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Author's Note

• Wole Soyinka opens the play with an author's note as a way of explaining the text that is to come.

• Soyinka explains a situation that occurred in Nigeria in 1946.

• Soyinka explains that he has set his play, "Death and the King's Horseman", a few years prior to the occurrence in Nigeria during World War II.

• Soyinka explains his play as illustrating a clash between two opposing cultures. Soyinka also states that two cultures cannot truly clash unless there is some sense of equality established among them.

• Soyinka discusses one British character in the play, Pilkings. He [Soyinka] explains that Pilkings is not in the heat of a cruel dilemma and should not be portrayed as such.

• Soyinka explains that Pilkings' decisions are based upon his fear of losing face with other British officers rather than being based upon moral grounds.

• Soyinka goes on to say that...

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