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loody and tumultuous, an extravagant rite of the human and social psyche . . .. a
manic religious inspiration suddenly let loose" (r).40 The Theban women are
possessed by the god and perform the aetua.I pbysical tearingapart of Pen lheus in lhe
manner of Ogun 's priests andacolytes ; the Slave Leader , Slaves and Bacchantes in the
city perform the symbolic ritual act but are bro ught together to seek release from the
god instead of marshalling a slave uprising that would only lead to death for the
slaves . As one of the Slaves reminds me Slave Leader when he tries to protest and
rebel. "you'U get us killed. We'll be wiped out to a man" (6).
In The New York Review ofBooks(February 1976) it is suggested that
"Soyinka's Btuchae is ... a third- world revolutionary communion rite. in which
Dion ysos speaks with the voice of Frantz Fanon" (12). The Slave Leader seems to
possess more aggressive anti-eolonial characteristics than Dionysos ; however. the
theme of social and political liberation through ritual bas been questio ned by critics
such as Derek Wright who, in Wale Soyinka Revisited, argues:
Psychic liberation from a repressive rationality through religious ecstas y
is not the same as revolution . and whatever the historical justification
for Soyin.b ·s concept of Dionysos as a liberative force for the
oppressed masses, it is as priest of ballucinated, anarchicexcitement.
not as political insurrectionary. that he impresses in this adaptation
(64).
There is a potential for revolutionary actio n in religious and political acti vities.
Soyinka discusses his own definition of the revolutionary qualities of drama in In
Person: AcMM. Awoorwr. and Soyinka :
154