Fear and courage are big issues for Elesin and his community in Death and the King's Horseman. As the late king's horseman, Elesin is duty-bound to carry out a ritual suicide, and there's a lot of concern early on that Elesin's courage will falter at the crucial moment. Elesin spends the early part of the play trying to reassure everyone that he's got the goods to carry the whole plan out, but he does seem nervous and fearful… and of course, he ends up slipping in his resolve long enough for the British to intervene and prevent the suicide.
Meanwhile, the British administration is more afraid of being embarrassed while the Prince is visiting than anything else—call it the flipside of courage when it comes to what we see with the Brits.
Questions About Courage
- How would you compare and contrast the fears of the Yoruba community with those of the British administrators? Why do these differences matter?
- Are certain fears portrayed as more or less worthy than others? If so, which ones and how?
- Why do you think Amusa is still so scared of the egungun costumes even though he has converted to Islam (and therefore shouldn't believe in their power anymore)?
- Is Elesin ultimately portrayed as brave, a coward, or something in between?
Chew on This
The fears of the play's British administrators are portrayed as frivolous and even harmful—because they're concerned about keeping up appearances for the Prince, they end up causing Elesin to choke (or, give into his own fears) while carrying out a major ritual for his people.
Ultimately, Elesin reveals himself to be no more courageous than the British administrators, since he allows British fears regarding propriety to interfere with his own mission.