wole soyinka the bacchae of euripides a communion rite

This paper explores Wole Soyinka's reconfiguration of gender in his adaptation of Euripides' The Bacchae in his The Bacchae of Euripides: A Communion Rite. One of the distinctive aspects of Wole Soyinka's dramaturgy is his ingenious adaptation of Shakespearean and Euripidian drama. Literary scholarship has focused on the concept of male dominance buttressed by cultural ideologies inimical to the female gender. JSTOR 3818751.Studies on gender discourse have mainly focused on patriarchal tendencies pervasive in most societies. 'A Nigerian Version of A Greek Classic: Soyinka's Transformation of 'The Bacchae' '. 'The Politics of Ritual in Wole Soyinka's The Bacchae of Euripides'. Whereas in Euripides' play Pentheus is a young man (cousin, and potential mirror image of Dionysus), in this production John Shrapnel seemed old enough to be a father figure, and thereby a generational difference was introduced. Bare-chested and in a small loincloth, with only slightly longer hair than one might then have expected from one’s bank manager, he was a clearly male leader of rebellion the chorus of maenads became a predominantly male chorus of slaves, only some of whom were female. Martin Shaw, as Dionysus, was not an androgynous figure. Soyinka’s production note called for 'as mixed a cast as is possible' for the Slaves and the Bacchantes, and a 'fully negroid' actor for the Slave Leader, but in the National Theatre’s production all the other named characters were played by white actors. The sacrifice of the king, similar to Death and the King's Horseman comes from Soyinka's Yoruba heritage. In Soyinka's introduction, he says, “By drinking the king’s blood, the community as a whole partakes of his power and all are revitalized and unified.” This is what makes the play fulfil its subtitle of A Communion Rite.

Instead of Thebes dissolving into chaos, Pentheus's head begins to spurt blood, that transforms into wine. The ending of the play is much different. Soyinka adds a second chorus to the play, the slaves, to mirror the civil unrest in Nigeria. It was first performed on 2 August 1973 by the National Theatre company at the Old Vic in London. Soyinka wrote the play during his exile in Britain.

The Bacchae of Euripides: A Communion Rite is an adaptation by Wole Soyinka of the ancient Greek tragedy The Bacchae by Euripides.

Wole soyinka the bacchae of euripides a communion rite