THE CONFLICT OR CONTEST BETWEEN TRADITION AND MODERNITY AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE USE OF PLAY-WITHIN-A-PLAY IN WOLE SOYINKA'S THE LION AND THE JEWEL

THE CONFLICT OR CONTEST BETWEEN TRADITION AND MODERNITY AS PRESENTED IN THE PLAY

 The conflict between tradition and modernity in the play produces humorous and ridiculous effects. The main characters featuring in the contest between tradition and modernity are: Baroka,  the Bale of Ilujinle. He  is 62 years, wiry and polygamous.  Sadiku, the Bale’s eldest wife, susceptible to gossip. She is also Baroka’s matchmaker attempting to patronize Sidi. Sidi is the village belle. She is Slim with plaited hair, vain and gullible. She is a traditional woman. Lakunle is the village school master. He is Nearly 23 years. He is ludicrous in his western attire and much opposed to tradition he is full of bombastic language.

In the play, We see Baroka as the representative of tradition. As Bale, he is the custodian of the culture and traditions of his people. He believes in, and practices polygamy. He is portrayed as an opponent of modernity when he pays surveyors to re-route a railway track that was to pass through the village. His positive attitude to the siting of the postal service in the village suggests that he is not totally against modernity but wants to proceed more cautiously, and on  his own terms. 

Lakunle’s ideas of ‘modern marriage’ do not convince Sidi. Lakunle's view of women as the weaker sex and having smaller brains puts her off. She realizes that she would have less power and fewer rights as Lakunle’s wife than she would in a traditional marriage. 

 Sadiku playing the role of go between woos Sidi for Baroka. She wards off Lakunle from attracting Sidi and she is key instrumental in winning Sidi over to tradition and killing Lakunle’s ambition. 

In the play, it is resolved that  Lakunle as a representative of modernity is rather shallow and not convincing. Rather, he cuts a poor figure.  Baroka is a strong, confident traditionalist who has his way with his people, particularly his women.  Sidi, by virtue of her youth and relative inexperience could have been swayed by Lakunle away from tradition, but for Lakunle’s  persuasions are not convincing enough. The pull of tradition, aided by Sadiku proves too strong for her, especially her insistence that Lakunle pay the bride price which Lakunle refuses to pay. The play suggests that an outright  rejection of tradition for the sake of joining the modern world is ill-advised.  Baroka’s triumph suggests that progress must be made when it truly benefits the village and its people. 

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE USE OF PLAY-WITHIN-A-PLAY

The broad theme is the conflict between tradition and modernity which reproduces humorous and ridiculous effects. Instances of the play-within-a-play is the pantomime of the stranger with one eye box and his devil's own horse-motor-car “the man from the outside world . The pantomime about the thwarted, railway construction that is to pass through Ilujinle. The white surveyor is bribed and the Prisoners stop work. 

 Lakunle plays the role of the ‘stranger’ as imaginary driver while the girls ‘crouch on the floor as four wheels of a car’. The presence of ‘a snake',  ‘monkey’ and a roar gives a local colour.  Sidi’s picturesque image fascinates the drunken stranger and he sheepishly follows her,  Baroka plays the role of the former Bale, Chief Baseje. The chief threatens and pacifies the Stranger. He orders ‘a feast in his honour’. The stranger first rejects the drinks, then accepts and drinks to stupor. He admires Sidi and takes ‘all sorts of magazine postures and innumerably photographs of her’. The Purpose of the play-within-a-play is to entertain the people Particularly, the, ‘ Bale. He tells the protesting Lakunle, ‘without these things you call nonsense, a Bale’s life would be pretty dull’. It  brings the audience up to speed on current incidents in the entire play. It  justifies Lkunle's resentment of the Bale’s life Style. It also shed light on the background of Ilujinle people. 

The play-within-a-play acts as flashback to the entire events in the play. It enriches the play’s humour. It depicts the culture of hospitality and the spirit of togethemess that characterize African tradition. It establishes the source of the feud between Lakunle and Baroka as captured in the interrupted railway construction. It serves as a link between the past and present life of Ilujinle as evident in the coming of the magazine that changes Sidi’s life and that of the village. it attracts or encourages audience participation.