with characteristics$ metaphorical adventurousness and provocationI -oyin a attempts to rescue and rehabilitate this most irreducible symbol of primitivism 3e challenges +uropean images of barbarism 5:7.
&ames /ooth in his wor further Guotes 'everend -amuel &ohnson who says$ the name (ingHs 3orseman 5,na@,lo un+sin7 for instance designates a man whose function in life is to accompany the Alafin of ,yo into the ne>t world when he dies. .hat is his reason for living. 3e has no other optionD .58@97 .here is a big difference between the type of predestination found in ,la 'otimiHs The gods are not to Blame and =ole -oyin aHs Death and the King!s Horseman. .he type of predestination placed on +lesin is the embargo placed upon him by tradition and culture"formed from the historical event that too place with the first +lesin. =hile the predestination placed on ,dewale is from the gods. ,dewale is helpless in the midst of the gods. 'ev. -amuel &ohnson$ however$ does not ma e this distinction. After evaluating diverse points of view$ it is therefore important to as if the Yoruba society in its bid for communalism advocates conseGuentiality and the philosophy of Cthe greatest good for the greatest number of peopleD"the &eremy /enthamHs principle of utilitarianism. Eaveen (umar in Indigenous .raditions in -oyin aHs Death and the King!s Horseman Guotes .anure ,jaide who has this to say in reaction to the above Guestion$ ,rder to Africans is perceived as natural and ritualisticI to ensure harmony$ the absence of which will bring calamity to the whole group. 6or this reason$ an individual could be sacrificed to avoid a war or plague or any anticipated communalH disaster. In other words the individual can
be sacrificed for the wellbeing of the society.587 .his is probably because the African society is highly communitarian$ unli e the MindividualisticH =est. .he wellbeing of the community is of great importance to the society rather than individual desires$ that is a more reason why in Death and the King!s Horseman the characters pay great importance to the sacrifice of +lesin. 6or instance$ Iyaloja decides to voluntarily give the girl who has been betrothed to her son"the girl also does not hold still$ but she also gives herself to the Cwarm Mentrance.D +reji Achu ta es up a new point of view. 3e places emphasis on the mythical cum aesthetic function of the wor of art. 3e says$ Cthe myth reveals itself in its narrative form of the patterns adopted. .he +lesin uses the symbol of the CEot@I@/irdD to give us a reverberant voice of the mythD5JF7. 3e does not only place emphasis on the mythpoesis and the history of the Yoruba people but on -oyin aHs incorporation of the aesthetic from AfricaHs rich oral resources.
,n the denotative level$ the notion of fate and predestination is the cru> of ,la 'otimiHs The Gods Are Not to Blame. .his present paper see s to analyse the play on its denotative level rather than on the connotative$ which according to 6eli> +djeren is the Cnational disaster which he 5,la 'otimi7 thought was possible only because Eigerians allowed themselves to be pawns in the MwargamesH of the superpowers.D It is significant to note that if ,la 'otimi compares Eigeria to ,dewale in the sense that Eigeria allowed itself to be controlled by superpowers$ then no meaningful comparison e>ists between Eigeria and ,dewale$ because$ unli e Eigeria$ ,dewalesHs fate was sealed from the outset by the gods.
,n the issue of death and predestination 6eli> +djeren ta es on a different point of view when he says* the notion of fate as something which is rigidly pursued and e>ecuted and e>ecuted by the gods is foreign to Yoruba thought where fate is chosen by the individual before birth. .he only thing similar to Mvindictive fatalismH in Yoruba traditional thought is the belief that oneHs destiny could be altered for the worse by children of the world hostile spirits of affliction $ who do not$ however$ e>ecute fate but see to pervert it 5E)7. 3e reacts to the overt pressure of the Gree concept of fate$ tragedy and predestination in ,la 'otimiHs treatise. 3owever$ he goes on to say that Cthe over@whelmingly ironic plot of the Gree remains in this adaptation.D 3e caps it all by saying Cthe worldview presented in this play is definitely not Yoruba.D 56eli>7 Lloydetta Ursula Nuaicoe in her 'esearch )roject$ C'ethin ing Gree .ragedy in African
4onte>ts*A -tudy of ,la 'otimi and =ole -oyin a 5 differs from 6eli>Hs point of view. -he says* .he Yoruba worldview and belief system in myths is in away similar to the Gree s. .hat is why ,la 'otimi decides to employ -ophoclean tragedy. .he Gree s are nown to have a great pantheon$
the same way the Yoruba people have$ and their belief in the numinous. -he establishes the relationship when she says$ one of the most significant themes in the drama of ,edipus 'e> is the struggle of man against supernatural forces. 'otimi emphasised that this struggle$ which is well dramatiAed throughout the play$ begins at birth because the idea of some relationship between the gods and humans McorrespondsH to the belief of =est Africa.5;27 Pulu -ofola in The Theatre in the 4earch for Authenticit" refutes the idea that the play is completely borne out of the Yoruban worldview$ thereby emphasiAing that 'otimi attempts to Cclothe the Gree cosmic view in a Eigerian garbD.50F87. -he emphasiAes the fact that ,la 'otimiHs play is completely submerged in non@African tragedy"-ophoclean and Aristotelian tragedy. 'otimi reacts to criticsH uproar when he says in Dem 4a"*
.he idea of absolute subservience to the gods and acceptance of the immutability of fate which is a current motif in early drama$ to a large measure dictates the direction and outcome of the original ,edipus tragedy .raditional Eigerian religions also do ac nowledge the power of predestination.
6urthermore$ our religions appreciate the wisdom in personal submission"submission not only to the gods of the land but also to the memory of the departed ancestors.5;J@;F7. .his present study see s to evaluate and identify the completely African worldview of the Yoruba people and how it is emphasiAed in the play with regards to completely African symbols$ archetypes$ the deathOrebirth theme$ fate$ determinism and predestination. Pulu -ofola further ta es on a radical point of view in refuting the above Guote made by ,la 'otimi. Pulu -ofola says$* In Gree cosmology$ destiny is forced on individuals who are thus helplessly burdened with what they can neither influence nor alter. .hey may try to run away but they cannot escape. .heir natural impulse is to fight these natural and supernatural forces to survive. Africans on the other hand$ as we have seen$ actively participate in their own destinies$ and irrational and intolerable arrangements of their lives rarely occur. 3ence$ it would be inconceivable that an African would ever be destined to ill his own father and marry his own mother. Eor would an African god have
ordained that a child should commit murder in order to right a wrong which was still un righted$ but which had been committed earlier in his life.50F87 6rom my point of view$ Pulu -ofolaHs statement$ Cit would be inconceivable that an African would ever be destined to ill his own father and marry his mother$D emphasiAes the shallowness of Pulu -ofolaHs treatise. 3umans$ according to 6reudHs analytic behaviour of man posit that man has a tendency to develop the oedipal tendency regardless of race and country"it is universal. .he power to do good or evil is embedded deep in manHs psyche. Anyo wu in his essay Rethin,ing the Tragic in Ola Rotimi!s Dramaturg" $ emphasiAes that Cthe Yoruba concept of ori $predestination$ also holds that human beings are here on earth because of the terrestrial choice they had made in the house of ,runmila$ the Yoruba god of divinationD 587 3e believes that the gods play a vital role in orchestrating oneHs CperceivedD destiny$ while he or she also parta es in the predestination process@@* Cthe terrestrial choice they had made in the house ,runmila$ the Yoruba god of divinationD587
In analysing =ole -oyin aHs Death and the King!s Horseman and ,la 'otimiHsThe Gods Are Not to Blame$ one has to critically evaluate actions* the authorial input$ an individualHs actions and the collective actions of the characters. And this can be done and fully understood when these actions are placed and analysed not from a universal perspective$ but the uniGue and distinct point of view of the Yoruba people. %ost of these research projects study the concept of myth$ the ey terms related to it and its concepts in isolation. .his research project see s to synthesiAe the concept of mythology with the concept of worldview"using the concept of the
worldview as a bac drop in analysing mythic concepts. .his project succinctly employs the concept of worldview in order to properly elucidate and define what myths generally are$ and most importantly$ from the point of view of the culture being studied"the Yoruba people. .his present research project also see s to analyse mythic concepts* death$ rebirth$ predestination. .his present paper see s to answer various Guestions that have been raised by these literatures. 6or e>ample$ the relationship of cultural history to the worldview and myth of a people$ the significance of the first +lesinHs completely Cphysical and naturalD decision to die with the ing$ which in turn has created the supposed numinous belief of the +lesinHs death. .hese present paper see s to answer these Guestions and more in the course of this research.
CHAPTER THREE =ole -oyin a in Death and The King!s Horseman hinges on the transcendental worldview of the Yoruba people. .he play relates an actual event that too place in the defunct ,yo +mpire in 0288. .he play focuses on +lesin ,ba$ the (ingHs 3orseman. In the Yoruba tradition$ the +lesin must perform a ritual suicide when the ing dies. .his is e>tremely important because the (ingHs 3orseman is reGuired to accompany the ing$ or to serve as a horse upon which the dead ing shall successfully ride into the numinous beyond. If the ritual suicide is not performed$ the Yoruba society will plunge into disarray and confusion"the ingHs spirit becomes angry and he is forced to ma e life hard for the Yoruba people. )rior to his supposed ritual suicide$ he enjoys to the fullest$ the things of the earth. .he =omen$ the )raise@-inger and Iyaloja prepares +lesin psychologically and physically for his sacrifice. .he )raise@-inger motivates +lesin through his ori,i$ the praise. 3e says of +lesin* )raise@-inger* 6ar be it for me to belittle the dwellers of that place$ but a man is either born to his art or isnHt. And I donHt now for certain that youHll meet my father. -o who is going to sing those deeds in accents that will pierce the deafness of the ancient onesL...I need you on this journey and I shall be behind you5#(3.017. .he women and the entire society support him psychologically$ and even se>ually in order to fulfil the long tradition that has$ according to Yoruba history$ e>isted for ages. Iyaloja$ in order to
fulfil the order and the bidding of tradition$ gives her sonHs fiancQ to +lesin for se>ual satisfaction. -he says* Iyaloja* .he matter is no longer in our hands my sonHs wish is mine I did the as ing for him$ the loss can be remedied. /ut who will remedy the blight of closed hands on the day when all should be openness and light5#(3.J07. As the process of +lesinHs sacrifice was put in place$ -imon )il ings$ a local /ritish council ruler got wind of the information and he interrupts the ritual. 3e vehemently ic s against +lesinHs ritual suicide because he sees it as dastardly and barbaric. +lesinHs son$ ,lunde$ returns upon hearing about the stalling of the ritual process. 3e ta es on the dire responsibility of his father$ and he dies in his place in order to fulfil and preserve the supposed order and to maintain the much needed interaction between the physical world and the metaphysical world. .his throws the society into a tumult. .his is so because the order of the society has been drastically altered. In the Yoruba society$ it is a great evil for a son to die before the father. +lesin ills himself to save his face and to ta e his soul into eternal lamentation and suffering. .he AuthorHs Eote in page ; of -oyin aHs Death and The King!s Horseman is highly significant in advancing the central plan of this research project$ which is totally concerned with myth and how the worldview of the people go a long way to e>plicating their myth. %yths in all societies are generally referred to be metaphysical$ spiritual and sacred. .he main idea of the play is not
the clash between )il ings and the culture of the Yoruba people. Instead$ -oyin a emphasiAes in the AuthorHs note that the wor should not ta e on*
.he Mfacile tagH of clash of cultures$ a prejudicial label$ which$ Guite apart from its freGuent misapplication$ it presupposes a potential Guality in every given situation of the alien culturethe colonial factor is an incident$ a catalytic incident$ merely. .he confrontation in the play is largely metaphysical$ contained in the human vehicle which is +lesin and the universe of the Yoruba mind"the world of the living $ the world of the dead and the unborn$ and the numinous passage which lin s all traditions5;@<7. ,la 'otimiHs play The Gods Are Not To Blame$ ta es a whole new perspective$ entirely different from what -oyin a has done in his wor . -oyin a delves into Yoruba history$ conjoining it with the mythpoeic resourcefulness of the Yoruba tradition. =hile ,la 'otimi decides to adapt -ophoclesH Oedipus Rex$ introducing certain mythic and African elements$ the original play was written from the -ophoclean cum Aristotelian point of view of tragedy and predestination. /ut ,la 'otimi constructively uses these concepts coupled with African ideas to form a completely uniGue type of drama"what I call the Yoruban drama or tragedy.
.he play relates the story of the Yoruban protagonist$ ,dewale$ who is born to the family of the Adetusas. According to Yoruba custom$ the child is ta en to the Ifa priest in order to decipher the destiny of the child. ,dewaleHs destiny is predicted by the Ifas been one full of evil. .he Ifa priest$ /aba 6a unle says* /aba 6a unle* .his boy$ he will ill his own father and then marry his own mother 5F7. ,ne of the guards$ Gbon a is as ed to ill the child$ but he is compassionate and he therefore gives the little child to a poor family who in return acts as his foster parents. ,dewale grows up into a strong and virile young man with a terrible temper. As he grows$ he is told by a diviner that he is destined to ill his own father and marry his mother. 3e runs away from his supposed parents in order to avert the predicted illing of his parents. 3e is told to stay where he is$ but he decides to run away. In running away$ he comes closer and closer to fulfilling the destiny. =hile wor ing on a piece of land$ (ing Adetusa$ his father calls ,dewaleHs tribe a shit tribe. In an uncontrollable fit of anger$ ,dewale ills (ing Adetusa and his men. After the death of the (ing$ his father$ ,dewale goes to (utuje and he finds out that the people of (utuje have been invaded by the I olu warriors. 3e decides to help them . 3e helps them fight the I olu people. .hey are victorious against the I olu people. =ithout consulting the gods and in appreciation they ma e him ing in the stead of the dead ing$ (ing Adetusa. 3e therefore marries his mother$ Nueen ,juola.
6amine and sic nesses pervade (utuje. Aderopo is reGuested to see the presence of /aba 6a unle$ the priest. .he priest says that an evil has been committed in the land and the land has
to be purged unless the suffering and the famine will remain. .his evil is the illing of (ing Adetusa. =ithout thin ing$ ,dewale pronounces a sentence on the iller of (ing Adetusa. Ala a$ ,dewale close friend comes to inform ,dewale of the death of his parents"his foster parents. Ala a further complicates issues by confessing to ,dewale that the people he thought were his parents were never his parents. Gbon a presence is reGuested and he confirms Ala aHs story. 3e confesses that he actually did not ill the child he was supposed to leave dying in the wilderness. ,juola$ in shoc goes to her room and stabs herself. =hile$ ,dewale on the other hand is sorry. 3e gouges his eyes out and bans himself and his children from the (utuje society.
It is of great importance that before a proper mythic analysis be conducted on the aesthetic constructs of =ole -oyin a and ,la 'otimi$ one must understand the conte>t of their production and inspiration. In analysing myths$ authorsH perspectives go a long way in giving clues. =ole -oyin a emphasiAes the mythic concept and worldview"the Yoruba complete outloo on life. 'egardless of the fact that ,dewale is similar to ,edipus"the fact that it 5the aesthetic construct7 comes from or is inspired by -ophoclesH Oedipus Rex$ does not ma e the playwright evade the ideological cum psychological preoccupation of the play in revealing how fate$ determinism and predestination is emphasiAed in the Yoruba society. =ole -oyin a is a complete traditionalist and a devout believer of the Yoruba religion. 3e writes the play in order to e>plicate the completely uniGue worldview of the Yoruba people$ to which he is also part of. #avid 4oo is Guoted by -heryl -terling in the 1n&ro,en 3"cle saying* -oyin aHs metaphorical words and images are tier a of meaning which is not just a matter of the structures of separate sentences and speechesI
it has to do with the eddying movement of the human mind$ circling round its private preoccupation$ while it is carried forward publicly by the continuous stream of situation50087. .he mythic criticism cannot be understood and properly utilised in analysing a wor without understanding the artistHs creative preoccupation and where he emanates$ that is$ his culture. ,la 'otimi is also a devout believer and follower of the African culture and tradition. %ost of his wor s relate cultural and metaphysical clashes. Ovonram#en Nog&aisi for e>ample is highly cultural.
%yth criticism is a justifiable approach necessary in this research because the plays are filled with certain elements that can only be overtly e>posed using the myth criticism. 6or e>ample there is an overt emphasis on the collective unconscious$ the presence of archetypes in their different forms and realisations$ the presence of mythic symbols li e death$ birth$ rituals and sacrifice and m"themes+ In analysing myths$ individual perspectives and the individual unconscious relating to individual characters in the play or in a society are sacrificed. +mphasis is placed on the community and the collective unconscious rather than on individual characters.
.he research see s to locate the Yoruba myth using their worldview as a bac drop in order to get a more vivid outloo on the MwhatsHand MwhysH pervading the Yoruba world. In tal ing about #eath in the Yoruba society$ -oyin a introduces us to the first word in the title of his play" #eath. .wo major deaths are emphasiAed in this play while the other death is borne out of cultural patriotism. In the Yoruba tradition$ it is important for the +lesin ,ba$ the
ingHs
horseman to die along with the
ing when the
ing dies. .his is so because the Yoruba
worldview is of the perspective that the transition from the physical world of the living to the outer$ metaphysical world is wrought with all sorts of dangers and it is therefore reGuired of the +lesin to serve the purpose of conveying the ing successfully into the spiritual world by offering himself as a ritual sacrifice. =ole ,gundele reveals that the first ,lo un +sin did not have to die with the first ing. /ut he decided to die with the ing because of the close relationship he had with the first ing. .he historic decision of the first +lesin has in turn created a type of myth which the Yoruba people have rigidly and consistently followed till this day. .his is in away made possible by euhemerism$ the concept that posits that myths can be e>plained historically and by evaluating their particular objectives and motives. A significant Guestion raised by the first +lesinHs decision to die with the ing is* 4an a merely human decision and the individual decision of a person create a belief system that is rigidly followed and believed by allL .he answer is yes. And this research see s to properly answer that Guestion with proper evidence. According to Alan =atts definition in *i,ipedia$ myths* Is to be defined as a comple> of stories"some no doubt fact$ and some fantasy"which for various reasons$ human beings regard as demonstration of the inner meaning of the universe and of the human life 5E)7.
6rom this definition of myth$ it can be deduced that myths can occur or come to e>ist in a society through an ancestorHs decision or by through a story which is considered factual by adherents and which may be considered unrealistic and nonfactual by non@believers. .his means that the concept of euhemerism is an important aspect in interpreting a peopleHs myth"history and historic events go a long way to concretising a peopleHs belief. .he most important thing in considering myths is the fact that the story must relate the CdemonstrationsD of the inner meaning of the society$ that is$ it must be show or give clues relating to the worldview of the society in Guestion. .hough the story that develops the +lesin ,ba myth was formed from a historic decision made by the first +lesin$ this decision corresponds with the inner meaning and the interpretation of human life and of the world around them and of their cosmology and ontology. #eath in the Yoruba worldview is interpreted from a totally different point of view. .he first death that we are introduced to is the death of the ing. =hile the ne>t death$ is the CanticipatedD death of +lesin. -heryl in her article has this to say about the Yoruba worldview on death* #eath$ it is important to understand$ is not the end. #eath is part of the cycle of life$ the cycle that lin s the unborn$ the living$ and the ancestral 4rossing and lin ing these forces$ +lesinHs death is the Guintessential moment of cosmic communication597. In other words$ the decision of the first +lesin is proper and conceivable enough to form the myth that has pervaded their society for ages because every myth cannot e>ist in any society if it does
not appeal to the belief system or worldview of a particular society and if members of that society do not arbitrarily concur. .hat is$ myth and worldview must be in sync"they are interdependent. .he Yoruba people see death as a transition from this cosmic plane to another. It is similar to the 4hristian worldview$ which believes that the earth is a preparatory ground for the real life in heaven. Another clue that ma es the argument made above justifiable is the Yoruba worldview on the cyclical notion of life. -heryl -terling further Guotes #rewal who says* .he Yoruba conceive of the universe around them as a circular totality. .he top half is the realm of orun$ which may be represented as heaven. .he other world* the bottom half is aye$ earth of the world. ,run is home to the spiritual and ancestral forces a"e is peopled by both nowledgeable and the un nowing 5J7 .his idea of the ephemeral and eternal world is identified in +lesinHs dialogue with the mar et women. 3e says* +lesin* All you who stand before the spirit that dare the opening of the last door of passage$ dare to rid my going of regrets. %y wish transcends the blotting out of thought in one mere momentHs tremor of the senses I am girded for the route. /urdens of waste and longing. .hen let me travel light5J07.
In ,la 'otimiHs The Gods Are Not To Blame we are introduced to the ill@fate and destiny of the child$ ,dewale$ who has been handed over to Gbon a in order to avert the evil destiny. ,ne highly similar idea in -oyin aHs play and in 'otimiHs play is that death performs certain functions"to maintain status Guo in the society and to also avert imminent dangers that will put the society in jeopardy. /aba 6a unle* .his boy he will ill his own father. And then marry his own mother! Earrator * /ad word! .he future is not happy$ but to resign oneself to it is to be crippled fast. man must struggle. .he bad future must not happen. .he only way to stop it is to ill the unluc y messenger of the gods. (ill the boy 5.GAE./.F7 According to the cyclical notion of life$ the child is sent from the gods from the land of the unborn to the land of the living$ a"e. (illing him is not seen as evil$ but$ just li e the death of +lesin$ the child must die in order to avert the evil that has been anticipated. .his means that in the real sense of the Yoruba view on death$ the child does not really die$ but is transported
through death bac to the metaphysical world. .he need for the death of the little ,dewale at birth would have averted a lot of the trouble e>perienced in the play. .he death of the child would have saved the (utuje people from the death of (ing Adetusa$ the invasion from the I olu soldiers$ the famine and sic ness pervading the land$ the incest committed by ,dewale$ the death of Nueen ,juola and the banishment of Nueen ,juola and ,dewaleHs children. In the African worldview$ death performs a binary function"to purge a society and a medium for transition. .his is shown by the narrator who says* Earrator* %other sin s to the ground in sorrow for the seed that life must crush so soon )riest of ,gun ties boyHs feet with a string of cowries$ meaning sacrifice to the gods who have sent the boy down to this earth 5.GAE./.F7. .he childHs soul cannot transcend these cosmic planes e>cept by death$ the same way the 4hristians believing in the soul of man being transported to the CotherD cosmic plane through death.
4onseGuently$ myths e>ist differently from society to society and these myths are controlled or determined by the e>isting worldview and philosophy of the people. 3owever$ without understanding the worldview and the ideological standpoint of the Yoruba people$ one may not be able to come to terms with the motives that trigger certain actions in the play. 6or instance$ the mandatory ritual sacrifice of +lesin and the supposed illing of the new born$ ,dewale$ are good e>amples to buttress and support this standpoint. 6urthermore$ the death archetype is an important archetype that reoccurs in myth criticism$ and this is highly identifiable in =ole -oyin aHs play and in ,la 'otimiHs play. It is important to note that the death archetype is interpretable from different cultural perspectives. It is the archetype that e>plains the e>istence of the collective unconscious of a people. Abiodun Adeniji in his essay$ Archet"pal 3ontemporaneit" in 3hinua Ache&e!s Things %all Apart Guotes 3olman$ who defines .he archetype as an image$ a descriptive detail$ a plot$ a pattern or a character that freGuently occurs in literature myth$ religion or fol lore$ and is therefore believed to evo e profound emotions in the reader because it awa ens a primordial image in his unconscious 5;J7. .he main thrust of -oyin aHs wor $ Death and the King!s Horseman is +lesinHs ritual sacrifice. 'ituals are mythic elements they ma e up an important aspect of a societyHs myth. A ritual can be said to mean an act or a process which is conducted rigorously and regularly in order to sustain the growth$ cleansing of a people and continuous e>istence and interaction between a
people and their pantheon. 6or e>ample$ the death of &esus according to 4hristian postulates is to maintain the interaction between God Almighty and the world. It also serves as a medium for the redemption of sin. .he myth@ritual school was put together by George 6raAer and the 4ambridge 3ellenists during the study of myths. 'itualHs connection with myth cannot be severed. .o them$ myths originate out of ritual. 6or e>ample$ in Gree mythology$ drama came to e>ist through rituals and
performances to #ionysius. 4ertain actions are in the course of creating and sustaining a myth. 'ealists have been termed reductionists because they believe that myths are nonfactual e>periences that see to portray a societyHs belief in the numinous. Adebayo =illiams in his essay 4o"in,a6 A 3ollection of .ssa" reacts to this viewpoint. 3e says* Cideology is not just mystification 5that is$ something that obscures the real relations of things in the world7 but essential mystificationI one could not imagine a human society without it.D 5:<7
In other words$ one cannot understand the collective unconscious or the uniGue psychic worldview of a society if we tag it Cmere mystificationD. 6rom this$ it is obvious that the scientific age is totally reductionist. 'ituals in different societies perform two major functions* to purge the society of evilI and to maintain a peaceful interaction between the physical and metaphysical world. Adebayo =illiams in his essay Ritual as 4"m&olism6 3ultural Death and the King!s Horseman says* 'ituals therefore served as a means of re@establishing symbolic contact with the ontological essence in the pre@industrial society. ,n the sacred nature of rituals$ +liade is again invaluable when he
notes that Crituals are given sanctification and rationalisation in a culture by being referred to as supposedly divine prototypes.D 'ituals periodically reconfirm the sacredness of their origins and re@establish the MsacredH as opposed to the MprofaneH for the community performing them5217. Adebayo =illiams further says in his essay that* It is however in #eath and the (ingHs 3orseman that we find -oyin aHs most e>plicit deployment of ritual both as an organising principle and as a surgical instrument for prising open a peopleHs collective consciousness at a crucial moment of their historical development. .he crisis in the play stems from a threatened abortion of the ritual of human sacrifice. .his indeed is a weighty moment of history$ and since the play is a refraction of an actual historical event$ it is bound to provide the playwright with an appropriate forum for seminal reflections on a communal impasse5207. It is important to see how worldview is emphasiAed in the play. .hough -oyin a emphasiAes his standpoint in the authorHs note$ he reacts against the interpretation of the wor as a Cclash of culturesD. ,n a close reading$ we can identify a clash of the personal or individual conscious
against the collective conscious of the Yoruba people. -imon )il ings sees the ritual sacrifice not from the Yoruba worldview or perspective$ but instead he sees it from a wholly western perspective as a barbaric act. As emphasiAed earlier$ the aborted ritual sacrifice of +lesin is the main thrust of -oyin aHs wor . .he +lesin is part of the Yoruba society$ he understands the significance of the ritual suicide" the society does. .he )raise -inger says* )raise -inger* .here is only one home to the life of a river mussel. .here is only one home to the life of the tortoiseI there is only one shell to the soul of man* there is only one world to the spirit of our race. If that world leaves its course and smashes on the boulders of the great void whose world would give us shelter +lesin* It did not in the time of my forebears$ it shall not in mine5#(3.007. It is therefore important to stri e a reasonable balance between the term etutu) which means ritual and to place it within the conte>t of the Yoruba society. As highlighted earlier$ the Yoruba world believe in the cyclical e>istence of the cosmos"the land of the living$ the dead and the unborn. A sort of chasm e>ists between each world that can only be bridged by the nowledgeable and special ones li e the +lesin and also by supernatural forces. .hey also believe that the dead ing can successfully cross from a"e to orun only when the +lesin dies and
functions as a bridge over the chasm or as a horse 5perhaps$ li e in Greee mythology"a Unicorn7$ carrying the (ing into the land beyond. And if +lesin does not perform the ritual suicide$ the dead ing is forced to wander the world$ unable to protect his people$ thereby e>posing his people to all sorts of evil.
.his play is highly significant because$ apart from the aesthetic Guality of the wor $ -oyin a digs out from the mythopoeic resourcefulness of the Yoruba tradition coupled with the historic event that ta es places in the ,yo empire in 0288. -heryl -terling further says* .o /ridge this gulf$ to diminish the transition$ sacrifices must be made to the forces of the other world$ to allow for the reunification of human essence and the divine. 'itual ceremonies of appeasement harness the cosmic divide and create order out of chaos in this luminal realmbecause of this visceral intertwining of each individual with the fate of the entire community$ a rupture in the normal functioning not only endangers this shared reality but threatens e>istence itself -acrifice is the curative means to resume balance in being 5087. +lesin stands at a position in the Yoruba e>istence in which his decision Cto be or not to beD part of the ritual either ma es or mars the total e>istence of the Yoruba physical and metaphysical ontology.
In analysing the myth@ritual concept of mythology$ it is important to emphasiAe the Mscapegoat archetypeH. 'ene Girard made mention of the scapegoat archetype in his research into myths and ritual. .he ritual victim or the scapegoat pervades many African and Asian mythologies. .his scapegoat archetype may not be found in all cultures but it is inherently found in certain Eigerian and African cultures. .he scapegoat archetype is important in myth criticism. It is inherently important to note that the scapegoat archetype does not apply to +lesin in Death and The King!s Horseman. +lesin is not a victim. .he first +lesin voluntarily put himself up for sacrifice because of the established worldview that pervades their society. .he Hand&oo, of iterar" Approaches has this to say about the scapegoat archetype* 4orollary to the rite of sacrifice is the scapegoat archetype. .his motif centred in the belief that by transferring the corruptions of the tribe to a sacred animal or person$ then by illing this scapegoat$ the tribe could achieve the cleansing and the atonement thought necessary for natural and spiritual rebirth5E)7 In ,la 'otimiHs The Gods Are Not to Blame) we can identify that the character$ ,dewale perfectly matches the scapegoat archetype. .he gods from the outset has predicted that ,dewale is going to ill his father and marry his mother. 3e is helpless because the gods has destined him too tread the path he is on. #uring the starvation and the plague that comes upon the (utuje people$ the following conversation ensues between ,dewale and the 6irst 4itiAen*
6irst 4itiAen* Let us sacrifice rams to the gods. ,dewale* -acrifice$ did you sayL .o what gods have we not made sacrifice$ my chiefs and IL -oponna$ the god of the po>esL +la$ the god of deliveranceL =hat godL -hango$ the god of thunder and rainfall=hat god has we not called upon to help usL 5.GAE./.007. .he sacrifices that have been sacrificed are not just potent enough and they are also not the right sacrifices to be sacrificed. In the Yoruba worldview$ the selection of certain ritual items is based on the reGuirements specified by the gods. A woman in need of a child may consult O"a for help$ and O"a may reGuire her to sacrifice certain things li e bangles$ nec laces etc.$ or she may be reGuired to sacrifice body parts of an animal"it all depends on what the gods reGuire. 3erbs and mere sacrifices are not potent enough to save the (utuje people from the plague. Aderopo upon his return says* Aderopo* .he ,racle said that there is a curse on this land$ and until that curse is purged$ our suffering will go on5027. .he curse can only be purged only if the murderer is found. ,dewale is a perfect scapegoat archetype. 3e ills his father$ (ing Adetusa in a fit of fury$ and destiny carries him to become ing and conseGuently$ to marry his mother. .he decision of the (utuje people in crowning ,dewale ing without proper inGuiry from the gods is directly lin ed to the destiny that has been predetermined by the gods. ,lewaleHs decisions and his past brings the whole Yoruba society to
their waterloo$ and only a sacrifice as potent as the blood of a scapegoat$ the murderer can cleanse the evil that was perpetuated in the (utuje ingdom. ,dewale does not reveal his true persona instead he reveals to the people of (utuje a shadow of his true self. As the play progresses we are introduced to ,dewaleHs dar side$ the aspect of his life he has always hidden. At the end of the play$ he is held by his words. 3e is reGuired to be the scapegoat that secures the safety of the (utuje people. Adebayo =illiams states that* =hatever the form ritual ta es$ there is a consensus among anthropologists and historians of religion that human sacrifice is the most severe and e>treme form of ritual. -everal reasons have been advanced.hey range from the need for the reactualisation of direct relations between a people and their god to a drive towards the seasonal regeneration of the forces of the sacred5217. .his means for society to return to status Guo$ ,dewale must completely suffer the proclamations he made* ,dewale* -lowly. =e will ill him slowly so that he spends .he rest of his living days dying each moment .hat passes. 5J07
Another important archetype in myth criticism is the Guest archetype. .his archetype is identifiable in Death and The King!s Horseman and 'otimiHs The Gods Are Not To Blame . Abiodun Adeniji in his paper$ Archet"pal 3ontemporaneit" in 3hinua Ache&e!s Things %all Apart says* .he Guest archetype is one of the most ubiGuitous in myth studies. +ssentially$ this archetype refers to recurrent images depicting manHs hunger and continuing search for an ideal essence$ be it success in life$ a spiritual state or the achievement of a socio@political goal5;87 -oyin aHs play is introduced$ revealing to us a scene at the mar et sGuare which is overtly symbolic. In the Yoruba worldview$ earth is a mar etplaceI heaven is home" a!"el!o7a8 orunnile. +lesin is on a Guest to the numinous eternal. 3e prepares himself for the huge tas ahead. /ut he becomes too attached to this earth which ma es him unable to complete his Guest successfully. 3e says* +lesin* .he world I now is good =omen* =e now you will leave it so +lesin* .he world I now is the bounty of 3ives after bees have swarmed. Eo goodness teems with such open hands
+ven the dreams of deities =omen* And we now you will leave it so +lesin* I was born to eep it so =omen* .he world is in your hands +lesin* I embrace it"and let me tell you$ women I li e this farewell that the world designed50:7. .his attachment to the world in a way ma es him lose focus and drives him into losing his son$ ,lunde at a very young age. .he =omen emphasiAe the statement *DAnd we now you will eep it soD in order to realign his focus. .he Guest in this play is not majorly a personal Guest$ but it is a collective Guest which must be fulfilled in order to maintain society. .he collective unconscious plays an important role in ma ing sure the individual is not emphasiAed but the community. ,ne of the Guestions raised in the previous chapter is* Is the Yoruba community a utilitarian community$ which is$ based on the utilitarian concept of the Cgreatest good for the greatest number of peopleDL African societies$ not e>cluding the Yoruba society are very communal. Individual desires are sacrificed for the collective or the communal good of the society. In the same vein$ +lesin has little or no power to determine if he should die or not"he has no choice but to die"he is bound by the collective unconscious and by the Yoruba worldview. .hat is$ an individualHs Guest is sacrificed for what I call the Ccommunal GuestD. Abiodun Adeniji says about 'otimiHs character$ ,dewale* Cthis Guest is manifest in ,dewale who is in search of who he is* is he the son of hunter ,gundele and his wife$ %obi e or is he a butterfly pretending to be a bird as a spiteful relation of ,gundele calls himD5;87. 3e is also on a
Guest to now who illed the late (ing Adetusa$ and above all else$ he is on the Guest to live his life away from the predictions that the Ifa priest made about his destiny. /ut the more he see s to be liberated$ the more his hubristic actions lead him to his destiny"his utter fall.
)redestination is a major element found in the myths of different societies. )redestination is defined according to *i,ipedia as Cthe divine foreordaining or fore nowledge of all that will happenI with regard to the salvation of some and not othersD5E)7. In the myths of primitive societies$ it is believed that the destiny of man is wholly determined by the gods$ and the individual is left to act out the scripts written by the gods. %any African societies emphasiAe the predominance and relevance of predestination in their cultures. .he gods control every facet of e>istence"the tangible and the intangible world. .he concept of predestination is highly fused with determinism which according to *i,ipedia Cis a metaphysical$ philosophical position stating that for everything that happens there are conditions such that$ given those conditions$ nothing else could happen.D5E)7 In e>plaining the Yoruba worldview on predestination$ 9oru&a Online posits that* .he Yoruba have a strong belief in predestination. .hey believe that the success or failure of a man depends to a large e>tent on the type of choice he made in heaven. -ome people are said to have chosen a life of poverty and simplicity$ while others chose a life of affluence and glamour.his belief in predestination is used
to e>plain the success or failure of every man on earthIt follows$ therefore$ that while human effort cannot be ruled out for success or failure$ the greater part of it can be ascribed to predestination5E)7 .he idea of predestination is highly paramount in ,la 'otimiHs The Gods Are Not To Blame rather than in -oyin aHs play. In ,la 'otimiHs play the predestination is controlled from the metaphysical cosmic plane$ that is$ from the land of the spirits and the unborn. =hile the ind of predestination found in =ole -oyin aHs wor is the type controlled$ motivated and instituted by culture$ through the first +lesin in relation to their worldview. .his cultural predestination which is completely generational is in sync with the peopleHs worldview and the gods have also in a way supported the collective unconscious or the collective perspective of the people with regards to the +lesinHs ritual suicide. ,la 'otimi in his interview with ,juwale in (la"#righting and Directing 6 An Intervie# #ith Ola Rotimi says* 'otimi* CYou see$ in Yoruba religious belief$ there is something called a"anmo+ .his means destiny. .he Yoruba people$ li e most Africans believe in )redestination. )redestination means the coming to the earth to do what$ in the spirit world$ one has chosen to do. .he Yoruba believe that there is a father of all gods nown as ,lodumare$ or +leda$ or Aseda$ .hey
believe that after +leda had created a person $ 3e 5+leda7 would as the person one Guestion. 3e would as what that person wanted in life. .he person then would neel down . Yoruba call this A(UEL+YAE. It means C neeling down to chooseD.he person will then come to earth and fulfil what he or she has chosen and which +leda has sanctioned. .he almighty .leda only confirms the choice$ and the lesser gods in various ways simply help to ma e sure that$ that process is carried out on earth.he complete process is described in Yoruba philosophy li e this$ A,unle"anni and Adei"e&a. .hat means$ what was chosen in the spirit world neeling down$ is what is met in the world of the human beingsD501;7. .his worldview however emphasiAes the fact that a personHs destiny is determined by both him and the gods. .he decisions a person ta es on earth go a long way to determine the success of his life. .he ,edipal myth from Gree mythology is inherently manifest in The Gods Are Not To Blame. 3umans are naturally drawn to doing good or evil$ but the oedipal myth is non@e>istent in Yoruba mythology. .he inclusion or the employment of the ,edipal myth in ,la 'otimiHs play is specifically used to advance the physical and ideological idea of the story which he emphasiAes in (la"#righting and Directing 6 An Intervie# *ith Ola Rotimi+ 3e says
'otimi* C-o I as ed myselfI why are we blaming those nation@gods in international politics$ for our suffering and deathI say EigeriaHs problems neednHt be blamed on other nations but on ourselves. ,ur failure or progress is our responsibility$ not that of others. ,dewale himself says it at the end of the play* Mwhen the wood insect gathers stic s$ on its own head it carrries themD50187. =hile in -oyin aHs Death and The King!s Horseman$ +lesin is tied to what the culture instituted. 3e is controlled by the ordinances of the society$ and he must live according to the bidding of the society. ,lunde confesses in his dialogue to &ane the helplessness of his father to e>isting tradition* ,lunde* Yes %rs)il ings$ my father is dead. 3is will@power has always been enormousI I now he is dead. &ane* 3ow can you be so callous! -o unfeeling! You announce your fatherHs own death li e a surgeon loo ing down on some strange strangerHs body! You are just a savage li e all the rest 5#(3.997
.he death of ,lunde and the death of +lesin is totally motivated by culture. A peopleHs belief is made to e>ist through a series of processes"through the ordinances of the gods and through the collective decision of the people. .he Yoruba society is successful in dealing with the issue of )il ingHs interference. )rior to his interference$ the gods specifically leads +lesin into his love for the physical world just in the same way ,dewale is led by the gods through his actions into illing his father and committing incest. .he gods envisaged the death of ,lunde and +lesin$ that is why +lesin is led into his se>ual escapade with IyalojaHs sonHs fiancQ$ in order to fill the chasm that ,lundeHs death will create. .he product of +lesinHs se>ual escapade with the girl will fill the chasm created by ,lunde. .wo chasms are filled or bridged in this play"the one filled by ,lunde and the one that will be filled by +lesinHs unborn child. -he 5Iyaloja7 says* Iyaloja* And then$ thin of this@ it ma es the mind tremble .he fruit of such union is rare$ it will be neither of this world nor of the ne>t. Eor of the world behind us. As if the timelessness of the ancestor world and the unborn have joined spirits to wrong an issue of the elusive being of passage..+lesin 5#(3.JJ7
An important aspect of analysing a peopleHs myth is found in this definition of myth by A&out+com which defines myth as a Ctraditional story$ typically revolving around the activities of gods and heroes$ which purport to e>plain a natural phenomenon or cultural practiceD 5E)7. %yths reveal a lot about the pantheon of a society"espousing how the gods function and in the human activities and their prevalence in determining and influencing a societyHs success or failure. A lot is said about the gods in ,la 'otimiHs play. =e are introduced to the play by the prologue which emphasiAes the Crhythmic clin ing of metallic objects then fading to a sustained softness* the rhythm of ,gun$ the Yoruba God of Iron and of war 5prologue7. .he Yoruba people li e the Gree s have a great pantheon. Li e the perfect African society$ the gods play an important role in their lives"in birth$ their life on earth and in death. .he worldview of the Yoruba people is founded on their interactions with the gods. .his is emphasiAed in the narratorHs comments* Earrator* It is their first baby$ so they bring him for blessing .o the shrine of ,gun$ the God of war$ of Iron And doctor of all male childrenas is the custom 5.GAE./.J7 +ven in trouble and affliction$ the Yoruba society is conscious in bec oning the gods for help. ,dewale says* ,dewale* -acrifice$ did you sayL .o what gods have we not made sacrifice$ %y chiefs and IL -oponna$ the god of the po>esL +la$ the god of deliveranceL =hat godL -hango$ the god of thunder and rainfall whose showers can help wash away the evil in the soil on which we standL 5.GAE./.007.
In Death and the King!s Horseman$ we are also introduced to the Yoruba pantheon. -heryl -terling compares -hango with +lesin. -he Guotes -oyin a who sees +lesin* Cas a re@ configuration of -hango$ he manifests the uncontrolled aspects of the orisa6 his passion$ his terror and his unbearable guilt. +lesinHs hubris is part of the cosmic order. 3is imprisonment is a momentary period for him to regain his honour and li e -hangoHs self@ imposed e>ile$ it means deathD 5JJ7. -he compares ,lunde with ,gun when she says* it is through ,lunde$ +lesinHs son$ that a bridge is formed between both worlds$ as -oyin a uses his character to ma e manifest the daring of ,gun. ,lundeHs name translates to CGod arrivesD$ and his actions parallel ,gunHs bridging of the transitional void and to defend his peopleHs beliefs 5JF7. ,lunde says to %rs )il ings* ,lunde* All these things are part of it. And anyway$ my father has been dead in my mind for nearly a month. ,n that journey on the boat$ I ept my mind on my duties as the one who must perform the rites over his body. I didnHt want to do anything wrong$ something which might jeopardise the welfare of my people 5#(3.9<7
6inally$ both writers have successfully introduced the worldview cum ideology of the Yoruba people in analysing the myths that play an important role in the Yoruba society. =ole -oyin a relied on the mythopoeic resourcefulness of the Yoruba people coupled with history to constructively espouse the distinct mythology of the Yoruba people in his play. -heryl -terling posits of -oyin aHs wor as Cgenerating concepts of the tragic hero from Yoruba cosmology. -oyin a e>plores the antithetical dynamics evo ed in the interplay of tradition and change.D 5FJ7. -he further says$ recreating history and$ the death of +lesin becomes the site for tragedy. #eath
does indeed come calling$ but it is -oyin aHs mythopoeic representation of its willed integration into the Yoruba cosmic order that is the point of contention 5F97. ,la 'otimi on the other hand ta es inspiration from -ophoclesH Oedipus Rex to recreate a completely African construct"a perfect Yoruban tragedy. Also important is the employment of proverbs$ aphorisms"oral resources$ by both -oyin a and 'otimi to advance their essential CAfricannessD. 6inally$ to emphasiAe the necessary employment of these oral resources is to Guote 4hinua Achebe who says Cproverbs are the palm@oil by which words are eaten.
CHAPTER FOUR SUMMARY .he basic thrust of this research is aimed at digging into Yoruba mythology"evaluating the myth of the Yoruba society whilst using the concept of worldview as a defining factor. As identified earlier$ the research see s to synthesiAe these two concepts"myth and worldview with a view to understanding the Yoruba cultureHs myth. .he worldview loo s at how they thin $ how they live$ and how they view the society"their ontology and cosmology from a particular viewpoint. .hree major ideas or objectives were identified in the major introductory part of this project. It is noteworthy to reiterate these objectives in order to evaluate the supposed success of this project. And these objectives are listed below* .he objectives of this study were* 0. .o establish the relationship that e>ist between myths and worldviewI J. .o e>plore and analyse mythic symbols and their significance$ thereby revealing cultural themes e.g. death$ predestination$ ritual etc. in the boo s to be reviewedI And F. .o e>plore the differences and similarities that e>ist in the boo s$ that is$ analysing both writersH points of view
=ole -oyin aHs Death and King!s Horseman and ,la 'otimiHs The Gods Are Not To Blame were selected because of their significance to this project. .hese boo s consistently and emphatically relay the idea of myth and worldview. .he boo s were written from the Yoruba point of view$ regardless of the fact that ,la 'otimiHsThe God!s Are Not To Blame is an adaptation of -ophoclesH Oedipus Rex. 'otimiHs construct e>plores the universal mythic theme of predestination and how it is emphasiAed in the Yoruba tradition. .he authors of the boo s and their characters are used as samples to represent the Yoruba society. .he theoretical framewor aspect of this project advocates the employment of myth criticism in analysing these boo s. .he myth criticism$ also nown as the mythological approach and
mythical criticism was selected to analyse these te>ts. %yth criticism contains ey elements li e the collective unconsciousI the numinousI the archetypes$ including the deathOrebirth archetype$ the scapegoat archetypeI predestination and ritual.
.hese mythic elements are important elements in myth criticism. .hese elements reveal the significance of the myth@ritual process in relation to the distinct worldview of the Yoruba people. .hey see the ritual process as a means of purging society and as a medium to maintain constant communication and interaction between the tangible cosmos 5earth7 and the intangible cosmos 5heaven7. .hese elements are present in the boo s but the level of emphasis is different in the two boo s. 6or instance$ the predestination theme is highly emphasiAed in ,dewale in The Gods Are Not To Blame as hard determinism. In -oyin aHs Death and the King!s Horseman$ the emphasis is placed on the myth@ritual process propounded by George 6raAer and the 4ambridge 3ellenists.
In the course of this research project$ so many Guestions were raised in the literature review aspect of this study. .hey include the following Guestions* Is the Yoruba society a utilitarian societyL 4an a purely human and a non@spiritual decision of the first +lesin create a myth that a society wholeheartedly believes inL And"can the gods completely control the destiny of a manHs lifeL .hese Guestions were analysed and answered during this project. Also significant$ is the comparison between -oyin a and ,la 'otimi"their similarities and how they individually relate the myths and the inclusion of the Yoruba worldview.
FINDINGS Archetypes and mythic elements are significant areas of the myth criticism. .he Oxford Dictionar" defines the archetype Cas a primitive mental image inherited from the earliest human ancestors and supposed to be present in the collective unconsciousD5E)7. Archetypes and mythic elements* the collective unconscious$ death$ predestination$ the presence of a pantheon$ the scapegoat and the Guest archetype$ the presence of sacrifice are li e language"they are universal "present in all myths. .hese elements are identifiable in every myth around the world. 6or e>ample$ the overarching ideas one tends to see in evaluating different definitions of the word$ myth$ is the e>istence of supernatural beings"a pantheon+ The 'icrosoft .ncarta Dictionar" defines myth as Ca traditional story about heroes or supernatural being$ often attempting to e>plain the origins of natural phenomena or aspects of human behaviourD 5E)7. .he only thing that ma es these ideas change in the manner of their application is the collective unconscious of the people. .he psyche"their worldview and ideology go a long way in influencing certain ideas$ archetypes and mythic elements. 6or e>ample$ the symbol or the archetype of the Great %other in Gree mythology can be interpreted from the Gree point of
view. .he symbol may represent something else in different cultures. 6or e>ample$ the symbol of the cross archetype to the 4hristians means salvation and liberation. /ut to another society$ the symbol can receive another interpretation owing to their worldview. .hat is$ myths and their elements are universal$ but the worldview and ideology of a society determine the interpretation of a particular myth.
SUGGESTIONS Apart from the use of the worldview and the collective unconscious in interpreting myths$ the use of comparative mythology can go a long way to establishing the relationship that e>ist between different societiesH mythology. A comparison in mythology can help in understanding for e>ample$ the myths in African societies. According to i&eratormaga:ine+com$ an interview by /eier with =ole -oyin a$ /eier says* /eier* M.he Yoruba people have been willing to loo at another %ythology and find eGuivalents in their own traditions . 6or e>ample$ when I first met Aderemi$ the late ,ba of Ife"that was at +aster 0290"he told me about the different shrines in his town and he said Cyou now$ in Yoruba religion we now the story of %ary and &esusD and he told me the myth of %oremi 5%ary7 who sacrificed her only son to save her town .And he said* C'eally$ %oremi is
%ary.D I was impressed$ because he could see that there was some basic metaphor that remained valid across a variety of cultures. 3e new that the basic truth is the same" only the trappings are different.H 5E)7
%ost of these ideas are universal$ but they are parcelled differently. .he worldview is able to change the meaning of certain archetypes. .he employment of comparative mythology helps to e>pose a lot about diverse cultures in relation to other cultures.
CONCLUSION In conclusion$ the individual perspective is sacrificed for the collective good of the communal society. .he myth criticism has revealed distinct aspects of the Yoruba worldview. %yths are not mere stories$ factual or nonfactual. As emphasiAed earlier the authenticity or CunauthenticityD of a myth is not relevant because myths reveal the deepest aspects of inner psyche of a society. .hat is$ a non@member of that society is not bound by the collective unconscious. ,ne cannot understand a societyHs myth without loo ing at the worldview of the particular society. %yths are not only used to signify a societyHs spirituality$ but these myths are used to propel a societyHs unity. =ole -oyin aHs play$ Death and the King!s Horseman and ,la 'otimiHs The Gods Are Not To Blame completely encapsulates this perspective"the perspective that emphasiAes myths relationship with a peopleHs worldview.
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3orseman. ;4o"in,a6 A 3ollection of 3ritical .ssa"s 502287* :2@010 Adeniji$ Abiodun. CArchetypal contemporaneity in 4hinua Achebe. agos Revie# of .nglish 4tudies0; 5J11:7* 92@;2 Anyo wu$ 4hris. C(ingHs 3orseman or ,lo un+sinL3istory and the )olitics of .ranslation. ; iterature) anguage and National 3onsciousnes6 A %estschrift in Honour of Theo
<incent J 5J11;7* F2<@80J ..........'ethin ing the .ragic in ,la 'otimiHs #ramaturgyD. The African
4"mposium6 An Online =ournal of the African .ducational Research 5J10J7*00@0< Austin$ Eorman. 'eaning and Being in '"th. )ennsylvania* )enn -tate )ress$ 0221 /ooth$ &ames. C3uman -acrifice in Literature* .he 4ase of =ole -oyin aD. A Revie# of International .nglish iterature JF 5022J7* 0@08 +djeren$ 6eli>. .he Gods are Eot to /lame. 3omepage Accessed F %ay
J10F.RhttpOO.www.nigerdeltadirectory.com.websitelecturesOolarotomi.html
+ffio $ Umeh. CInterview =ith ,la 'otimi.D )laywriting and #irecting5J11J7* 019@ 01J 3atab$ Lawrence. '"th and philosoph"6 A 3ontext of Truths. %ichigan University of %ichigan )ress$ 0221 Ions$ Keronica. .he =orlds %ythology in 4olour.Eew Yor */oo club Associates (umar$Eaveen. CIndigenous .raditions in -oyin aHs #eath and .he (ingHs 3orseman. Kol.J Issue J 5J10J7 * 0@08 Lindfors$ /ernth$ +ds. C#em -ay* Interview with +ight Eigerian =riters.D African and AfroAmerican -tudies and 'esearch 4enter 2 502<87 * 0@<2 Lloydetta$ Ursula. C'ethin ing Gree .ragedy in African 4onte>ts* A -tudy of ,la 'otimi And =ole -oyin a. M#iss. Eewfoundland* %emorial University. %ar -chorer$ .he Eeccesity of %yth$ in 3enry A. %urray$ '"th and '"thma,ing$ F99. Ei i. =ole -oyin a on 'eligion. A3onversation #ith 1lliBeier. J< 6ebJ100. 3omepage Accessed F %ay J10FRhttpOOwww.liberatomagaAine.comOcommunityOshowthrgad.phpL tidS01:1T ,gundele$=ole. C#eath and .he (ingHs 3orsemanD. A (oet!s >uarrel #ith the 3ulture6 Research in African iterature J9$ Eo 0 502287 8<@; 'otimi$ ,la. The Gods Are not To Blame+ Ibadan* University )ress$ 0221 -ofola$ Pulu.D .he .heatre in -earch for African AuthenticityD. African Theolog" .n Route6 (aper from the (an-African 3onference on Third *orld theologians . 4alifornia. ,rbis /oo $ 02<2
-oyin a$ =ole. Death and The King!s Horseman. London* %ethuen$ 02<9 -terling$ 4heryl. C.he 5Un7bro en 4ycle in #eath and .he (ingHs 3orsemanD.J100. Academia.edu. Accessed F %ay J10F. httpOOAcademia.eduO000FJ<1O.heUUnU/ro enU4ycleUInU#eathUAndU.heU(ingsU3orseman =ilfred$ Nuerin. A Hand&oo, of 3ritical Approaches to iterature. Eew Yor . ,>ford U).$ 022J

Myth and Worldview in Wole Soyinka's Death and The KIng's Horseman and Ola Rotimi's The Gods Are Not To Blame

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MYTH AND WORLDVIEW IN WOLE SOYINKAS DEATH AND THE KINGS HORSEMAN AND OLA ROTIMIS THE GODS

ARE NOT TO BLAME

ADOH CALEB IFEANYICHUKWU 090102019

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

.. DR ADENIJI ABIODUN SUPERVISOR DATE

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

horseman to die along with the

ing when the

ing dies. .his is so because the Yoruba

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

Caleb Kayleby Adoh: Facebook,officialkaylebytwitter, calebadoh.blogspot.com Caleb AdohLinkedIn.com

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