Set in the Yoruba village of Ilujinle, Nigeria, The Lion and the Jewel is a light comedy play revolving around four main characters: Baroka, the elderly chief of Illunjire; Lakunle, a teacher; Sidi, the belle of the village; and Sadiku, the eldest wife of Baroka.

The interaction and confrontation among the main characters posit an African village entangled in a tug-of-war between modern enthusiasts and traditional adherents. Those who have subscribed to modern ideals want to modernise their village and, if possible, erase all forms of traditional beliefs and practices existent in the village. On the other hand, another group, mostly composed of older people, are against the encroachment of modernity in their village.

Ironically, and additionally, the playwright depicts an African village whose residents want to have both of the same world – a section of the villagers against all that entails modernity yet attracted to some aspects of it, and another section that have embraced all that constitutes modernity yet don't want to give up some of their village's traditions.

Lakunle, 23, is a young man who has subscribed to modern culture. He is educated, is impressed by modern technological innovation, and is attracted to the modern lifestyle. He represents the younger generation who distaste their African traditions in favour of Western culture.

Even so, his belief about the status of women in the society and attraction to a Yoruba traditional practice – polygamy – depicts a young man who has embraced modern ideals yet holds on to some of the traditional beliefs and practices existent in his village.

On the other hand, Baroka, 62, is a traditionalist who is against his village being influenced by the modern way of life. He uses his authority and craftiness to stop Lakunle, the modernist, and the ministry of transportation from streamlining the village. Despite his opposition to his village being modernised, he's attracted to a modern innovation, a stamping machine.

Sidi is a young girl who is against anything entailing a modern way of life. She's happy remaining a traditionalist. However, she's attracted to an aspect of modernity – a magazine. She is curious and yearns to have a look at the magazine containing images of her, as promised by the Lagos man, and which, as stated by the Lagos man, will announce her intriguing beauty to the world. Sidi represents the young people who uphold their tribe's or village's traditions but are attracted to some elements of modernity.

Both Lakunle and Baroka are eyeing Sidi. Lakunle entices Sidi in a gentlemanly manner (western style), while Baroka uses slyness and eventually deflowers her. In the end, Sidi accepts to become Baroka's wife.

Baroka's victory in marrying Sidi displays the triumph of tradition over modernity. In her journal article, 'Tradition vs. Modernity: Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel,' Ashli Watts notes,

"The overall plot of the play, Lakunle and Baroka's fight for Sidi's love, displays another confrontation between tradition and modernity. Between the two of them, Sidi has to choose between having a modern or a traditional marriage. Lakunle's refusal to accept tradition causes modernity to falter...His choice for modernity leaves the door open for Baroka to enter. Knowing the rules of tradition and using Sidi's ego against her, Baroka knows that if he can seduce Sidi, she will not have a choice in marrying him because she will no longer be a maid. This is the battle which causes tradition to triumph over modernity."

Baroka is depicted in the play as a lion, whereas Sidi is portrayed as a jewel. It's a story of a lion, Baroka, the chief of Ilujinle village, on a mission to claim a jewel, Sidi, the belle of the village, as his latest wife. Despite Sidi's refusal to be married to Baroka, the Bale succeeds in having the beautiful young girl as his wife.

The employment of symbolism in the construction of the title of the play sketches a continent that's divided between two camps – modernists and traditionalists.

The ending of the play displays the playwright's satisfaction Africa hasn't lost its identity, that is, fully influenced by Western culture.

A Lion

A lion, when hunting individually, has a success rate of 17%–19% in catching prey. Its low hunting success rate is noted in Baroka. Not all women have fallen prey to Baroka's desire to have them as either his wives or concubines. Even so, he has managed to 'own' a sizeable number of them; the latest being Sidi. Lakunle is envious of Baroka, seeing that the old man has a considerable number of women in his palace as either his concubines or wives.

A lion radiates a sense of authority evidenced in its majestic walk and the holding high of its head. Other characteristics that have earned this wild cat the title of the king of the jungle are its mane which symbolises a crown, and its roar. Its roar, which can be heard over 15 miles, causes animals to scurry for their safety and is a means of alerting its pride of its approach.

In the play, Baroka exudes authority as the chief of Ilujinle village, a position he inherited from his father through the patriarchal system existing in the village. Baroka is always accompanied by a wrestler who acts as his bodyguard symbolising the position he holds in the village.

The young people, including Sidi, halt dancing the role-play act of the 'Lost Traveller,' and kneel to pay respect to Baroka, who has approached them – an indication of the royalty title he holds. Lakunle, upon seeing Baroka, tries to make a slow exit but returns when the Bale and the young people call his name, and bows to the Chief.

Another trait of a lion that's exhibited by Baroka is its strength, both physically and sexually. His muscular figure is brought to light when he asks Sadiku what makes Sidi think he's an old man that she can't accept to be her husband. He asks her,

"Did I not at the festival of Rain, defeat the men in the long-tossing match? Do I not still with the most fearless ones hunt the leopard and the boa at night and save the farmers' goats from further harm?... Do any of my wives report a failing in my manliness? The strength of them all still wearies long before the lion does!"

On the other hand,

A Jewel

Is an ornament adorned by women on their necks to complement their beauty. It symbolizes beauty. In the play, Sidi is described as a 'very' beautiful young woman.

Her beauty comes into prominence when images of her are published in a Lagos-based magazine. She asks her friends whether they've seen the magazine that'll expose her beauty to the world.

"...Did you see the book? Had he the book that would bestow upon me beauty beyond the dreams of a goddess? For so he said. The book which would announce this beauty to the world."

Baroka is jealous of Sidi because of her rising fame owing to her commanding beauty. The fact that Baroka's image, a small one, is displayed "in a little corner somewhere in the book, and even that corner he shares with one of the village latrines," makes the Bale more jealous and eager to claim Sidi as his youngest wife. The First Girl reveals to Sidi,

"The Bale is jealous, but he pretends to be proud of you. And when this man [referring to the Stranger - the Lagos man] tells him how famous you are in the capital [that is, in Lagos], he pretends to be pleased, saying how much honour and fame you have brought to the village."

One of the disadvantages of a gem is that it lacks a lively form. Women in pre-colonial Africa were treated more as property than partners in a marriage. The contrast between Lakunle and Baroka is apparent. Lakunle views a wife as a companion, not a property. However, he, similar to Baroka, has a low opinion of women. On the other hand, Baroka views women as tools of pleasure and servitude.

The four main characters in the play are: Baroka, Lakunle, Sidi, and Sadiku. 

a) Baroka 

He is the elderly chief of Ilujinle village, having inherited the political rulership from his father.

He is a cunning man. When Sadiku approaches Sidi in an attempt to convince her to become Baroka's favourite wife, Sidi remarks,

"...Do you think that I was only born yesterday? The tales of Baroka's little suppers, I know it all. Tell your lord that Sidi does not sup with married men..."

She asks Sadiku if she can deny that

"every woman who has supped with him one night, becomes his wife or concubine the next day."

Lakunle adds to Sidi's comment there's a reason why Baroka is known as the 'fox.' According to Wikipedia, a fox, as depicted in the folklore of many cultures, is a cunning or trickery character. His foxiness is seen when he deceives his eldest wife, Sadiku, he has lost his manhood.

Sadiku, taking the bait, spreads Baroka's impotence to Sidi. Egoistical about her beauty and proud that her fame has outdone Baroka's popularity, Sidi takes it upon herself to head to Baroka's palace to deride him. In a turn of events, the old man defiles her. Having been deflowered, she runs away from his house and reveals to Sadiku and Lakunle, who are waiting for her, that they're all fooled.

He is a polygamist with several wives and concubines under his belt. Feasting on the images of Sidi on a copy of the Lagos-based magazine, he sets himself on a mission to have another wife to add to the many he has. From his polygamous and concubinage life, Baroka, 62, has sired 63 children. There's the likelihood that Sidi wouldn't be the last woman he'd accumulate as his latest wife.

Even though Baroka is a traditionalist, he makes use of a modern invention, the stamp machine, which he employs in seducing Sidi.

b) Lakunle

Lakunle, 22, is an educated young African man who has embraced Western values and seeks to modernise his village of Ilunjire. He wants his village to attain the same economic and technological status as Lagos, the capital city of Nigeria. He distastes the village’s traditions which he terms as a ‘savage custom, barbaric, outdated, rejected, denounced, accursed, excommunicated, archaic, degrading, humiliating, unspeakable, redundant, retrogressive, remarkable and unpalatable.’

Lakunle is puffed up in arrogance owing to his attainment of formal education. Despite his attainment of formal education, Lakunle's interpretation of the Western texts he's read has led him to make erroneous statements about the status of women.

He tells Sidi that he won't allow her to drive him into an argument because she has a smaller brain compared to his. When asked what makes him utter such an arrogant statement, he defends himself as not the one who has said that. The scientists, he asserts, have proven women are a weaker sex. The 'assumed' fact is indicated in the books he has in his possession, he tells her.

His utterance on the inferiority of women stems from a lack of a balanced interpretation of Western literature or lacking the necessary skills in analyzing the texts he has read. This implies Lakunle is semi-educated, that is, partly educated. A semi-educated person, according to the Urban Dictionary, is an individual who has "achieved a certain level of education and then decided they are better than those who have not been so fortunate." A semi-literate person, as stated by the same dictionary, can be singled out, as noticed in Lakunle, "by the rather unsavoury and ignorant views expressed by this supposedly educated individual."

He has a wrong impression of what modernity is. He tells Sadiku after Sidi leaves them to mock the Bale following the revelation of the Chief's impotency,

"Within a year or two, I swear, this town shall see a transformation... We'll burn the forest, cut the trees then plant a modern park for lovers. We'll print newspapers every day with pictures of seductive girls. The world will judge our progress by the girls that win beauty contests..."

Even though Lakunle considers himself progressive, he is enticed by some aspects of Yoruba traditions. For instance, he is envious of the many women Baroka has. He muses on his polygamous lifestyle and wishes he would have led that kind of life.

"...concubines...ah, yes...all those concubines. Baroka has such a selective eye, none suits him but the best...Yes, one must grant him that. Ah, I sometimes wish I led his kind of life. Such luscious bosoms make his nightly pillow. I am sure he keeps a timetable just as I do at school. The only way to ensure fair play. He just is healthy to keep going as he does. I don't know what the women see in him...No! I don't envy him!"

He backtracks from having wished he led that lifestyle by telling himself he'll stick to one woman – Sidi.

He's a witty character. He has some sense of humour. He uses synonymous words to describe the backwardness of his village's tradition: 'a savage custom, barbaric, out-dated, rejected, denounced, accursed, excommunicated, archaic, degrading, humiliating, unspeakable, redundant, retrogressive, remarkable, and unpalatable.' When asked by Sidi whether the bag (his mouth) is empty (has run out of words) and why he's stopped, Lakunle replies,

"I own only the Shorter Companion Dictionary, but I have ordered The Longer One - you wait!"

c) Sidi

She is a very beautiful girl going by the praises poured upon her by her friends and the Stranger. Sidi asks the First Girl if she has seen the magazine after being notified the Stranger – the Lagos man – has returned with the magazine which contains images of her (other than those of the village and the Bale) as he'd promised. She asks the First Girl,

"Did you see the book? Had he the precious book that would bestow upon me beauty beyond the dreams of a goddess? For so he said. The book which would announce this beauty to the world..."

The Third Girl replies the Stranger had indeed brought the magazine. However, she tells Sidi, "the Bale is still feasting his eyes on the images." She praises Sidi's beauty as seen in the magazine.

"Oh, Sidi, he (referring to the Stranger) was right. You are beautiful. On the cover of the book is an image of you from the top of the head to the stomach. And in the middle leaves, from the beginning of one leaf right across to the end of another, is one of you from head to toe..."

Despite her beauty, she is naive. Even though she knows Baroka's cunning nature, she hasn't spared herself some time to factor in Baroka's statement about his impotence. Instead, she rushes to the Bale's palace to mock him. Departing from the chief's palace, she runs towards Sadiku and Lakunle, who have been waiting for her. She tells them they're all fooled. Baroka had tricked Sadiku, knowing Sadiku wouldn't bear to keep it a secret.

Taking advantage of her innocence, Baroka deflowers the young girl. Consequently, Sidi opts to become Baroka's wife not because she loves him but to preserve her reputation in the village. She'd told Lakunle she wouldn't accept to be married without her bride-price having been paid because word would spread in the village she's not a maid (virgin). To cover the shame, of being no longer a virgin, she accepts to become Baroka's youngest wife.

Some scholars state the Yoruba tradition doesn't permit a woman to be married to another man if she's been seduced by someone else. In relation to this Yoruba law, Sidi couldn't be married by Lakunle or another man because she'd already been seduced by another man, Baroka. In his journal article, 'Women under Patriarchy: A Postcolonial Feminist Critique of Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel,' Adhikary P. R, states,

"Sidi becomes ready to marry an old man because of her tradition which does not permit a girl to marry another person after being seduced by one. In this respect, she forgives the rapist rather than taking any legal action against him."

Similar to Baroka, she's a traditionalist. She doesn't subscribe to Lakunle's idea of what constitutes a modern woman. She tells him to go to those places where women would understand him if he told them of his plans with which he oppresses her daily.

She is flirtatious. Having been told by Sadiku of the Bale's impotence, Sidi is desirous to deride him. Not only does she want to toy with the old man for her own amusement, but also wants to witness his physical reaction which, she believes, would fall short of his former energetic body because of his current physical condition, impotency, caused, presumably, by his old age. She pleads with Sadiku to let her go to the Bale's palace. She tells her,

"Oh such an idea is running in my head. Let me to the palace for this supper he promised me. Sadiku, what a way to mock the devil. I shall ask for forgiveness for my hasty words...No need to change my answers and consent to be his bride - he might suspect you've told me. But I shall ask a month to think about it...

Oh Sadiku let me go. I long to see him thwarted, to watch his longing, his twitching hands which this time cannot rush to loosen his trouser cords."

d) Sadiku

Sadiku is the eldest wife of Baroka.

She has been a faithful wife, remaining loyal to her husband since the day Baroka claimed her as his bride. This, Baroka reveals to Sidi when the young girl goes to the chief's palace to mock his loss of manhood. He tells Sidi that his senior wife has been a faithful lizard – a factual statement but also said in a pretentious way to mean Sadiku wouldn't reveal to others about her husband's lack of bedroom vitality.

Similar to her husband and Sidi, she is a traditionalist. However, unlike the other two, who are attracted to some elements of the modern culture, she's fully devoted to her village's traditions.

She is a simple-minded elderly woman. Joyous at the revelation of Baroka's impotence, she informs Sidi of the revelation. Similar to Sidi, she hasn't spared some time to think through what Baroka had told her to keep as a secret between the two of them. She believes what he told her at face value as factual, which later cancels her celebration of her and other wives' triumph over the Bale.

She is illiterate. This is seen when Lakunle chides her for allowing Sidi to head to Baroka’s palace to taunt him.

“This is my plan, you withered face and I shall start by teaching you. From now on you shall attend my school and take your place with twelve-year-olds. For though you’re nearly seventy, your mind is simple and unformed. Have you no shame at your age, you neither read nor write nor think? You spend your days as a senior wife, collecting brides for Baroka. And now because you've sucked him dry, you send my Sidi to his shame.”

Lakunle rebukes her for using her time to perform 'foolish' tasks of finding brides for the Bale instead of using that time to gain the necessary formal education. Her illiteracy, according to Lakunle, has put her at a disadvantage as she is unable to use her brain to logically reason things out. If she'd received the formal education, she would have seen the fallacy in searching for young women for Baroka to marry or to serve as his concubines.

The events in The Lion and the Jewel occur in one day. The scenes in the play are divided into three parts: Morning, Afternoon and Evening.

Morning

Lakunle is teaching arithmetic times when he notices Sidi through the classroom’s window carrying a pail of water on her head. He rushes out of the class and to the opposite side. He offers to help Sidi lower the bucket, but Sidi refuses. He seizes it, but some water spills on him.

Lakunle tells Sidi that she must stop carrying heavy loads on her head. The effect is her neck will shrink which he likens to squashed drawings of his pupils. He also complains about Sidi’s traditional way of wearing that exposes her shoulders and outline of her breasts.

Sidi has had enough of Lakunle's 'lecture' that she asks if she can take the pail. However, Lakunle refuses asking her to first marry him. Sidi replies she has no problem with that. She can marry him any day as long as he pays her bride price. Lakunle is adamant he won't pay the bride-price, and Sidi insists she won't agree to be married without her bride-price having been paid as she'll become a laughingstock in the village.

Lakunle offers the reason he can’t pay the bride-price which he likens to buying a heifer off the market stalls. He describes to Sidi the married life of civilized people. He kisses her, but Sidi is repelled by that behaviour, terming it unclean.

As they are talking, they hear a crowd of youth and drummers. Sidi demands Lakunle to give her the bucket or else the people will jeer at her.

The girls feed Sidi with information about the lost traveller – a man from another world who speaks in a foreign accent. Sidi enquires if the stranger has returned with the magazine he had promised; a magazine that will announce her beauty to the world.

The girls tell her the Lagos man returned with the book [magazine], and her images appear on the cover and middle leaves [pages] of the book.

Sidi comes up with the idea of acting out the events that led to the 'Lagos man' stumbling upon the Illunjire village. She assigns the young people roles to play in the form of a dance called 'Lost Traveller,' which will retell how the Lagos man got lost and found himself in the village of Illunjire.

The stranger was traveling somewhere when his car broke down. He restarted it, but it failed. He climbed out of the car, checked the tyres and climbed in. He ignited the engine, but the car didn’t give in. He picked up his camera and helmet and took a swig from his flask of whisky before putting it into his pocket. He began the trek to find a nearby village.

He heard a girl singing somewhere from the bush. He shook his head, drank his whisky again convinced he was suffering from sun-stroke. He threw the empty bottle. He heard a scream and torrents of abusive words. He tiptoed to where the female’s voice was coming from. What he saw made him unhitch his camera.

Not focusing on where he was stepping as he tried to find a good position to take several pictures of the girl who was bathing in a pool of water, he plunged into the water. The young woman screamed and ran to the village with a part of her cloth covering her. The Stranger followed a little later, wringing out the water from his clothes. The stranger was captured and hauled off to the town centre by an irate mob.

Baroka, the chief of Illunjire sympathized with the Stranger. He besieged the villagers not to kill him. He ordered dry clothes for him and a feast in his honour. The Stranger captured several pictures of the party including Sidi dancing.

Generally, the themes appearing in the play can be categorized in three groups:

1. Traditions and Custom
2. Status of Women
3. Tradition vs. Modernity

1. Traditions and Customs

a) Bride-price

The debate on whether bride-price should be banned is a contentious issue in African and non-African countries that are still practicing it.

Lakunle, the young African man who has embraced the modern culture, considers the traditional customs in his village as barbaric and savage. As a modernist, he's on a mission to streamline the village by doing away with every aspect of Yoruba tradition in his village and usher in the elements of modernity.

Even though he loves Sidi, he doesn’t want to pay her bride-price as a prerequisite to marrying her. He tells Sidi that paying the brideprice, also known as bridewealth, is the same as buying a heifer off the market stall. Paying the bride-price, he reasons, signifies purchasing her as a commodity since he'd part with a certain amount of money and/or items in exchange for her.

In the Yoruba village, a bride-price acts as a stamp a woman hasn't been touched by a man. Sidi stresses to Lakunle she'll accept to be married to him at that moment or any day as long as he pays her bride-price. She tells him that if he marries her without paying her bridewealth, she'll become a laughingstock in the village. Word will spread in the village she's married without a bride-price because she's not a virgin.

b) Polygamy

Similar to bridewealth, the debate on prohibition of the continuation of polygamy hasn't been warmly received by the majority of men, and a fewer percentage of women, in Africa.

A traditionalist, Baroka is happy with continuing his village's tradition of marrying as many wives as he could. Not only has he immersed himself with wives, but he also has concubines to boast about. The Yoruba tradition of polygamy hasn't limited men in the number of women they should marry.

Despite having many wives and mistresses, Baroka's thirst for more women hasn't been satisfied, which is the reason he's eyeing Sidi. A study of the play shows that Baroka is benefitting in three ways from amassing himself with many women as either his wives or concubines. Firstly, to gratify his sexual pleasure, and secondly, the luxury of being served as he wishes.

An instant of his appetite for more women to gratify his sexual desires is when he eyes Sidi, a young girl who has risen to prominence because of her beauty. Looking at the copy of a magazine containing Sidi's images, he reflects that it has been long since he last married his latest wife, Ailatu – 5 months ago.

Sidi, having the knowledge of Baroka's thirst for young female blood seeks Sadiku's permission to let her go and ridicule Baroka. Once in his palace, she'll act as if she doesn't know of Baroka's failing of his manhood. She tells Sadiku,

"...Oh Sadiku let me go. I long to see him thwarted, to watch his longing, his twitching hands which this time cannot rush to loosen his trouser cords."

Baroka uses Sadiku to convince young women to become his wives. Lakunle criticizes Sadiku for spending her days looking for women to be Baroka's wives. In reality, Baroka, known for his slyness, uses Sadiku to convince women to be his wives.

He lies to Sidi that his senior wife always mistakes his good gesture e.g. asking for a lady's health or how she's doing as a sign he wants that girl to be his wife.

An instance showing Baroka's enjoyment of using women for his own comfort is the case of his youngest wife, Ailatu, to whom he assigns the task of plucking out hairs from his armpit.

Outside the play, the major reason given for men's thirst for a polygamous lifestyle is to satisfy their sexual thirst. Nonetheless, the Afropolitan disagrees with this view. They state,

"The truth is that polygamy was to do with status and wealth. The more wives a man had the more his wealth grew. Why? Because it was women and their children who worked the land. That is also why, contrary to popular belief, monogamy was equally common in pre-colonial Africa if not by choice."

For a moment, Lakunle desires the polygamous lifestyle of Baroka. When he comes to his senses, he vows to himself he'll stand by the modern value of having only one wife.

c) Wife Inheritance

In modern Africa, wife-inheritance is rarely practiced, unlike in the pre-colonial era.

In the play, wife inheritance is a component of Yoruba tradition. In this instance, a man is required to marry the youngest wife of his deceased father. Baroka inherited his father's favourite (youngest) wife – Sadiku – following his death. This is noted in Sadiku dancing around the Ogun tree – joyous at Baroka having lost his manhood. She dances around the tree, chanting in an excited voice,

"... I was there when it happened to your father, the great Okiki. I did for him, I, the youngest and freshest of the wives. I killed him with my strength..."

According to Wikipedia, the main purpose of inheriting someone else's wife was a

"means for the widow to have someone to support her and her children financially, and to keep her late husband's wealth within the family bloodline. At the time it was initiated, women were responsible for the house chores and men were the providers, therefore if the woman lost her husband, she would have no one to provide for the remaining family. Because her in-laws would not want someone outside of the family's bloodline to inherit her late husband's estate, she was required to marry within the family."

The practice is declining in Africa owing to negativities associated with it e.g. it renders a widow powerless to choose for herself who to be married to or whether she wants to be married again.

d) Songs and Dances

Songs and dances have played, and continue to play, important roles in the African continent. Some of the functions of songs and dances are to entertain people, to retell a story or convey a message, and to celebrate an occasion.

In the 'Morning' section of the play, Sidi comes up with an idea that they should dance the dance of the 'Lost Traveller.' She assigns several of the youths to play a particular role e.g. four girls to act as the four wheels of the car the Stranger was driving, and a young man as a snake. She assigns Lakunle the role of the Stranger, but Lakunle doesn't want anything to do with it, as he calls it a childish game. However, Sidi tells him,

"You are dressed like him

  You look like him

  You speak his tongue

   You think like him

   You're just as clumsy

    In your Lagos ways -

    You'll do for him!"

Lakunle still refuses to participate in the role-play which involves dancing, miming, and talking. The other young people join Sidi in chanting the above words while dancing around him. This impels Lakunle to accept to take the role of the Stranger.

Herein, chanting has acted as a vehicle of persuasion and, to some extent, an irritability, which forces Lakunle to join in the role-play act. Chant, as defined by Oxford Languages, is a "repeated rhythmic phrase, typically one shouted or sung in unison by a crowd," or as defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a "rhythmic monotonous utterance or song."

Lakunle dances as he heads to his car. He sits on an imaginary chair and ignites an imaginary engine. The young girls representing the wheels dance with their knees and hands touching the ground while moving around the stage.

The dance of the 'Lost Traveller' incorporates singing, dancing, miming and beating of drums. Mime, as defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is "to act a part with mimic gesture and action usually without words." The dance narrates the story of how the Stranger, the Lagos man, chanced upon Sidi and her village, Ilunjire.

Singing and dancing are also seen when Sadiku dances around the Ogun tree, with the carved figure of the Bale placed in front of the tree. While dancing, she chants, "Take warning, my masters, we'll scotch you in the end."

Sidi, who has been watching in utter amazement from a distance, approaches her. She thinks the old woman has gone mad. Sidi is joyous when Sadiku discloses to her of the Bale's impotence. She joins Sadiku in celebrating women's victory over men. Sadiku isn't only joyous about herself but also joyful for the wives of Baroka for having caused the Bale to lose his manhood.

e) Marriage

Lakunle's view of marriage differs from that of Baroka. Baroka is content in living the typical traditional-style of marriage lacking a vital element that Lakunle seeks in a marriage – companionship.

Lakunle seeks a marriage whereby his other significant one, in this instance, Sidi, is not mainly a spouse (wife) in marriage but a companion.

The marriage he desires is the one that's mainly built on companionship. A marriage where his wife has an equal status in marriage. Not a wife whose status in marriage is that of servitude or is a submissive partner in marriage. He tells Sidi,

"Sidi, I do not seek a wife to fetch and carry, to cook and scrub, to bring forth children by the gross...

"Sidi, I seek a friend in need. An equal partner in my race of life."

He elaborates to Sidi what he means by seeking a long-term companion. He tells her,

"...When we are wed, you shall not walk or sit tethered, as it were, to my dirtied heels. Together we shall sit at a table - not on the floor - and eat, not with fingers, but with knives and forks, and breakable plates like civilized beings. I will not have you wait on me till I have dined my fill. No wife of mine, no lawful wedded wife shall eat the leavings of my plate - that is for the children. I want to walk besides you in the street, side by side and arm in arm just like the Lagos couples.."

On the other hand, Baroka is desirous of the traditional style of marriage that has an element of domination on the part of men and submission on women. For instance, Baroka had assigned his eldest wife, Sadiku, the task of finding for him wives or a concubines.

Baroka is mainly driven by an insatiable sexual appetite to claim young, beautiful women as his wives whereas Lakunle is primarily driven by the need to have a long-term companion.

Pertaining to the forms of marriage, Baroka is content being in a polygamous marriage as a polygamist whilst Lakunle is satisfied being in a monogamous marriage as a monogamist. For a brief moment, Lakunle was envious of the polygamist nature of Baroka. He rebuked himself for entertaining such a thought. He remarked,

"...Yes, one must grant him that. Ah, I sometimes wish I had his kind of life. Such luscious blossoms make his nightly pillow. I am sure he keeps a time-table just as I do at school. Only way to ensure fair play. He must be healthy to keep going as he does. I don't know what the women see in him. His eyes are small and always red with wine. He must possess some secret...No! I don't envy him! Just the one for me. Alone I stand for progress, with Sidi my chosen soul-mate, the one woman of my life..."

Finally, in terms of how a man approaches a woman and how he proposes to her differs between the two. Lakunle employs the modern style of approaching and proposing.

Without a doubt, Lakunle had won Sidi's heart. She'd have married Lakunle if it weren't for Lakunle's refusal to pay her bride-price and Baroka's slyness that led her to losing her virginity. This is evident when she told him,

"...I've told you, and I say it again I shall marry you today, next week or any day you name. But my bride-price must first be paid..."

She wanted Lakunle to pay her bride-price as was the customary of Yoruba tribe. If Lakunle had paid her bride-price, they'd have been a couple. She told him the reason for wanting him to pay her bride-price is,

"...They will say I was no virgin that I was forced to sell my shame and marry you without a price."

Payment of bride-price in the Yoruba tribe acted as a stamp a woman was a virgin and thus was entering into a marriage as undefiled.

Ultimately, Sidi accepts to become Baroka's latest wife, not because she loves him or is so much impressed by his prowess on bed, but to preserve her reputation as not an immoral woman.

f) Chastity

Chastity is a moral value that is upheld in the Yoruba tribe. According to Collins Dictionary, chastity is "the state of not having sex with anyone, or of only having sex with your husband or wife."

Sidi had accepted to become Lakunle's wife on the condition that Lakunle pays her bride-price. Lakunle refused to pay her bride-price as he viewed the practice a degradation of a woman's worth as a human being. He considered the practice as buying a woman and thereby converting the woman from a human being to a mere property.

However, Sidi considered payment of her bride-price as an important prerequisite Lakunle had to fulfil before they got married. Payment of her bride-price held a deeper meaning to her. The Yoruba tribe held sex as sacred – an act to be carried out between married people.

Sidi insisted to Lakunle that her bride-price should be paid. The reasoning is that if she got married without her bride-price having been paid, word would spread throughout the village she wasn't a virgin.

She wanted to preserve her reputation as a morally upright woman. Thus, payment of her bride-price was a declaration or confirmation a woman entered into a marriage as morally upright – not an immoral woman. She told Lakunle,

"I've told you, and I say it again I shall marry you today, next week or any day you name. But my bride-price must first be paid..."

"...They will say I was no virgin that I was forced to sell my shame and marry you without a price."

Ultimately, she was defiled by the cunning chief of Illunjire, Baroka. As stated above, Sidi didn't accept getting married to Baroka because she loved him or because of his prowess in the bedroom activity (as she told Lakunle) but to preserve her reputation by not being considered an immoral woman.

Despite his old age and being the highest political leader in the village, Baroka was an individual who showed a lack of being morally upright. Other than being corrupt, he defiled young women who were brought to him by his eldest wife.

Sidi was aware of Baroka's immoral behaviour. This is noted when Sadiku approached Sidi with the message Baroka desired her to be his wife. Sidi told her she didn't want to become the old man's wife. Sadiku told her if she didn't want to be the Bale's wife, at least to accept the Chief's dinner invitation. Sidi told her,

"...Do you think that I was only born yesterday? The tales of Baroka's little suppers, I know all. Tell you Lord that Sidi does not sup with married men."

"...Can you deny that every woman who has supped with him one night, becomes his wife or concubine the next?"

2. Status of Women

In the play, women have been portrayed as man's property, an instrument of man's sexual gratification, a servitude to man's bidding, and inferior to men.

Lakunle reproaches Sadiku for spending her days collecting brides for Baroka. This, he thinks, is a result of the elderly woman not having passed through the formal education system. However, it isn't that Sadiku is happy in engaging in the matchmaking activity. The reality is that her tradition has forced her to do her husband's bidding. In his journal article, 'Social Picture in the Lion and the Jewel,' Lorelly Cicom says,

"Another custom of Yoruba tradition is a significant one. Sadiku, the veteran representative of the tradition, woos young girls to marry her husband and it is her responsibility to persuade girls to marry Baroka. The Yoruba society emphasizes that 'the wives have to obey and do furnish all sorts of his desire.' It is settled in the minds of the women in the society."

Baroka is sexually starved. Despite his old age, 62, Baroka isn't sexually satisfied by the women he's accumulated to himself – wives and concubines. When Sidi, a young woman, comes into prominence in the village, thanks to the magazine that announced her beauty to the world, she unknowingly becomes a prey to the lustful eyes of the Bale. Sidi, knowledgeable about Baroka's thirst for fresh young blood, begs Sadiku to let her pay Baroka a visit with the intention of deriding him. She desires to witness Baroka's longing to sleep with her – a young, fresh blood – but using the occasion to deny him his sexual urges.

"...Oh Sadiku let me go. I long to see him thwarted, to watch his longing, his twitching hands which this time cannot rush to loosen his trouser cords."

Seducing a young female, particularly those conceived as most beautiful, and being able to have her as one's wife, boosted a man's image in the African pre-colonial era. This attitude – showing off, and earning praises from fellow men in having seduced a beautiful young woman – is also evident in modern African and non-African countries.

The act itself elevates a man's status in the society, or in the world, of having conquered in 'owning' rather than being in a relationship with a beautiful woman as his wife. Baroka having succeeded in marrying, if not the most beautiful girl in the village, one of the most beautiful girls in the village, attracted envy from other men such as Lakunle, a sign of the man's prowess in seduction.

The women in the village are treated as a weaker sex. Inferior to men. Having smaller brains than men. It'd have been expected that Lakunle, a modern man, would have treated women as equal to men. He'd impressed on Sidi what a modern civilized marriage entails – eating together, and walking together, which was an unheard thing in the Ilujinle village and pre-colonial Africa.

Partly, he can be faulted for considering women as having smaller brains to men due to his semi-illiteracy. And partly, he can't be faulted. He might have misinterpreted the Western texts he read. But there is also the possibility the Western texts he read, particularly scientific literature, did infer women have a smaller brain compared to men. This may have validated his view on women as a weaker sex from the belief held by his village, and which was ingrained in his mind from a young age.

Lakunle assumes Sidi can't engage him in arguments which she is incapable to comprehend or reason out. Adult or sensible talks, so it was assumed in the African community, was reserved for men. Women weren't involved in decision-making in their homes and in the making of laws and rules to guide a tribe or community. This belief is still prevalent in post-colonial Africa.

Lakunle can't be wholly faulted for having a low opinion of women. In self-defense, Lakunle stated the statement he uttered was gathered from the 'western' books he'd read. Partly, he can be faulted because as an educated man he should have cross-referenced the texts to be certain of their claim. On the other hand, Lakunle can't be faulted because Western literature, particularly romance novels, including 'purposely' scientific findings depict women as cheap and inferior to men.

In her article, 'The 'female' brain: Why damaging myths about women and science keep coming back in new forms,' Gina Rippon states,

"The view that women are inferior to men has taken many different forms over the years. In the 19th century, a patriarchal anxiety emerged that exposure to the demands of scientific education would damage women's vulnerable biology. In 1886, William Withers Moore, then president of the British Medical Association, warned of the dangers of overeducating women as they could develop disorder he called "anorexia scholastica", which made women immoral, insane and asexual."

In an article titled, 'Why Men Thought Women Weren't Made to Vote,' Marina Koren states that at the turn of the 20th century, there was the belief among academics, doctors and scientists that women shouldn't vote because "they were, quite literally, not made for it." She says that according to the leading theory of that time "mental exertion could jeopardize reproductive health."

"According to the mainstream science of the time, "Women simply had inferior brains, which made them unsuited to the rigors of voting," says Cheryl Jorgensen Earp, a professor at the University of Lynchbury... "Anti-suffrage cartoons poked fun at women's reasoning ability...which showed the interior of a woman's head filled only with letters, puppies, hats, chocolates, and the faces of admiring young men.""

Lastly, media has the capability to impress certain ideologies on what constitutes men and women in young people's minds which they'll carry as a true representation of the respective sexes. Consequently, in their adulthood stage, the impression that was implanted in their young mind will guide their reflection of themselves and the opposite sex. A study carried out by Common Sense found out that,

"Media reinforce the idea that masculine traits and behaviors are more valued than feminine traits and behaviors, and boys who consume these media messages are more likely to exhibit masculine behaviors and beliefs."

Also, "Girls are taught that their bodies exist to be objectified, sexualized, and consumed by others. Teens who are heavier media users are more likely to believe that women are partially responsible for their own sexual assaults."

Surbhi Malhotra states in her journal article titled, 'Resisting Patriarchy and Reformulating Matriarchy: An Analysis of Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel,"

"A fairly prevalent perception of the women across cultures has framed them as matter and as such subordinate. Their physical beauty, role in the procreative process and use as objects of pleasure and sexual satisfaction have thrown their other faculties into the background. Culture role models, as they have percolated down the ages, have emphasized this, depriving the women of agency."

Patrice C. Akogbeto and Albert O. Koukpossi in relation to the gender differences exhibited in the play state in their journal article, 'Gender Issues in the Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka: A Linguistics-Oriented Analysis from a Systematic Functional Grammar and Critical Discourse Analysis Perspective,'

"The result of the investigation in the light of trasitivity and Critical Discourse Analysis shows that Soyinka, consciously or unconsciously has represented male characters as strong, powerful and metaphorically as a lion, a symbol of irresistible power. They are also portrayed as initiator, doer of something, and commander in chief, the king while their female counterparts (Sidi, Sadiku) are represented as goals and/or beneficiaries of men's actions and associated with processes of sensing and of emotions."

3. Tradition vs. Modernity

This is the central theme in the play.

Lakunle, a young modernist man, wants to transform his village to attain the status of a modern town. He wants to marry Sidi but is against the idea of paying her bride-price. To him, paying the bridewealth would amount to purchasing her as a good thereby legally transforming her as a property of his. She'd be no different to a slave. His mode of dressing is modern in appearance though his fashion taste is a bit weird.

He discourages Sidi from wearing the traditional clothes. To him, she doesn't appear womanly. He distastes the traditional clothes she wears because they expose her shoulders and the upper part of her chest. He desires her to dress in modern attire which is appealing.

On the other hand, Baroka is a traditionalist. He sticks to his Yoruba tradition exemplified by his polygamous lifestyle. Baroka isn't the kind of a person to entice a woman, go through the dating stage, and propose to her. These acts are modern. As seen in the play, Baroka lures the young innocent girl and deflowers her as a means of claiming her.

He knows the girl won't have a choice but to marry him. Not only does the Yoruba tradition forbid her to be married to a man who hasn't approached her, but also the fact she doesn't want to stake her reputation as an immoral woman impels her to accept to be the Bale's latest wife.

Lakunle is repelled by his village's tradition terming them as savage and barbaric. Not only does he want to streamline his village, but also to eradicate all aspects of the Yoruba traditions and customs from being ever practised. Even so, Lakunle, momentarily, is enticed by the polygamous lifestyle of Baroka.

Notwithstanding Baroka has succeeded in preventing civilization from knocking at the village's door, some aspects of Western civilization have spread their tentacles in the village. For instance, the same man who is against his village being modernized is attracted to a modern invention – stamping machine. He uses the stamp machine he owns as a source of revenue and to seduce Sidi.

Sidi, another traditionalist, is exceedingly excited at seeing her beauty published in a magazine, and consequently, gaining a spotlight not only in the village but also beyond the walls of the village. In addition, the idea proposed by Baroka of imprinting her images on the village's stamps increases her joy. It's evident, being a young traditionalist, she's attracted to some elements of modernity.

It's apparent from the ending of the play the playwright is against some aspects of modern culture and Yoruba tradition. This implies he appreciates some elements of modern culture and his Yoruba tradition, as exhibited through the interactions and confrontations among the four main characters in the play – Baroka, Sidi, Sadiku and Lakunle.

Through the play, the playwright, Soyinka, voices his concern on Africa's reception of western culture, in its full package, particularly among the youth, at the expense of their African traditions. The continent has lost most of its traditional roots, as noted by Chigozie Obioma, author of 'The Fishermen' and 'An Orchestra of Minority.'

In his article titled, 'Africa has been failed by westernisation. It must cast off its subservience,' he laments,

"...But this is becoming Africa's reality. Increasingly, our elites tell us that the way of the west is "modern" and "civilised", echoing the early colonialists who dismissed our civilisations as "barbaric", "archaic", and "uncivilised" to instill theirs."

Similar to Lakunle,

"... the African elite class largely insists that Africa is not western enough, and is trying to drag the continent, still grappling with western modernism, into the west's evolving postmodernist regime.

On another note, in spite of Africa having been influenced to a greater degree by Western culture, some elements of the continent's traditions and customs (both beneficial and harmful) are still being practiced in Africa. This implies that, overall, the West hasn't been 'fully' successful in influencing Africans from continuing their traditions as noted by V. Jeya Sandhi and R. Selvam in their journal article, 'Cultural Catastrophe in The Lion and the Jewel.'

"... Ultimately, the play is on the surface plane portraying the tribal life and its confrontation with the culture of the West. The playwright reiterates upon the idea that the West has not made any deep impact on African culture and the tradition in the society is typical with all its merits and demerits."