King Emene : Tragedy of a Rebellion

King Emene : tragedy of a rebellion (1971) by Zulu Sofola In King Emene, Sofola tells a story of an impetuous young King (Ogugua), the King of Oligbo whose hubris accelerates his downfall in a most disastrous manner.

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  • We see him being enmeshed in a web he himself makes; he gets to a point of recognition and reversal, but too late. He enters the shrine and he is driven by a boa. He has to and actually commits suicide. His mother, who actually committed the crime, does the same
    • Page 69.
  • You have the power, but I fear that the sense behind The power is absent.
    • Sentence 11 Act two scene two
  • Then let me hear who must make the confession, or shut your mouth
    • Act two scene three
  • It is often said that each bubble in a cooking pot of soup fights so hard for supremacy that none listens to the cry of the pot itself; so when the pot burns, all the bubbles perish
    • Diokpa,Act one scene one
  • True, your majesty, but the Oracle has never been known to err and never has any person other than Omu consulted the Oracle for the king. That the king exiled the Omu and chose someone else who will tell him what he wants to hear does not alter the words of the Oracle. She speaks only once, and when she speaks it stays. It is our duty to do what she bids
    • Diokpa, Act one scene one
  • No, your highness, I must deliver Mkpitime’s message to you. That you hate to receive a third warning to postpone the Peace Week until the crime in the royal family has been revealed is not my concern. I was sent by you to consult the Oracle and I must deliver it
    • Omu,Act one scene one
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