“Death and a King’s Horseman” and “All My Sons” Essay

Compare the ways in which Soyinka in Death and a King’s Horseman and Miller in All My Sons present Elesin and Keller? How far would you agree that the personal tragedy of each protagonist’s death is less important than the death of their sons? Soyinka and Miller shape the protagonists by their presentations of their voice using different language and use of setting cultural context which presents their different responsibilities and duties exposing their character. The different presentations of the characters determine how the audience connect with the protagonists. Elesin and Keller’s deaths are climatic points in the play, with their son’s deaths also being pivotal; acting as catalysts for the protagonist’s death which cause the protagonist’s to acknowledge their fatal flaws. The different purposes of the protagonist’s suicides, made evident also by the protagonist’s presented characters, determine whether the tragedy of thei r death is more important than the death of their sons. The setting and cultural context of each of the plays a profound role in shaping the characters as the differing cultural context affects the character’s duties and responsibilities which shape their presentations as characters. Though set in the same time periods, the cultures differ between plays. Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman opens in â€Å"Oyo, an ancient Yoruba city in Nigeria, 1944†, during British colonialism whereas All My Sons by Miller is set in the â€Å"outskirts of an American town† just after the war in the late 1940’s after world war two. Soyinka and Miller’s introductions of the culture and the setting at the beginning of the plays expose the protagonist’s individual characters. The â€Å"secluded atmosphere† on the â€Å"outskirts of an American town† in which All My Sons opens acts as a dramatic device to show Keller’s devotion to his family by presenting him as sectioned off from wider society. Additionally, the â€Å"closely planted poplars† which seclude the area act as a dramatic device to represent Keller’s somewhat narrow minded principles and set values. Soyinka’s portrayal of the culture and setting also presents Elesin’s character and nature. Soyinka invites the audience to the rich Yoruban culture through Elesin’s voice; â€Å"a man of enormous vitality† who exposes the beauty of the setting to the audience, thus revealing his lust for earthly pleasures. â€Å"The smell of indigo on their cloth, this is the air I wish to breath† portrays Elesin’s yearn for life. The use of evocative description of the setting and culture creates a picture of Elesin’s vibrant character. The author’s use of language, which creates the character’s voice, presents the protagonists differently and shapes the audience’s reactions and feelings towards them in each play. Miller’s use of disjointed language such as â€Å"what’s goin†, to create Keller’s voice, presents him as an un-educated simple man. Though his incoherent language means the audience isn†™t enticed or fascinated by him, it presents him as an ordinary character, allowing the audience to connect with him on a personal level. The fact the audience is able to connect with Keller personally, because of his down to earth nature, means the audience are less sympathetic of his fatal flaw as Miller’s presentation of him causes the audience to be un-expectant of his down fall. â€Å"Back in my day you were either a doctor or a lawyer† exposes Keller’s myopic perspective of the world and strong attachment to his set values. Conversely, Soyinka’s use of complex language to create Elesin’s voice fascinates and captivates the audience, giving him high status as a character. Soyinka presents Elesin as an exuberant character fascinated by earthly pleasures. â€Å"I become a monarch whose palace is built with tenderness and beauty†. The flowing rhythm of his voice and the use of positive adjectives expose his passion for life; his fatal flaw as a character. Elesin speaks poetically in riddles such as â€Å"when the horse sniffs the stable does he not strain at the bridle?† presenting him as articulate and expressive. He also uses metaphors to express his ideas such as â€Å"you’re like a jealous wife† when talking to the Praise-Singer. This use of riddles and metaphors makes him sometimes difficult to unders tand presenting the idea he hides his fatal flaw by using his language to distract the praise singer from acknowledging his love for life which distracts him from his cultural duty. For example when the praise singer accuses Elesin of forgetting â€Å"a long faithful mother of his children† referring to his responsibilities to his culture, Elesin replies poetically saying â€Å"when the horse sniffs at the stable does he not strain at the bridle?†. However, his superior position makes it difficult for the audience to connect with him on a personal level. This foreshadows his downfall as a character as he later abandons his responsibilities to his culture by not committing to his duty of suicide. Because his fatal flaws are foreshadowed, when his downfall is eventually exposed it is expected by the audience thus they feel sympathy for him and his death is seen as an act of redemption. Both All My Sons and Death and a King’s horseman are structured with the climatic parts of the play at the end and use foreshadowing techniques throughout the plays to build up the tension and climax. In Death of a King’s Horseman Soyinka portrays Elesin’s fatal flaw; his desire for earthly pleasures which distracts him from the responsibility of death; to foreshadow his downfall as a character. Soyinka’s use of language exposes Soyinka’s desire for mortal pleasures. â€Å"This market is my roost† foreshadows his inability to sacrifice his be devotion for life for the benefit for the people in his culture. Similarly, Miller uses foreshadowing techniques to prognosticate the revelation of Keller’s mistakes. The broken tree which is a memorial for Larry acts as a dramatic device which foreshadows the end of Keller’s family’s ignorance to his mistake. The mother also foreshadows this by The different purposes within the narrative of the protagonist’s death affect their differing importance’s compared to the death of their son’s which acts as a catalyst The point at which the fathers acknowledge their sons death is the pivotal point at which the protagonist’s accept their fatal flaws. In Death and a King’s Horseman, because the death of Elesin is presented as an act of redemption, in my opinion the tragedy of his death is more important than the death of his son When Keller’s mistake of killing Larry is discovered he responds defensively to protect himself. â€Å"The minute there’s trouble you [mother] run out of strength† suggests Keller attempts to direct the blame on to somebody else and deny his mistakes. The fact his death takes place as a result of his family shunning him suggests his intentions for his suicide are selfish, to protect himself from unhappiness as his family is the only thing he values in life. This causes the audience to view his death as a cowardly act rather than an act of redemption from his mistakes. In my opinion this makes his suicide less important than the death of his son within the play which is the pivotal point of exposing Keller’s faults as a character. On the contrary, Elesin’s intentional death is presented as an act of redemption. It is clear Elesin kills himself for the benefit of his culture as â€Å"he has a duty to perform†. The presentation of his cultural duties at the beginning of the play The moment at which he kills himself is more important than the death of his son as it is the pivotal point in the novel where his mistakes and flaws are redeemed by showing his loyalty to his culture. Therefore, although Keller’s suicide seems less important than the death of his son as his suicide is merely a selfish act to protect him, Elesin’s intentional death is an act of redemption, making it equally important as the death of his son.