How and with what effects does Soyinka present the Yoruba Women in the Play? kaya borkowski 12th Grade

Soyinka presents Yoruba women in contrasting ways by showing the different roles of women both as in the Yoruba culture, in the case of Iyaloja and the young bride (as well as the communal and individual roles of women) and in a contrasting western presentation in the case of Jane Pilkings. He shows this by dramatising the different ways women are addressed and address each other and this has the effect of showing opposing cultures and the hierarchy and roles of women in each.

Firstly, the two main female characters, Iyaloja and Jane, are presented with a sense of authority. As seen in Scene 1, Iyaloja has a powerful voice both in the market place when she instructs the women to dress Elesin: “richly, richly robe him richly” and also when speaking to the highly authoritative Elesin: “be sure the seed you leave attracts no curse”. This shows that certain women in the Yoruba culture possess power that is seen as similar, if not equal to that of a high hierarchical man such as Elesin who is respected as the King’s horseman and shown great obedience by anyone before his ritual to take his own life: “the world is yours”. However, at the same time this also demonstrates the hierarchy and significance of other-worldly forces that...