A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THEMES AND TECHNIQUES OF FEMI OSOFISAN’S MOROUNTODUN AND ALEX ROY-OMONI’S MORONTONU
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction . . . . . . .
1.1 Femi Osofisan’s biography . . . . .
1.2 Alex Roy-Omoni’s biography . . . .
1.3 Literature review . . . . . .
1.4 Thesis statement . . . . . .
1.5 Aim of study . . . . . . .
1.6 Scope of study . . . . . .
1.7 Significance of study . . . . .
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THEMES IN FEMI OSOFISAN’S MOROUNTODUN AND ALEX ROY-OMONI’S MORONTONU
2.0 Introduction . . . . . . .
2.1 Themes in Femi Osofisan’s Morountodun . .
2.1.0 The theme of Determination . . . .
2.1.1 The theme of Betrayal . . . . .
2.1.2 The theme of Oppression . . . . .
2.2 Themes in Alex Roy-Omoni’s Morontonu . .
2.2.1 The theme of Jealousy . . . . .
2.2.2 The theme of Selflessness . . . . .
CHAPTER THREE: DRAMATIC TECHNIQUES IN FEMI OSOFISAN’S MOROUNTODUN AND ALEX ROY-OMONI’S MORONTONU
3.0 Irony in Morountodun . . . . .
3.1 Recast in Morountodun . . . . .
3.2 Soliloquy in Morountodun . . . . .
3.3 Dialogue in Morountodun . . . . .
3.4 Authorial intrusion or stage direction in Morontonu .
3.5 Dramatic Irony in Morontonu . . . .
3.6 Foreshadowing in Morontonu . . . .
3.7 Humour in Morontonu . . . . .
3.8 Deux-ex-machina in Morontonu . . . .
3.9 Proverbs in Morontonu . . . . .
CHAPTER FOUR
A comparative analysis of Femi Osofisan’s Morountodun and
Alex Roy-Omoni’s Morontonu . . . . .
CHAPTER FIVE
Conclusion . . . . . . . .
Work cited . . . . . . . .
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The origin of Nigeria drama lies in the numerous traditional and functional rituals found practically in every part of its society. Drama therefore rose of out of fundamental humans needs and has continued to express those needs since the inception of time.
By far, the dominant personality in Nigerian drama has been the Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, who has been in active theatre, both inside and outside Nigeria since the Late 1950s. He produced and published the Orisun Theatre Company and the 1960 masks from which literally flowed a steam of truly remarkable plays. He has a background that includes the University of Leeds and the Royal court theater in London. Soyinka has tended to write two types of plays, first the relatively every easily comprehensible play in which he is dealing with a single issue or a limited number of issues in plain language, and second, the more ambiguous, full-length play in which he is dealing with a wide array of issues in complex language, often loaded with abstruse imagery and symbolism and for which he has acquired the reputation of being obscurantist.
1.1 FEMI OSOFISAN’S BIOGRAPHY
Babafemi Adeyemi Osofisan was born June 1946 in Erunwon, Ogun State, he is a Nigerian writer known for his critique of societal problem and his use of African traditional performance and surrealism in some of his plays, a frequent theme his plays explore is the conflict between good and evil. He is in fact a didactic writer whose work seeks to correct his decadent society.
Osofian attended school at Ife and secondary school at government college, Ibadan. After secondary school, he attended University of Ibadan. He continued post-graduate studies at the University of Ibadan and went on to hold faculty positions at the University.
Femi Osofisan has to his credit the following books:
Kolera Kolej (1975) The Chattering and the Song (1977) Morontodun and other plays ((1982) Another Raft (1988), Once Upon Four Robbers (1991) Twingle-Twangle A Twyming Tayle (1992) Yungba-yungba and The Dance Contest. A Parable for Our Times (1993) The Album of the Midnight Black Out (1994) Tegormi:An African Antigons (1999).
1.2 ALEX ROY-OMONI’S BIOGRAPHY
Alexander Obobaro Roy-Omoni, hails from Ebor-orogun in the Ughelli North Local Government of Delta state. He attended his primary schools in the west. After which he attended Delta state University Abraka, where he obtained his first degree in the department of English and Literary Studies. He also holds an M.A. Degree in English of the same university. He is presently a lecturer in the department if English and Literary Studies of the same University, he has to his credit a play Morontonu (2006).
The play, Morontonu by Alex Roy Omoni is a traditional folk tale that is centered on the quest for an heir to the throne of king Isorowolu, who married four wives but was unable to give birth to a male child, the thought of the continuity of his lineage or what he called “expansionist policy gave home serious fear and struggle seriously to make sure he have an heir replace him when he is no more. He was eventually advised by his chiefs to take a new wife as advised and the eventually gave birth to a male child.
The birth of his child was beclouded by jealousy from his wife who took the child to the evil forest to be killed in the forest, her plan was later brought to the ore and she was punished accordingly.
1.3 LITERATURE REVIEW
Morountodun is lay fashioned after the Agbekoya uprising, an uprising in which framers of the western part of the country took up arms to fight against their oppressors, the government. The government that is supposed to put the interest of the people at heart, by providing the necessary social amenities for the growth of the society, they rather forces them to pay taxes even when they have little or nothing to fend for themselves.
The heroine of the play Titubi whose source of inspiration is the Yoruba queen, Moremi, who single-handedly took up the task if infiltrating the camp of the Igbo invaders who had been a bone in the throat of her people. She was able to put an end to the invasion of the Igbo’s through her courage. Titubi’s case is nearly the opposite of that of Moremi, as she belongs to the aristocratic class of the society. Her intension was to infiltrate the camp of the poor farmers and put an to the killings of the military personnel, but the reverse becomes the case when she show that the farmers were fighting a just course, she joined force with those she wanted to fight against and they together put an end to the suffering of the poor masses.
Flora Nwapa’s Women at War for example, catalogues the events of the war from the point of view of women, she presents women as the unsung heroes of the war if men fought militarized battles with canons and guns, women similarly fought against the forces of air-raids, hunger and diseases in addition to physical and moral rape.
Raziant Muahammed, in relation to Osofisan’s Moruntodun asserts that:
Writers such as Osofisan would go back into history to create the dynamics and resourcefulness of women like Moremi to which the playwright refers to as a discovery of the sweet thing…
According to her, “Moremi” a woman of tremendous courage stake her life to bring peace to her people because “our men tremble by their household shrine, their prayers stuck in their teeth. Out warriors are beginning to babble like Obatala misfits… (37).
Similarly, Fred Agbeyegbe in the play: The King Must Dance Naked demystifies the kinship institution where only men must rule by tactically making a woman king.
Also, Bode Sowande’s Farewell to Marxism Revolution that seek to bring change in the society is masterminded by women. In fact, a woman plays the role of a commander in the struggle.
Abubakar Imama’s Magana Jance for instance retold the story of a Queen Amina of Zaria with a flavor that gladdens the heart just as other women are seen as agents of social change, political control, moral guides and communal counselors.
Also, Aluyu Nasidi’z poetry of colonial struggle in northern Nigerian glorifies the strength or powers of women as farmers of ‘wild” chiefs and other cadres of traditional leadership.
Zainab Alkali’s The Descendant’s portrayed Seytu as rising from a very humble background to become a medical doctor. One of the closest to this kind of elevation of the females has been in Chukwunemeka Ike’s Sunset at Dawn, where a female is presented as a radiographer.
As women and men with sympathy feelings to the woman’s cause continue to recreate the image of women as they see them, out national literature will eventually wear, its proper garment and stand out to compete for instance with Francophone literature especially the works of Sembene Ousmane who is able to strike a balance between his male and female characters.
Razinat Muhammed also assert that, it is sad to point out here, that two Africans best read authors”
Nigeria’s very own Achebe and Soyinka have failed in their works to create an outstanding female character in the semblance of Osofisan’s recreation of Moremi. A character who is rounded enough as to exhibit leadership qualities or one that can emancipate herself and others like her from oppressive circumstance written their works. (p2).
1.4 THESIS STATEMENT
This research focuses on evaluating and identifying the similarities and dissimilarities between both plays: Morotuntodun and Morontonu.
1.5 AIMS OF THE STUDY
The research is aimed at exploring the source of both plays-Yoruba mythology. Most importantly, this research is geared toward exploring the dramatic techniques in both plays.
This research is set out to prove the following points.
That Dramatists like Femi Osofisan and Alex Roy- Omoni rely on a common source/influence irrespective of their different backgrounds and artistic ideologies. That the former has influence on the latter hence this can be seen in the recurrent issues they write on inspite of belonging to different generations of Nigerian dramatists.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
As already noted, this essay will focus on the comparative analysis of themes and the techniques employed in Femi Osofisan’s Morountodun and Alex Roy-Omoni’s Morontonu. The essay will also touch on some contemporary issues that are related to the works through what is expressed cannot be a kind word on this research topic.
1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The significance of this research is to expose readers to the recent trends in Modern African drama. It will help to explain the playwright’s attitude towards their tradition and new-colonialism.
This will open new vistas for lovers of African drama and students of literature to carry out further researchers into the topic.
