A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PLAY “THE LION AND THE JEWEL” BY WOLE SOYINKA

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Lakunle

Lakunle is a semi-literate reformist and a teacher of Geography who would like to introduce some radical and revolutionary reforms into the political and social lives of Ilujinle. He loves Sidi and would compromise a lot to marry her. For instance, he promises Sidi that regardless of Baroka’s tricky and subsequent carnal knowledge of her, he could still go on to marry her. Notwithstanding his level of education, Sidi acknowledges that she learnt a lot of things from him.

Sidi never gives him opportunity to demonstrate his love for her. She agrees to return his love but only as a wife whose bride price has been paid. Lakunle hates Baroka’s way of life and siezes every opportunity to criticize him. He hates him also because Baroka is equally interested in marrying Sidi.

Despite his reformist tendencies, Lakunle still enjoys some traditional dance of the village, as exemplified in his dance of the lost traveler. At the end of the play, Lakunle is not left forlorn as he is consoled by another young lady. He does not succeed in his reforms because he appears not to be reasonable.

Sadiku

She is the eldest wife and favourite wife of Baroka. She is the last wife of the last Bale and was inherited, as a matter of custom by Baroka. She has been in this position for forty-one years, no wonder Lakunle refers to her as a ‘withered face’. She is a good dancer; “Sadiku of the duiker’s feet….. That’s what the men used to call me. I could twist and untwist my waist with the smoothness of a water snake….”

Sadiku is wily and does not keep secrets. This is why Baroka, her husband, capitalizes on this weak point to clip Sidi’s wings. She is described by Lakunle as’ The goddess of malicious gossip. She believes and earnestly undertakes the duty her husband assigns to her diligently.

At the end of the play, when Sidi has settled with Baroka, he blesses her. Sadiku is a good planner and a strategist. She never permits Lakunle to convince Sidi but rather puts up a convincing argument on behalf of Baroka to Sidi. And at the end, her machination plays out. Lakunle is not a match for her; he accepts defeat but threatens to take her to school. Sadiku is tricky too. She, for instance, dips hands in Lakunle’s pocket, brings out a piece of coin and presses it on the foreheads of drummers.

Flashback/Play-within-the-play

In the play this technique is used to recreate the scene where Baroka prevented the construction of a rail line across the village. Mime as a veritable literary technique, is also used considerably in the play.

CONCLUSION

In this play, Soyinka ridicules the educated Africans who look down on their culture. Baroka uses his traditional wisdom to get everything he wants. Lakunle who apes the whites is neither here nor there. He is a man torn between two worlds. The play does not condemn Western education but insists that the good traditional values of the Africans should be encouraged.

In this unit, you have seen that comedy teaches through entertainment and laughter. The playwright satirizes the foolish educated Africans through Lakunle’s antics. The play observes the classical “principle ofunity”. The action of the play starts and ends in one day.

 

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