EST. 2026

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Theatre Arts · BSc · REF. TA-2003

Post-Colonial Disillusionment in Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman

Abstract

This BSc study investigates the subject matter outlined in the title above through a structured research design appropriate to the BSc 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 stagecraft in relation to post-colonial disillusionment 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 stagecraft functions specifically in relation to post-colonial disillusionment. This study undertakes a close textual analysis to address that gap.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

  1. To examine the use of stagecraft in Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman.
  2. To analyze how stagecraft contributes to the portrayal of post-colonial disillusionment.
  3. To assess the effectiveness of stagecraft 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 stagecraft used in Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman?
  2. In what ways does stagecraft contribute to the portrayal of post-colonial disillusionment?
  3. How effective is stagecraft 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 stagecraft within Death and the King's Horseman, reflecting a BSc-level 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 ₦50,000.

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