Abstract
This work utilizes Foucault’s articulations on the power strategies of our contemporary society. To him the subject’s constitution is never a purely passive effect of power on the subject but requires the subject’s own activity. This necessitates the existence of a dynamic, mutually affecting relationship, implying that one can be both dominated and dominate at different times and in different contexts. This article aims to analyze the Nigerian Noble Laureate, Wole Soyinka’s play The Trials of Brother Jero , a prophetical play that criticizes the ills of society through its satirical depiction, in the light of Foucault’s conceptualizations on power. To do this, the article first clarifies Foucault’s mature understanding of the operation of power and then attempts to provide an in-depth analysis of the structure of the power regime and its relations in the play, tactics of domination, and more importantly, the characters’ relations to the existing system of power. The study of the language and the dialogue of the main characters, Brother Jero, Amope, Chume and a Member of Federation House not only exposes the sources of operating power relations, but it also highlights the characters’ desire for power and the way it flows and slips from one character to another. The findings of the paper reveals that power is not concentrated on merely one character or institution within the play, rather, it circulates, and through the active resistance of the dominated characters, it constantly engenders new meanings within the structure of the play. In The Trials of Brother Jero, different characters have the desire to use power against each other and the resistance of each of them indicates that power is neither possessive nor repressive. Keywords: Michel Foucault, Power, Pastoral Power, Resistance, Wole Soyinka
Highlights
The Trials of Brother Jero, widely known as one of Soyinke’s (1934-?) most popular plays, was first published in 1964, and appeared as a performance at the Greenwich Mews Theatre in New York City in 1967
The Nigerian Noble Laureate, Wole Soyinka’s play The Trials of Brother Jero is a prophetical play that criticizes the ills of society through its satirical depictions
The study of the language and the dialogue of the main characters, Brother Jero, Amope, Chume and a Member of Federation House exposes the sources of operating power relations, but it highlights the characters’ desire for power and the way it flows and slips from one character to another
Summary
The Trials of Brother Jero, widely known as one of Soyinke’s (1934-?) most popular plays, was first published in 1964, and appeared as a performance at the Greenwich Mews Theatre in New York City in 1967. Through the element of satire, the play successfully reveals the contradictions in blind faith and following; and highlights many of the social and political imbalances of Nigeria in the early 1960s. Perhaps, this is why, Osoba (2014) suspects, its audience tend to cut across social and intellectual classes. This is why, Osoba (2014) suspects, its audience tend to cut across social and intellectual classes This being said, it is easy to note that the play engages directly with the current socio-political and religious atmosphere of the contemporary Nigeria (2)
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