A Dance of the Forests: Analysis of Major Characters
"A Dance of the Forests" is a complex play that explores themes of morality, community, and the consequences of human actions through its richly developed characters. The chief god, Forest Head, also known as Osanyin, embodies justice and mercy, striving to guide humanity toward self-awareness and accountability. Key figures include Aroni, the messenger of Forest Head, who sets the stage for reflecting on the past's violence; Eshuro, a malevolent figure demanding vengeance, and Rola, the manipulative woman representing sexual power and torment. Adenebi reflects political corruption through his self-serving actions, while Demoke, an artist, grapples with guilt and the potential for redemption following a tragic event in his life. The Dead Man and Dead Woman provide poignant commentary on the struggles of life and motherhood amidst despair. Together, these characters illustrate the interplay of personal and societal histories, highlighting the need for understanding and reconciliation in a world marked by suffering and moral ambiguity. The play serves as a mirror to humanity's flaws and the hope for renewal through acknowledgment and change.
A Dance of the Forests: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Wole Soyinka
First published: 1963
Genre: Play
Locale: Nigeria
Plot: Mythic
Time: 1960
Forest Father or Forest Head, the chief god who controls the universe of this play. In the pantheon of Yoruba gods, he is called Osanyin (oh-SAH-nyihn). He is the supreme arbiter who rules both humans and lesser gods. Because he represents the divine qualities of justice and mercy, he despairs of the continuous evil of humanity's history but believes that humankind may be improved if mortals can be made to admit the consequences of their acts as part of history. He designs the dance to expose past and present wickedness. He is concerned and sympathetic but all-powerful, reserving his supreme power to restrain and ultimately decide the outcome of the dance and therefore the outcome of the world. In his mortal guise, he masquerades as Obaneji, who leads the party into the forest.
Aroni (ah-ROH-nee), “the Lame One” who opens the play. He is the messenger of the great Forest Head, and it is he who selects the dead man and woman who reflect the violent past that lives on in the grim practices of the present-day characters.
Eshuro (ay-SHEW-roh), one of the aspects of Oro, god of the dead, who has qualities of the Yoruba god of mischief, Eshu. He is spiteful and antagonistic to humankind and demands from Forest Head vengeance against Demoke. He becomes the “figure in red” who controls the “bloody triplets” who, at the point of potential reconciliation, snatch the half-child representing the human future. It is his final chance to destroy the human race, as he so bitterly desires.
Agboreko (ahg-boh-RAY-koh), an Elder of the Sealed Lips who exists as a soothsayer between the two existences. He is an intermediary between the living people on Earth and the spirits in the Forest.
Rola (ROH-lah), the eternal whore, queen in the ancient court of Mata Kharibu, also called Madame Tortoise because of the image that once on her back, she will not turn herself over. She is woman as tormentor and sexual sadist. She demands the attentions and subjugation of all men. In one evidence of her cruel nature, she orders the passivist army captain (the Dead Man) to be castrated for rejecting her sexual overtures. Now reduced to an actual prostitute, she continues her sexual scandals in modern times when two of her lovers die, one by murder and one by suicide. She is the female black widow spider in human form.
Adenebi (ah-day-NAY-bee), a corrupt official, indifferent to decency and principle, concerned only with being paid for his patronage. He now has the position of council orator and uses pompous rhetoric. In early times, he was the court historian and cruelly sent innocent men to their deaths. He repeats similar iniquities in the present when he corruptly licenses the overloading of a truck, which crashes, burning sixty-five people to death. He exemplifies political immorality.
Demoke (day-MOH-kay), a figure who represents the artist as a potent force within society. He was a poet in the ancient court and is now a carver. His apprentice, Oremole, was killed by falling from the tree that they were both carving in honor of the celebration for which the play was written. His act provokes an intense soul-searching. He is not sure that others who accuse him of killing Oremole out of jealousy may not be right. As an articulate and self-aware artist, Demoke represents the nature of humans at a profound level. In a painful moment of self-interrogation, he is forced to admit that he did in fact destroy Oremole. In spite of this crime, for him redemption is possible. He catches the half-child and, by allowing its birth, ensures the future for humanity. Demoke is the redeemer within society because he is an artist.
The Dead Man, a character who is revived from his earlier existence as a captain in the army of the dead emperor Mata Kharibu. He has refused to serve in the emperor's unjust wars. As a punishment, he is sold into slavery and castrated on the instructions of the jealous empress.
The Dead Woman, his wife. She is equally dirty, ragged, and squalid, a far cry from the visions of lovely opulence from the other world that were anticipated to arrive. She was killed while pregnant. If her child can now be brought to birth, it will establish the future of the human race. In her crude way, she supplies the continuity of life that derives from motherhood and offers life even under degraded conditions.