Death and the King's Horseman

Content Warning: This section of the study guide references ritual suicide and death by suicide.

“They love to spoil you but beware. The hands of women also weaken the unwary.”

In the market, the Praise-Singer is the first character to warn Elesin about enjoying his last hours of life too fully. Elesin tells the Praise-Singer that he feels at home in the market and likes how the women treat him, making him feel like an important man. However, the Praise-Singer warns that the women could weaken his resolve to die, expressing a crumb of doubt that Elesin will go through with the ritual.

“PRAISE-SINGER. In their time the great wars came and went, the little wars came and went; the white slavers came and went, they took away the heart of our race, they bore away the mind and muscle of our race. The city fell and was rebuilt; the city fell and our people trudged through mountain and forest to found a new home but—Elesin Oba do you hear me?

ELESIN. I hear your voice Olohun-iyo.

PRAISE-SINGER. Our world was never wrenched from its true course.”

Here, the Praise-Singer refers to the history of Nigeria and the trials the Yoruba people have faced. He mentions Cultural Conflict and the Impact of Colonialism and the trading of enslaved people, which decimated their population. However, he says that none of these events have managed to change the course of the world. None of them have caused tragedy like Elesin’s failure to die would cause. His insistence that Elesin listen suggests further doubt of the horseman’s resolve. The Praise-Singer feels that he must remind Elesin of his duty and press upon him the importance of completing the ritual.