EST. 2026

The Archive

Theatre Arts · REF. TA-13874

Language and Style in Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman: A Costume and Makeup Design Study

Abstract

This study investigates the subject matter outlined in the title above through a structured research design appropriate to its academic level. Using primary and/or secondary data collection methods, the research examines the underlying variables, tests relevant hypotheses, and presents findings with implications for practice and policy. This is placeholder abstract text generated for catalogue preview purposes; the full document contains a complete, topic-specific abstract, literature review, methodology, data analysis, and conclusion.

Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman occupies a significant place in the Nigerian literary canon, and continues to attract critical attention for the richness of its language and thematic concerns.

Despite the volume of criticism devoted to Death and the King's Horseman, its use of costume and makeup design in relation to tradition versus modernity has not been exhaustively examined, leaving room for closer textual analysis.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

While Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman is widely studied, there is no settled critical consensus on how its costume and makeup design functions specifically in relation to tradition versus modernity. This study undertakes a close textual analysis to address that gap.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

  1. To examine the use of costume and makeup design in Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman.
  2. To analyze how costume and makeup design contributes to the portrayal of tradition versus modernity.
  3. To assess the effectiveness of costume and makeup design as a stylistic/thematic tool in the text.
  4. To situate the findings within the broader context of Nigerian literary/linguistic scholarship.

1.4 Research Questions

  1. How is costume and makeup design used in Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman?
  2. In what ways does costume and makeup design contribute to the portrayal of tradition versus modernity?
  3. How effective is costume and makeup design as a stylistic/thematic tool in the text?
  4. How does this reading relate to the broader body of Nigerian literary/linguistic scholarship?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study is significant to students and teachers of theatre arts, offering a close reading of Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman that can support classroom discussion and further critical work. It also contributes to the broader body of scholarship on Nigerian literary and linguistic studies.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is limited to a close textual analysis of costume and makeup design within Death and the King's Horseman, reflecting a clearly defined scope; it does not extend to a full survey of the author's other works.

Chapters Two through Five, references and appendices are available for a one-time fee of ₦75,000.

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