Who are the characters Death and Kings Horseman?

In Wole Soyinka's play "Death and the King's Horseman," the characters of Death and the King's Horseman represent opposing forces that come into conflict with each other. Here's a brief description of each character:

1. Death:

- Personification of the natural force of death.

- An embodiment of the Yoruba belief in the power of the ancestors.

- Symbolic of the cultural traditions and religious beliefs of the Yorubas.

- Unseen by most characters, but has a powerful presence throughout the play.

2. King's Horseman (Elesin Oba):

- A high-ranking chief and the king's horseman in the Yoruba kingdom.

- Responsible for committing ritual suicide (ritual death) after the king's death to accompany him into the afterlife.

- Torn between his duty to fulfill the tradition and his desire for a longer life.

- Represents the conflict between individual desires and societal expectations.

The central conflict of the play arises when Elesin Oba, influenced by Western education and modern ideas, hesitates to perform the ritual suicide. This act disrupts the natural order, causing tension between the living and the dead and leading to tragic consequences for the characters involved.

"Death and the King's Horseman" explores the themes of cultural identity, tradition, and the conflict between personal desires and social obligations in the context of postcolonial Nigeria.