Death and the King's Horseman

Based on events that took place in Oyo, an ancient Yoruba city of Nigeria, in 1946, Wole Soyinka's powerful play concerns the intertwined lives of Elesin Oba, the king's chief horseman; his son, Olunde, now studying medicine in England; and Simon Pilkings, the colonial district officer. The king has died and Elesin, his chief horseman, is expected by law and custom to commit suicide and accompany his ruler to heaven. The stage is set for a dramatic climax when Pilkings learns of the ritual and decides to intervene and Elesin's son arrives home.

Author: Wole Soyinka
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 04/17/2002
Pages: 80
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.26lbs
Size: 8.28h x 5.56w x 0.25d
ISBN: 9780393322996

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.8
Point Value: 3
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 143049 / Death and the King's Horseman

About the Author
Soyinka, Wole: - Wole Soyinka, one of Africa's foremost writers, won the Nobel Prize in 1986 and is the author of Death and the King's Horseman, among other works.