Wedlock of the Gods (1972)
Wedlock of the Gods is a postcolonial[1] style play about breaking from the oppression of tradition in a male lead society. This three act play was written by Zulu Sofola, the first published, woman playwright from Nigeria.
- "People take up a position about discourse in the very moment of making an utterance in a conversation"
- (pg 352).
- "I was not going to wait for another blink of the eye this time".
- (Chapter 9, pg 36)
- For both characters; Uloko and Ogwoma each become a model for their community to reassert their customs and traditions which would lead to an overhaul of the situation.
- "Pride pushes the hero into the abyss of pain and sorrow without giving up. As life for him is a continuous struggle against fate"
- (pg 55)
- This is because both (Uloko and Ogwoma) in their pride insist that they have done nothing wrong before the gods; rather they shift all forms of blame to their parents whom they see as Obstructions to their eternal destiny.
- "a widower obligated to transform personal pain into social suffering ...for the sake of the society she lives in"
- (pg 123)
- It is for the spiritual and communal well-being of her community that she must consider any decisions that she takes. Because Ogwoma does not want to abide by any of the conditions set forth before her, other than that which is the yearning of her heart, she gets pregnant for her estranged lover (Uloko ) inviting herself to the wrath of society.
- "a human failure...fault or inadequacy like any of us".
- (pg 54)
- Their principal weakness is a self-centred and inconsiderate love "youthful exuberance" which leads to a violation of societal norms and in turn the consequences of their ignoble acts which are given rise by the circumstances around them (Parental intrusion and community action) as is the case in most African tragedy, one person's failure can wipe out an entire generation...
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