Cambridge IGCSE English Literature
Cambridge IGCSE English Literature Death and the King's Horseman Exam Questions
Free Cambridge IGCSE English Literature practice questions for Death and the King's Horseman. Covers wole Soyinka's play of Elesin, ritual sacrifice, duty, honour, colonial interference, Yoruba culture and tragedy.
Death and the King's Horseman practice questions
1 pack of exam-style practice questions for Death and the King's Horseman. Plan and write as many answers as you can under timed conditions, then compare them with the guidance on this page and your notes.
About Cambridge IGCSE English Literature Death and the King's Horseman
Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman is a drama set text on Cambridge IGCSE Paper 2: Drama. Based on real events in Oyo, Nigeria, during British colonial rule, it follows Elesin Oba, the King's Horseman, who must end his life after the King's death to accompany him to the ancestors. Elesin's delay and the intervention of the District Officer Simon Pilkings lead to tragedy, and Elesin's son Olunde dies in his place. Cambridge sets a passage question and an essay question. Examiners reward understanding of the play as theatre, including music, dance and ritual, and close analysis of Soyinka's rich language.
Key themes, characters and context
- Elesin Oba Charismatic and proud, he delays his duty by demanding a young bride. His failure to complete the ritual brings shame and cosmic disorder.
- Olunde Elesin's eldest son, a medical student in England, returns home understanding his culture's values. He takes his father's place in death.
- Iyaloja and the Praise-Singer Iyaloja, mother of the market, grants Elesin's request and later condemns his failure. The Praise-Singer's poetic language voices the community's expectations.
- Simon and Jane Pilkings The colonial officer and his wife treat Yoruba belief with ignorance, wearing confiscated egungun costumes to a ball. Their interference has disastrous results.
- Soyinka's note Soyinka warns against reading the play simply as a 'clash of cultures', stressing its metaphysical meaning: the transition between worlds.
- Theatre and ritual Drumming, dance, song and the market setting are part of the meaning. Contrasts between the market and the Residency are staged scene by scene.
Common mistakes in Death and the King's Horseman
- Reducing the play to a simple clash of cultures; Soyinka explicitly asks for a deeper reading of Elesin's personal failure.
- Blaming the tragedy only on Pilkings; Elesin's own weakness and desire also cause his failure.
- Ignoring music, dance and staging; this is a performance text and examiners expect awareness of it.
- Mixing up Iyaloja and the Bride; Iyaloja is the powerful market mother, the Bride is the young woman Elesin marries.
- Writing at length on colonial history rather than analysing Soyinka's language and dramatic methods.
Try three Death and the King's Horseman practice questions
1. Read the opening market scene. How does Soyinka make this such a lively and significant opening to the play? (25 marks)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would analyse the Praise-Singer's and Elesin's poetic exchanges; consider music, movement and the crowded market; explore Elesin's confidence and the hints of danger; and show how the scene establishes his duty.
2. How does Soyinka make the relationship between Olunde and his father so powerful? (25 marks)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would examine Olunde's conversation with Jane Pilkings, his shock at seeing Elesin alive, his sacrifice and Elesin's response; analyse dialogue and staging; and explore themes of honour and shame.
3. Explore the ways in which Soyinka presents the Pilkingses. (25 marks)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would analyse their misuse of the egungun costume, their dismissive attitudes and moments of uncertainty; discuss dramatic contrast with the market scenes; and evaluate their role in the tragedy without ignoring Elesin's responsibility.
Death and the King's Horseman FAQs
What does Cambridge IGCSE English Literature Death and the King's Horseman cover?
It covers Soyinka's play: Elesin's duty and failure, Olunde, Iyaloja, the Pilkingses, Yoruba ritual and the play's dramatic methods.
Which paper is Death and the King's Horseman examined in for Cambridge IGCSE?
It is a set text on Paper 2: Drama, with a choice of passage-based and essay questions.
How should I approach Soyinka's Author's Note?
Use it to shape your interpretation: Soyinka wants the play read as a tragedy of the transition between worlds and Elesin's failure, not only as a clash between Africa and Britain.
