A Dance of the Forests by Wole Soyinka

1) Write a proposed alternative end of the play 'A Dance of the Forest' by Wole Soyinka.

Proposed Alternative Ending of A Dance of the Forests by Wole Soyinka:

Introduction: Historical Memory and the Purpose of the Ending Wole Soyinka’s A Dance of the Forests is one of the most intellectually complex plays written during the period of African independence. Commissioned for Nigeria’s independence celebration in 1960, the play challenges the celebratory narrative of national history by exposing the moral corruption, violence, and human failings embedded in the past. Instead of glorifying tradition, Soyinka insists that societies must confront the darker aspects of their history if they hope to build a better future. The dramatic action unfolds within a symbolic forest where spirits, gods, and human characters interact to reveal the cyclical relationship between past and present. The Forest Head, Ogun, Eshuoro, the Dead Woman, Demoke, and the Half-Child all function as symbolic figures representing forces such as justice, creativity, destruction, memory, and historical guilt. The play ultimately presents a warning that independence or progress does not automatically erase historical injustice. The original ending of the play is intentionally ambiguous and deeply symbolic. In the final scene, Demoke struggles to protect the Half-Child while supernatural forces clash around him. Soyinka describes the scene with dramatic tension and chaos: “Ogun on the other, watchful, cutlass at the ready. Both are kept apart by the dancers only, and from time to time they clash, always briefly, and they spring apart again.” The scene becomes increasingly intense as the forest ritual reaches its climax. The conflict between Ogun and Eshuoro symbolizes opposing forces of creativity and destruction that influence human destiny. At the same time, the Half-Child represents the future generation, incomplete and vulnerable because of the unresolved crimes of the past. Eventually Demoke becomes exhausted while trying to protect the child, and the Dead Woman takes the Half-Child away. Soyinka describes this moment in the final lines: “Demoke sags to his knees, the Dead Woman runs to him, snatches the falling Half-Child and is swallowed by the forest. Demoke collapses on the ground. It is now fully dawn.” The arrival of dawn suggests the beginning of a new era, but the collapse of Demoke and the disappearance of the Half-Child leave the future uncertain. This essay proposes an alternative ending that preserves Soyinka’s themes but introduces a clearer moral awakening in which the characters consciously confront their past and accept responsibility for shaping the future.

Understanding the Symbolism of the Original Ending: To develop an alternative ending, it is essential to analyze the symbolic meaning of the final scene in Soyinka’s original play. The climax of the drama occurs when supernatural forces and human characters converge in the forest ritual. The atmosphere is chaotic and intense as the struggle for the Half-Child continues. Soyinka carefully describes the increasing confusion of the scene: “The Forest rhythm becomes thoroughly confused with the beaters’ music and shortly after, the Jesters stop totally, bewildered.” This confusion symbolizes the moral disorder within society. The forest ritual, which was meant to celebrate national history, instead exposes the unresolved guilt and violence embedded within it. Several important symbols shape the meaning of the original ending.

Symbol	Role in the Play	Meaning in Original Ending
Half-Child	Child of the Dead Woman and historical injustice	Incomplete future shaped by past crimes
Demoke	Carver and symbolic representative of humanity	Burdened by guilt and responsibility
Dead Woman	Victim of historical oppression	Reminder that the past cannot be erased
Ogun	God of creativity and destruction	Transformative but dangerous power
Eshuoro	Trickster spirit	Chaos and moral testing
Dawn	Arrival of a new era	Uncertain future after independence

The actions in the final scene emphasize exhaustion and confusion rather than resolution. Demoke struggles physically and morally while holding the Half-Child. As Soyinka writes: “Demoke gets wearier and wearier, begins to sag. At every falter the Jesters move towards him to snatch their quarry but he recovers.” This moment symbolizes humanity’s fragile attempt to protect the future while being burdened by historical guilt. Eventually Demoke can no longer continue the struggle. The Dead Woman takes the child, representing the possibility that the future may remain trapped in the unresolved trauma of the past. The dawn that follows is therefore ambiguous it represents both hope and warning. Soyinka’s message is clear: societies that celebrate progress without confronting historical injustice may simply repeat the same cycles of violence and corruption. Rationale for an Alternative Ending: Although Soyinka’s ending is powerful, it intentionally leaves the audience with unresolved tension. The human characters never fully acknowledge their historical crimes, and the responsibility for shaping the future appears to remain in the hands of supernatural forces rather than human beings themselves. An alternative ending can therefore explore the possibility of moral recognition and transformation while remaining faithful to Soyinka’s philosophical concerns. The purpose of proposing a different ending is not to contradict Soyinka’s vision but to imagine how the play might conclude if the characters actively confronted their past. In the original ending, the Half-Child disappears into the forest with the Dead Woman, symbolizing uncertainty about the future. However, if the characters were able to recognize their mistakes and accept responsibility, the Half-Child could instead represent a new beginning shaped by awareness rather than ignorance. The alternative ending therefore focuses on three key ideas:

Objective	Explanation
Moral Recognition	Characters openly acknowledge past crimes
Collective Responsibility	Society accepts responsibility for historical injustice
Transformative Future	The Half-Child symbolizes renewal rather than uncertainty

Such an ending would emphasize that the future is not determined solely by supernatural forces or fate but by the moral decisions of human beings. It would also reinforce Soyinka’s warning that societies must examine their history honestly in order to build a more just future. Proposed Alternative Ending: In the proposed alternative version of the final scene, the dramatic struggle continues as in the original text. The forest remains filled with ritual music, dancers, and supernatural tension. Ogun and Eshuoro still confront each other violently, preserving the dramatic conflict described by Soyinka: "Ogun and Eshuoro lose control, fly at each other, seemingly blind. They miss, begin to feel for the other's position, flailing wildly. Coming suddenly on each other, they lock together, bear each other out of sight." However, before the struggle ends in chaos, the Forest Head intervenes and commands silence across the forest.

The sudden stillness transforms the atmosphere of the scene. Instead of allowing the conflict to continue uncontrollably, the Forest Head forces the living characters to face the truth about their past. Demoke stands at the center of the stage holding the Half-Child, visibly exhausted but determined to protect it. At this moment he confesses his crime the killing of his apprentice during the carving of the totem pole. His confession represents the larger moral failures of society, including betrayal, violence, and the exploitation of others for personal ambition. The Dead Woman then steps forward and addresses the living characters directly. Rather than silently taking the Half-Child away, she demands recognition for the suffering of victims throughout history. She reminds them that the past cannot be erased and that the future will inevitably inherit the consequences of earlier actions. Demoke slowly places the Half-Child on the ground between the living and the spirits. This gesture symbolizes humanity’s acceptance of responsibility for shaping the next generation. Ogun lowers his weapon, acknowledging that creative power must be guided by moral awareness. Even Eshuoro withdraws into the shadows, suggesting that chaos loses its influence when truth is openly acknowledged. As the forest gradually brightens, the scene echoes Soyinka’s original imagery of dawn. The stage directions remain similar to the original text, but their meaning changes. Instead of collapsing helplessly, Demoke rises again and prepares to face the coming day. The play still ends with the powerful image described in the original text: “It is now fully dawn.” However, in this alternative ending dawn represents conscious renewal rather than uncertainty. Symbolic Transformation in the Alternative Ending: The proposed ending modifies the meaning of several key symbols while preserving Soyinka’s central themes.

Symbol	Original Interpretation	Alternative Interpretation
Half-Child	Uncertain future	Future shaped through awareness
Demoke	Individual guilt	Collective responsibility
Dead Woman	Silent victim	Voice demanding justice
Ogun	Creative but violent power	Creativity guided by moral awareness
Dawn	Ambiguous new era	Conscious moral renewal

Through these transformations, the play continues to emphasize the importance of historical memory. However, it also introduces the possibility that societies can learn from their past rather than repeat it.

Conclusion: Wole Soyinka’s A Dance of the Forests remains one of the most profound dramatic critiques of historical glorification and political optimism in postcolonial literature. The play challenges audiences to recognize that national celebrations often ignore the darker aspects of history. The original ending reinforces this warning through ambiguity and symbolic tension. As the final scene shows, Demoke’s exhaustion and the disappearance of the Half-Child suggest that the future may remain incomplete if society refuses to confront its past. The closing lines “Demoke collapses on the ground. It is now fully dawn.” capture this uncertainty perfectly.

The proposed alternative ending builds upon Soyinka’s themes while imagining a moment of moral awakening among the characters. By acknowledging their historical crimes and accepting responsibility for the future, the characters transform the meaning of the Half-Child and the dawn. The future becomes not merely a continuation of past mistakes but an opportunity for ethical renewal. Such an ending would maintain the philosophical depth of Soyinka’s play while emphasizing the importance of self-reflection, historical awareness, and collective responsibility. Ultimately, whether the future remains uncertain or becomes a moment of renewal depends on humanity’s willingness to confront the truth about its past.

Reference:

Soyinka, Wole. A Dance of the Forests. Oxford University Press, 1963.

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