Title:   SATIRIC DIMENSIONS OF POWER PLAY IN WOLE SOYINKA'S A PLAY OF GIANTS

Abstract
Our society of today has come a long way in suffering certain ills, vices and
malpractices, which have given rise to violations of standards, ethics, values,
norms and codes of conducts, acceptable to all in the society. These aspects of
moral decadence and bankruptcy have got to such levels that indiscipline and
corruption have become the bane of those in leadership positions. Owing to
these adverse situations, this paper sets out to investigate the satiric
dimensions of power play in government circles as explored in Wole Soyinka's A
Play of Giants. Satire being a literary device in which the foibles, follies or vices
of a person, mankind or an institution are held up to ridicule and scorn, and with
the intention of correcting, this study looked into how the playwright employed
these satiric devices to expose the negative attitudes of the leaders to public
ridicule. The theoretical framework adopted is psychoanalysis. The play is
subjected to textual analysis with data from diverse opinions and studies of
scholars in journals, library texts and the internet. It was discovered that
Soyinka ridiculed the evils of dictatorship, tyranny and oppression, suppression
and acts of indiscipline among political leaders.
Keywords: Power, Oppression, Tyranny, Satire, Caricature, Corruption.

Citations:

Publication Date: 2024-03-18