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Femme Fa ale and i s T agic Consequences in Wole Soyinka’s A Dance o he Fo es s
Helen Kokei BASSEY (Ph.D.)
Depa men o English
Uni e si y o Lagos, Lagos, Nige ia.
[email p o ec ed]
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17741358
Abs ac
Femme a ale is one o he social cons uc ions o womanhood. I con eys he deep- oo ed idea ha
some women a e in insically des uc i e by i ue o hei excep ional and i esis ible beau y. This
s udy is speci ically conce ned wi h in e oga ing gende s e eo ypes ha a e o en ound in wo ks o
li e a u e. This is why i in es iga es emme a ale and i s agic consequences in Wole Soyinka’s A
Dance o he Fo es s. The me hodology o he s udy is quali a i e in na u e and is hinged on Sigmund
F eud’s Psychoanaly ic heo y. The pape a gues ha he concep o emme a ale si s angen ially
agains he women while neglec ing o he ac o s such as male agic law, ino dina e desi e, ambi ion,
pe sonal choices, igno ance, o e whelming in luence and impe uosi y on he pa o he male gende
which ac i a e he seemingly des uc i e na u e o emme a ale. The s udy e eals ha , hough he
woman is a passi e agen o agedy and he beau y a ca alys o des uc ion, she is no en i ely o
blame o he agedy o he men who a e in ol ed in ela ionships wi h he . He cha ming beau y
associa es he wi h des uc i e endencies bu she canno solely be he ca ie o a ali y wi hou he
con ibu ing ac ions and pe sonal choices o he men who usually a e e med ic ims. The s udy
ecommends ha he ac o s which acili a e he des uc i e na u e o emme a ale should be aken
in o conside a ion in li e a y discou ses so ha he concep o emme a ale will no be es ic ed o he
allu ingly beau i ul woman alone as he ca ie o he a ali y.
Keywo ds: Beau y, Femme Fa ale, Pa ia chy, Seduc i e, T agedy
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In oduc ion
Femme a ale has always been an a che ype o a a al o dange ous woman in li e a y wo ks. I is a
phenomenon employed in Humanis ic S udies o explain a si ua ion in which, a beau i ul and allu ing
woman is seen o be consis en ly, he sou ce o disas e o e en dea h o he pa ne o lo e o e en
he sel . The emme a ale concep has o e ime been used o desc ibe a woman, who, basically h ough
he eminine cha ms o na u e, is assumed o cause pain, su e ing and agedy o he lo e and, by
ex ension, he socie y as i idly po ayed in he selec ed ex . The belie in emme a ales is suppo ed
by he a ac i e and ascina ing ales su ounding hem in li e a y, my hological and eligious ales he
wo ld o e . The ales o emme a ale a e accep ed wi h child-like consciousness o hose who, hough
belie e and accep i , ye ha e no expe ienced i . I is a end in e e y cul u e, which is in used in o
my hology and li e a u e. Thus, i becomes ob ious ha w i e s’ ideas emana e om he p e ailing
no ms o pe cep ions in hei socio-cul u al en i onmen s as e lec ed in he play.
The e y idea ha cons i u es emme a ale is as old as humani y. O igina ing in ancien imes
and being ound o ha e exis ed in Judeo-Ch is ian eligion, as e idenced in he Biblical s o y o Adam
and E e, and Samson and Delilah (Ru h Ma kus 188), emme a ale is p esen ed as inex icably linked
wi h beau y, amo ous a ac ion, desi e, enigma and ascina ion as well as wi h manipula ion, pe il,
mis o une and down all. A guably, he concep o emme a ale is as old as memo y. I s e y exis ence
in my hology, olklo e, li e a u e, ilm, and, o cou se, his o y, makes i popula a all imes and i s
popula i y en enched in he psyche o he socie y. Howe e , i ans o ms o e lec he social iews
o he imes and i d aws upon exis ing my h and his o y o c ea e my h and his o y.
I is no ewo hy ha when a man is in a ua ed wi h a woman, he becomes en angled in highly
dange ous o comp omising si ua ions wi h he wi hou hinking abou he consequences o his ac ions.
Howe e , socie y ends o p ojec he blame o male weakness o des uc ion un o emale beau y and
pu po ed seduc i eness wi hou aking in o accoun o he ac o s which ac i a e he seemingly
des uc i e na u e o emme a ale as e lec ed in he play unde s udy. Addi ionally, he s udy
demons a es ha e en hough people ha e been made o belie e ha some women a e dange ous and
des uc i e on accoun o hei beau y, and he eason hey a e labelled “ emme a ales”, i is a
pa ia chal s e eo yped na a i e ha does no conside he oles men play in hei ela ionships wi h
hese women ha lead o hei agedy. This s udy, he e o e, a es s o he ac ha he e is no emme
a ale s o y wi hou he in ol emen o men’s ac ions which emana e om hei agic na u e which,
mo i a e hei ino dina e desi e and he pe sonal choices hey make. Essen ially, e en hough my hs
ha e been used o explain ce ain hings ha ha e puzzled man since ancien imes and hey ha e also
been held as u h a one ime in he his o y o a people, he my h o emme a ale seems no longe able
o wi hs and a ional sc u iny in he ace o p esen c i ical ambience whe e a ious in e p e i e ools
abound.
Li e a u e Re iew
Tugce Ozdinc s a es ha emme a ale is cha ming o he deg ee o enchan men . He beau y,
he oice, he wo ds, o any hing abou he can be mesme ising. He cha ming a i ude is like a spell
o o he s, pulling especially men owa ds he (178). Thus, d awing upon he nega i e labelling o
some women, many schola s such as Ma io P az, Pa ick Bade, Robe G eene, Vi ginia Allen, William
Shakespea e, Wole Soyinka, Zulu So ola, and Elechi Amadi ha e examined he concep o emme
a ale and ha e come o he conclusion ha excep ionally beau i ul women a e seduc i e and deadly o
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men. As illus a ed in he li es o he cen al emale cha ac e s, hese schola s si ua e beau i ul women
as he agic objec s o men’s a ac ion and des uc ion. Despi e he ac ha he phenomenon o emme
a ale is no new, i has gene a ed a lo o con usion, anxie y, and con o e sy abou wha a emme
a ale is and wha she is no ; how she is expec ed o beha e and wha epe cussions eme ge om he
s a ed expec ed beha iou . This co obo a es Edi h Hamil on’s asse ion ha , schola s di e widely,
and will no doub con inue o do so (21).
Though Ma io P az, Pa ick Bade, and Vi ginia Allen ega d emme a ale as a sexual cannibal,
a p eda o who is ascina ed wi h dea h and pain and a willingness o des oy (Femme Fa ale 34),
s udies ha e shown ha he pu po ed des uc i e image o beau i ul women as emme a ales and hei
a ious nega i e ep esen a ions and in e p e a ions in wo ks o a , is caused by he pe pe ua ion o
he my h o he all o man which has been deeply en enched in he mode n psyche, and i is
esponsible o bo h he ein o cemen and jus i ica ion o women’s beau y as being in insically
seduc i e and des uc i e. This a gumen is sus ained by Ka e Mille when she asse s ha my h is, o
cou se, a elici ous ad ance in he le el o p opaganda, since i o en bases i s a gumen s on e hics o
heo ies o o igin (51).
Ma ha Vicinus co obo a es he a gumen ha “nega i e images o women” a e connec ed wi h
hei sexuali y, o en depic ed as p eda o y and posi ioned con iguously o wi chc a and enchan men
(83). Joy L. Rami ez’s s ance lends c edence o Vicinus’ posi ion when she asse s ha he woman’s
a ali y is no jus hema ic, bu i has o do wi h he ineluc abili y o he ep esen a ions and e en he
ine i ably ixed se o meanings connec ed o he image ei he du ing he high poin o he
ep esen a ion in he la e nine een h cen u y o in mo e ecen , a guably, pos -mode n e sions o he
appea ance (189). This aligns wi h Diane Hoe ele , who, in Roman ic And ogyny: he Women Wi hin,
asse s ha , he ambigui ies and con lic s be ween emale appea ance and eali y consis en ly
cha ac e ise emme a ale (196).
This a gumen is u he sus ained by E. A. J. Honigmann who posi s ha all s e eo ypes a e
misleading. Consequen ly, we a e challenged o loca e beau i ul women benea h he mask, and o
econside socie y’s s e eo ype hinking mo e gene ally and he s e eo ypical judgemen s ha socie y
akes o g an ed (61). S udies ha e shown ha Janey Place’s desc ip ion o emme a ale as he da k
lady, he spide woman, and he e il seduc ess who emp s man and b ings abou his des uc ion (35)
is one o he oldes hemes in li e a u e. Howe e , in he a icle i led “The Femme Fa ale: Ame ican
Ho o S o y and These Deadly Women” pos ed on Decembe 29, 2014 Sophie Raine s a es ha emme
a ale can only lead men in o emp a ion i i is wha hey desi e, and despi e he ac ha hey a e
always quick o pu he blame on he woman as a seduc ess, i is ul ima ely hei agic na u e which
p opels hei ino dina e desi e and pe sonal choices o pleasu e as well as hei lack o willpowe ha
causes hem o yield o he , a s a emen his esea ch demons a es.
Jenni e Hedgecock akes he a gumen u he when she a e s ha , emme a ale a ec s men
and mus ha e an e ec on hem; bu ha unless he male p o agonis is p esen , he woman is no a al
(9). In “The D ead o Woman”, Ka en Ho ney, a Psycho-Analy ical Psychia is , desc ibes how male
ea s o cas a ion and d ead o emale sexuali y a e p ojec ed on o women and he women a e
objec i ied in o de o men o ne e ha e o deal di ec ly wi h hei ea , bu only o ace he p ojec ed
“ h ea ” o emale sexuali y (350). Ho ney’s a gumen is sus ained by James Max ield’s when he s a es
ha emme a ale is ac ually only a ca alys ; in he end i is he men who a e des uc i e o hemsel es
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(Max ield 14) on accoun o hei inhe en agic na u e which mo i a es hei inne c a ings and ques
o pleasu e and g a i ica ion de i ed om women who a e concei ed o as emme a ales.
I is wo hy o no e ha he di e en de ini ions and in e p e a ions o emme a ale co obo a e
P az’s asse ion ha “ he e is no es ablished ype o he Fa al woman in he way he e is an es ablished
ype o he By onic he o” (201). In ac , a c i ical look a hese de ini ions o emme a ale e eals some
simila i ies as well as di e ences. Thus, i is comple ely ob ious ha c i ical opinions abou
concep ions o emme a ale will con inue o be sampled based on poin s o iew bu such opinions a e
as good as he c i ics make hem appea . Ne e heless, i is no ewo hy ha , emme a ale is a symbolic
is a o a doo which gi es illumina ing spec acle o he wo ld, he complexi y o human mo i es, and
men’s inhe en agic na u e, agic law, ambi ion, ino dina e desi e, o e whelming in luence,
igno ance, pe sonal choice and impe uosi y ha lead o hei agedy.
Soyinka’s A Dance o he Fo es s has uniquely and dis inc i ely a ac ed commendable c i ical
a en ion om a ious c i ics. The c i ical wo ks on his d ama ic ex indi idually bea con incing
e idence o he po ayal o he debased and s e eo ypical image o beau i ul and allu ing women as
emme a ales as well as hei nega i e ep esen a ions in a ious wo ks o a . Some c i ics a e o he
iew ha emme a ale is a s e eo ype ha Soyinka has epea edly used in his wo ks as e lec ed in he
selec ed ex . John Ebimobowei Yeseibo, while quo ing Banham e al, s a es ha in a a o mainly
male-au ho ed plays, women a e seen as ei he angelically i uous o mo e o en, as dange ous,
duplici ous and apaciously g eedy. Acco ding o him, Nelly Fu man cap u es his ugly scena io when
she says “in a wo ld de ined by man, he ouble wi h woman is ha she is a once an objec o desi e
and an objec o exchange, alued on he one hand as a pe son in he own igh , and on he o he
conside ed simply as a ela ional sign be ween” (77).
Ma y C aw o d and Rhoda Unge obse e ha o Wal e Lipman, s e eo ypes a e cul u ally
de e mined pic u es ha in ude be ween an indi idual’s cogni i e acul ies and his o he pe cep ions
o he wo ld. Gende s e eo ypes a e he e o e consensual belie s abou he di e en cha ac e is ics o
men and women (49). Acco ding o Yeseibo quo ing Che yle Johnson’s “Class and Gende ”, “Bo h
indigenous pa ia chy and imposed colonial pa ia chal cus oms and laws igu e in women’s
opp ession” (78). This co obo a es Wa en’s a gumen , who, while quo ing S a on, asse s ha
Soyinka has men ioned o Syl ia B yan ha he uses women igu es as symbols and essences (89).
Idemudia–Uwadinma, while commen ing on Wole Soyinka’s Kongi’s Ha es and A Dance o he
Fo es s a gues ha e en hough he e a e p ominen emale cha ac e s ha a e po ayed e en s onge
han some male cha ac e s, he e seems o be a conscious e o by Soyinka o po ay hese women
hough as s ong cha ac e s bu in oles ha a e mo e de oga o y han popula (3).
Nagueyal i Wa en a e s ha a he co e o Soyinka’s social consciousness, a eminis eading
o his wo ks leads o and lea es he ques ion o whe he o no he suppo s pa ia chy (81).
Ne e heless, M. Vishnup iya’s asse ion ha Segi is a emme a ale co obo a es Ca ol Boyce Da ies’
a gumen in he essay on he cha ac e isa ion and s e eo ypical po ayal o women in Soyinka’s plays,
whe e, acco ding o Wa en, she w i es ha , “a eminis eading o Soyinka e eals enough emale
s e eo ypes o sugges a de ini e sexis bias agains women (88). Biodun Jeyi o no es ha he e is a
highly isible g oup o eminis c i ics who ha e aken Soyinka o ask on he heme o gende and i s
ep esen a ion in his plays. And indeed, he wo ld o Soyinka’s d ama is in ensi ely, no ma i ely male-
cen e ed (97). This cohe es wi h Rowland Amae ula’s posi ion ha he p eponde ance o pa ia chs as
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i s gene a ion playw igh s has le he oo p in s o nega i e images o women and, consequen ly,
he condi ion o women in socie y a la ge (258).
Thus, in a ious wo ks o li e a u e and a , beau i ul and cap i a ing women a e ega ded as
cunning and icious o he men in ela ionships wi h hem bu e y ew s udies ha e a emp ed o look
a i om his pe spec i e ha i is a pa ia chal cons uc ion abou whom he emme a ales a e. This
s udy, he e o e, a gues ha he emme a ale label is a gende s e eo ype ha does no eckon wi h he
pa icipa ion o he male in his agedy. I is a pa ia chal s e eo yped na a i e ha excludes he men
om blame and collabo a ion. Cha les Nnolim a gues ha he debasemen o he emale image is as
old as he Bible and he Ko an, and has o he o igins in p e-his o ic li e a u e and my hology (123). I
alida es he ac ha pa ia chy singles ou women o special ili ica ion. He also asse s ha om
Edenic my h o mode n imes, beau i ul women ha e been depic ed as angels wi h ee o clay and as
pu eyo s o unhappiness bo h o hemsel es and o hei male coun e pa s (169).
Yeseibo, Fu man and Nnolilm’s iews align wi h his s udy’s a gumen on emme a ale
na a i e as being con olled by men o housands o yea s, and hey also p o ide he basis o he
na a i e as illus a ed in he play unde s udy. Nawal El Sadaawi, co obo a ing Nnolim’s iew,
p o ides a mo e illumina ing debased image and ep esen a ion o he woman in phallocen ic ex s as
a cap icious amp, a play ul and beau i ul sla e, a she-de il imbued wi h cunning and capable o a
housand a i ices, an explosi e dange e sed in all he a s o decei and conspi acy, a seduc i e
mis ess cap i a ing in he passion (521). She is as posi i e and dynamic as Sa an and his e il spi i s,
whe e e ma e s o sex and lo e a e conce ned. Woman in all he aspec s o he ole she is made o
play, whe he i is ha o a queen o a sla e bough om he ma ke , emains a sla e (Sadaawi 521).
Sadaawi’s a gumen cohe es wi h Zaki Moba ak’s ha “women ha e a g ea e powe o des oy
men han Sa an and all his de ils oge he ” (522). I is my con en ion ha he nega i e ep esen a ions
and in e p e a ions o women as emme a ales a e educ i e, dep ecia o y and con emp ible.
Essen ially, hese schola s u n he discou se o emme a ale in o a na a i e ha excludes any hing
ha h ea ens pa ia chy and i s alues. I also poin s o he ac ha he ca alogues o he dis o ed
images o women consis en ly and sys ema ically po ayed in li e a y ex s is a ein o cemen o he
dominan ideology o pa ia chy ha assigns nega i e oles o women because o hei gende .
Consequen ly, he concep o emme a ale is no p ope ly si ua ed in human exis ence. I si s
angen ially agains he women because schola s ocused mainly on he supposedly des uc i e beau y
o allu ing women while neglec ing o he ac o s which ac i a e he seemingly des uc i e na u e o
emme a ale. I hus aligns wi h Nnolim’s asse ion ha , he image o women in bo h Wes e n and
A ican li e a u e is a gloomy one, compounded by he unhelp ul hand o adi ion and pa ia chy (165).
Synopsis o A Dance o he Fo es s
Though Wole Soyinka’s play, A Dance o he Fo es s, is known o i s explo a ion o in ica e
issues such as his o y, iden i y and des iny, ye i is in e laced wi h human expe iences and ac ions
oge he wi h uncanny in luences. The appea ance o a emme a ale igu e in he play, ypi ied by he
cha ac e o Rola, also known as Madame To oise is one o he main subjec s in he play. In A Dance
o he Fo es s, Madame To oise in he cou o Ma a Kha ibu eigh cen u ies ago is a his o ical
p o o ype o Rola. She is also ega ded as a emme a ale whose i esis ible eminine cha ms in oxica e
he lo e s/pa ne s and leads o hei des uc ion. The play, which deals wi h bo h he p esen and pas
li es o he cha ac e s, p esen s Rola as a dange ous/deadly woman in he human communi y. She is
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labelled a emme a ale, a who e, a seduc ess, and an e il and des uc i e woman un i o be he queen
o Ma a Kha ibu’s empi e. In ac , in he p esen , she is depic ed as a cou esan and in he pas , she is
depic ed as Madame To oise- he queen in Ma a Kha ibu’s cou known as a no o ious who e. Rola is
po ayed as a wicked seduc ess, a who e, a woman whose des uc i e beau y causes he pa h o be
li e ed wi h dead lo e s she callously sends o hei ea ly g a es. Rola is also ega ded as a d ead ul
woman in bo h pas and p esen exis ences because wo o he lo e s died in hei ques o possess he
beau y and lo e (22). She is said o ha e abandoned he husband o Ma a Kha ibu, and akin o Helen
o T oy, a wa was ough o e he .
Show me a man no o e come wi h passion o a beau i ul
woman. He boldness is so eckless ha she shows he lo e
o a man’s iend e en be o e his ace; she knows no pi y
in he passion, and always de ends he sel by a acking he
accuse . Bu she is cunning in lo e’s ways... A man in lo e
wi h a beau i ul woman, is los in desi e o he wan on- his
is he agedy o a man’s li e (F ank Ha is 322).
The exce p abo e a es s o he ac ha human beings always wan o possess beau i ul hings
and his objec i ies women. Howe e , jus as men desi e beau i ul women and yea n o pleasu e and
g a i ica ion agains all odds, women also b eak bounda ies o g a i y hei despe a e inne c a ings o
he men hey lo e. This is seen in he ela ionship be ween he male and emale cha ac e s in he
selec ed ex . The implica ion is ha hough pa ia chal cons uc ions o emme a ale p ojec beau i ul
and cap i a ing women as he pu eyo s o he agic a e o men, ye o he ac o s like agic law,
ino dina e desi e, ambi ion, pe sonal choice, igno ance, o e whelming in luence and impe uosi y a e
all in ol ed in he agic consequences o emme a ale as e lec ed in he li e a y ex unde
in es iga ion. Fo ins ance, in he play, A Dance o he Fo es s, hough Rola/Madame To oise’s beau y
is desc ibed as igh eningly beau i ul and i esis ible, despi e he lo eliness, he agedy will no ha e
occu ed i he cen al male cha ac e , Ma a Kha ibu, and o he s did no make he choices o b inging
he in o hei li es because o he allu ing beau y.
In his esol e o igh a wa because o a woman despi e wa nings, Ma a Kha ibu ells he
Soo hsaye , “I you come o ell me o un a ou able s a s / Soo hsaye , u n ound and go ou again.
We will igh his / Wa in spi e o cowa ds and augu ies” (58). This s udy a gues ha Ma a Kha ibu’s
i a ional ac ions is a i id e lec ion o blind passion ha mu es he oice o eason and leads o his
de ea and agedy, including o he male cha ac e s in he play. They allow hei emo ions o gain sway
o e hei eason and his leads o hei bad decisions and pe sonal choices ha become de imen al o
hem. Thei pu sui o beau y and lo e and hei yea ning o pleasu e and he g a i ica ion o hei
hea s’ desi es is, pe haps, one o he ypical agedies o li e, a symbol o e e . Thus, a man, despi e
his genius, su e s also h ough his own excesses and agic law, and bound o he s ake o his own
passiona e sensibili ies and consumed, as wi h i e. In o he wo ds, he male cha ac e s’ ino dina e
desi es, ambi ion, igno ance, pe sonal choices, o e whelming in luence and impe uosi y, a he han
he des uc i e beau y o hei women lead o hei agedy.
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In he play, Wa io alks abou he wa Ma a Kha ibu wan s hem o igh because o his
ino dina e desi e, ambi ion and he o e whelming in luence o his lo e o Madame To oise’ beau y
as an unjus wa . He ells he Physician, “I is an unjus wa . I canno lead my men in o ba le / me ely
o eco e he ousseau o any woman… / Bu Ma a Kha ibu is so ben on bloodshed ha … / Is his
he ac ion o a ule who alues he peace o his subjec s?” (54). Ma a Kha ibu wan s o possess Rola’s
beau y and in some ways, conque i . So, he says, “I will be sa is ied wi h much blood. Does i no
mean a g ea ba le? On Kha ibu’s side a leas , he e will be eal soldie s igh ing” (58). Signi ican ly,
hough he beau y o he cen al emale cha ac e s is a e i able sou ce o des uc ion, ye i is no
al oge he he cause o he agedy o hei lo e s o pa ne s. Rola’s men a e agic cha ac e s whose
quali ies o des uc ion esiding in hei agic na u e mo i a e hei ac ions and pe sonal choices as
e lec ed in he play unde s udy.
In he same ein, Madame To oise’s despe a ion o ha e Wa io is e iden in he illogical
ac ions and pe sonal choices. She eels sligh ed by Wa io ’s blun e usal o do he bidding. So, she
u iously ells him, “Wha a e you? Men ha e killed o me. / Men ha e died o me. Ha e you lin s
in you eye? Fool, / Ha e you e e li ed?... /I, Madame To oise, spu ned / by a common soldie . Fo
ha ! Was i o ha ?” (64–65). Qui e ob iously, Ma a Kha ibu, Rola, and o he cha ac e s in he play
a e all mo i a ed, e en d i en by desi es, ea s, needs, and con lic s o which hey a e unawa e. They
all engage e en in sel -des uc i e ac ions jus o ha e wha hey wan and his leads o hei e en ual
agedy. Fo ins ance, in he play, he soo hsaye is no com o able wi h Ma a Kha ibu’s un easonable
decision o send his soldie s o wa . The e o e, he asks him why he wan s o p oceed despi e he
un a ou able s a s. Ne e heless, he powe ul and o e whelming in luence o he unconscious on
human beha iou , is gla ingly a wo k in he cen al cha ac e s in he ex .
Thus, a he han heed o he soo hsaye ’s ad ice, Ma a Kha ibu ells him, “I is oo la e o s op.
I ha e been igh ened. / I da e no s op. I canno s op. Tha cap ain o my a my has / pu a cu se on
me…. / Why should my sla e, my subjec , my me e human p ope y / say, unless he is mad, I shall no
igh his wa . Is he a eak?” (60). Essen ially, i is he unconscious desi es o he id o pleasu e and
g a i ica ion ha mo i a e all he cha ac e s in he play o be in ol ed in unjus i iable and uinous
ac ions o sa is y hei desi es wi hou conside ing he consequences. Thus, he id, which e eals he
sel ish na u e o human beings aimed a sa is ying he ins inc s a all cos s is made mani es in all he
cha ac e s unde s udy as hey a e cu o om he ex e nal wo ld ( eali y) and plunged in hei own
wo ld o pe cep ion o obey he inexo able pleasu e p inciple.
Mos o en, a man’s hea desi es a beau i ul woman and yea ns o sa is ac ion agains all odds,
and hen, in his ques o pleasu e and ino dina e desi e o sa is ac ion a he hands o a beau i ul
woman, a man ge s apped in his own passions as i idly po ayed in he ex unde in es iga ion.
E en Wa io inds i e y di icul o come o e ms wi h Ma a Kha ibu’s impe uous ac ions and
illogical decisions because o a woman’s beau y and lo e. Thus, he boldly ells he Physician, “You
ha e done you wo k. You may ell he king / Tha I was mad be o e, bu now I am ully e u ned o
my senses / Go o he woman who d aws / he own on his ace and g eases he hunde o his oice…/
I will no igh he wa ” (55).
Wa io ’s disappoin men and disapp o al o Ma a Kha ibu’s beha iou e e be a es he
s udy’s s ance ha , hough he cap i a ing and i esis ible beau y o a woman associa es he wi h
des uc i e endencies, ye she canno solely be he ca ie o he a ali y wi hou he con ibu ing
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ac ions and pe sonal choices o he men who a e in ol ed in ela ionships wi h he and a e usually
e med ic ims. Thus, i will be a disse ice o he women olk o solely place such disas ous
consequences on hem because e e y man has a ole o play in wha e e choices he makes.
In A Dance o he Fo es s, a play which deals wi h bo h he p esen and pas li es o he
cha ac e s, Rola is ega ded as a dange ous/deadly woman in he human communi y. She is labelled a
emme a ale, a who e, a seduc ess, and an e il and des uc i e woman un i o be he queen o Ma a
Kha ibu’s empi e. In ac , in he p esen , she is depic ed as a cou esan and in he pas , she is depic ed
as Madame To oise– he queen in Ma a Kha ibu’s cou known as a no o ious who e. Rola is po ayed
as a wicked seduc ess, a who e, a woman whose des uc i e beau y causes he pa h o be li e ed wi h
dead lo e s she callously sends o hei ea ly g a es. She is also ega ded as a d ead ul woman in bo h
pas and p esen exis ences because some o he lo e s died in hei ques , ino dina e desi es and
pe sonal choices o possess he lo e and beau y (22).
Essen ially, hough an allu ing woman is a passi e agen o agedy and he beau y a ca alys
o des uc ion, she is no en i ely o blame o he agedy o he men who a e in ol ed in ela ionships
wi h he . Beau i ul and a ac i e women occupy a cen al posi ion in he agedy o men, ob iously by
hei cap i a ing beau y which in oxica es hei lo e s o pa ne s as e lec ed in he li e o he majo
emale cha ac e , Rola/Madame To oise. Ne e heless, i is he agic law, ino dina e desi es,
ambi ion, o e whelming in luence and igno ance o he male and emale cha ac e s in he play ha
b ing abou iolence, has y ac ions, poo decisions and pe sonal choices ha culmina e in o agedy
and dea h. The agedy o he cha ac e s unde s udy, is a poin e o he ac ha man o en ac s agains
his be e judgmen , and ollows he call o his ins inc s and passion agains he dic a es o his eason,
he eby ‘abandoning he digni y o his p ope na u e’ and beha ing like a beas (Muhammad Badawi
57). Fo ins ance, in he play, A Dance o he Fo es s, Ma a Kha ibu’s bu ning and ino dina e desi e
o pleasu e and sa is ac ion mani es s in his o e whelming lo e o Rola/Madame To oise, his
i a ional decisions, iolen ac ions and pe sonal choices.
In e es ingly, he pe sonali y o he majo male and emale cha ac e s in he ex is b ough o
he o e h ough he in e play o he Psychoanaly ic concep s o he id and he unconscious, as well as
ino dina e desi e, ambi ion, agic law, o e whelming in luence and igno ance. These all mani es in
he cha ac e s’ dialogue, impe uous ac ions and pe sonal choices which e en ually lead o he agic
consequences o emme a ale as e lec ed in he li e a y ex unde in es iga ion. Mo eo e , when
people a e o e whelmed by hei bu ning desi es o pleasu e and g a i ica ion, hey become apped
in hei own passions and u e ly powe less o make he igh decisions as e lec ed in he li es o Ma a
Kha ibu and Rola/Madame To oise. Fo ins ance, o he sake o a beau i ul woman, Rola/Madame
To oise, Ma a Kha ibu sends his subjec s o igh meaningless wa s ha send hem o ea ly g a es.
This is akin o King Da id o he Heb ew adi ion, who, o he sake o a beau i ul woman,
Ba hsheba (U iah’s wi e), sends U iah and o he se an s o his o ba le and in he end, hey a e killed
(II Samuel Chap e 11: 1–27). Consequen ly, he id a wo k in he cha ac e s’ li es is ega ded as he
impe uous, unconscious pa o he mind ha has no unde s anding o any o m o eali y o
consequence, o which cause i seeks o immedia e g a i ica ion a all cos s. Because i is always
ying o sa is y i s hunge o pleasu e, i ope a es wi hou any hough o consequences, anxie y,
e hics, logic, p ecau ion, o mo ali y (Ann Dobie 57). In hei pu sui o lo e, beau y, pleasu e and
sa is ac ion, he cha ac e s in he play unde conside a ion engage in many illogical and suicidal ac ions
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which e en ually lead o hei agedy. Mo eo e , he powe ul and o e whelming in luence o he id
and he unconscious, is e iden in he cha ac e s’ bu ning and ino dina e desi es o pleasu e and
sa is ac ion; his subjuga es hem and compels hem o engage in seemingly p epos e ous and
haza dous ac ions and pe sonal choices which e en ually lead o hei agedy.
I also lends c edence o he ac ha he id, which ope a es on he pleasu e p inciple, and only
akes in o accoun wha i wan s while dis ega ding all consequences, is no iceable in he cha ac e s’
ino dina e desi es, ac ions and pe sonal choices o pleasu e and g a i ica ion ha lead o hei
ca as ophic end. Fo example, pa ia chal idiosync asies o male domina ion, powe and eedom,
e lec in Ma a Kha ibu’s sel -impo an o e bea ing a i ude and con idence, p ide and insensi i i y
which lead o his down all. He b ags be o e his subjec s and says, “No only he. E e yone who hinks
like him, / be he soldie o me chan ./ I will ha e no mo al e mi es a housand miles wi hin my domain./
Ma a Kha ibu is no he idle eye ha wa ches con emp ible insec s /ea away he s eng h o his
kingdom (58).
The unconscious, which has a e y powe ul and o e whelming in luence on he cha ac e s’
beha iou is made mani es e en in hei language use and as Raman Selden asse s, eason has ne e
had hings all i s own way because pleasu e and desi e con inue o dis up he clea lines o a ionali y
(223) as e lec ed in all he cha ac e s in he ex . In ac , he id plays ou in all o hem as hey display
hei beha iou al di icul ies such as impe uosi y, ha e, o e whelming lo e, ashness, passion,
ebellion, disobedience, nai e y, and docili y which mani es in hei pe plexi ies which also p ecipi a e
he agony and e ible o deal hey unde go. Addi ionally, i is he unconscious desi es o he id o
pleasu e and sa is ac ion ha mo i a e he despe a e and iolen c a ings o he cha ac e s o
g a i ica ion wi hou an eye o consequences, and o cou se, i p ecipi a es hei iolen and agic ends
as i idly po ayed in he selec ed play. The unconscious is he e o e e ealed as ha ing a e y
powe ul and o e whelming in luence on he beha iou , ac ions and pe sonal choices o he cha ac e s
in he play unde s udy.
Mo eo e , Madame To oise in he cou o Ma a Kha ibu eigh cen u ies ago is a his o ical
p o o ype o Rola. She is also ega ded as a emme a ale whose i esis ible eminine cha ms, in oxica e
he lo e s/pu sue s and lead o hei des uc ion. Obaneji ells Rola, “I don’ hink ha would be any
be e han he e. /Isn’ he g a eya d illed wi h you lo e s?... / Well, look a he . / Doesn’ she look
he ype who would /d i e men o madness and sel -des uc ion! (21). Adenebi also alks abou he
assumed seduc i e and des uc i e na u e o Rola’s beau y when he says, “No hing? Do you call ha
no hing? / Two lo e s in he g a eya d./ And he so didness o i ./ The whole ho ible scandal /How
did I e e ge in you company?” (22). Adenebi u he e e s o Rola/Madame To oise as he woman
who d ains he li e om men, slowly o in iolence (42). Though a p oduc o a pa ia chal socie y, she
is said o ha e abandoned he husband o Ma a Kha ibu, and akin o Helen o T oy, a wa was ough
o e he . Hea Syl ia B yan’s obse a ion abou Rola, “Madame To oise/Rola, has a simila ly
des uc i e e ec on men; / a pe soni ica ion o sex u ge, /she d i es men o despe a ion by in oxica ing
hem / wi h i ep essible desi e o he ” (124).
B yan’s posi ion co obo a es he play’s depic ion o Rola as a woman whose eminine cha ms
and beau y b ing des uc ion o coun less men as seen in he dialogue be ween Adenebi and he (23-
24). Howe e , he male cha ac e s’ ambi ion, igno ance, agic laws, ino dina e desi es, pe sonal
choices, o e whelming in luence and impe uosi y, bo ne ou o hei agic na u e, all enhance he
