[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-330571-105":59,"doc-detail-330571-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":124,"head_meta":126,"extra_data":128,"updated_unix":130},105,"en","a-dance-of-the-forests","A DANCE OF THE FORESTS","","A Dance of the Forests explores a moral clash between the dead who demand judgment and the living who try to avoid it, orchestrated by Forest Father. The play begins when two dead ancestors arrive to the gathering of the tribes, but they are rejected for their bitterness and resentment. Forest Father then compels selected living characters to confront themselves, their recurring weaknesses, and past crimes, turning the forest into a ritual arena of revelation and judgment. Critical commentary highlights the play’s roots in ritual and song and its theatrical impact.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":15,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/literature/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/a-dance-of-the-forests/330571/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/a-dance-of-the-forests/330571.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Theodora","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-09-21",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",18,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What central conflict drives A Dance of the Forests?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"The play’s dynamic comes from a conflict between the dead seeking judgment and the living trying to avoid it, guided by Forest Father.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"How does the play begin and what happens to the summoned ancestors?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"It opens with two dead ancestors arriving from the understreams for “the gathering of the tribes,” but instead of being idealized figures, they are bitter, resented, and shunned.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"What role does Forest Father play after the ancestors are rejected?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"Forest Father selects four living characters and leads them into the forest to confront their true selves, including their repeated weaknesses and crimes.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},330571,1790612975,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":14,"category_name":15,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":140,"language":141,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":142,"faqs":143,"seo_title":144,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":145,"read_time":146},687197207919,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/a000253d6f5f7c60be?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1779446848396160552","' \"Leave the dead some room to dance,\" sings the Dirge-Man in Wole Soyinka's beautiful play, A Dance of the Forests. But the living are not willing to do so, and the play's dynamic is the conflict between the desire of the dead for judgment and the desire of the living to avoid it. This conflict is manipulated by the will of Forest Father, who leads both to a judgment they do not relish, while despairing that his labours will effect any real improvemeitt in human conduct .. .  \n'The play opens with the arrival of two dead ancestors, thrusting their heads up from the understreams. They had been summoned by the living to attend \"the gathering of the tribes\" {an analogue of Nigerian Independence?), but instead of being the idealized figures of the tribal imagination they tum out to be full of ancient bitterness and resentment and are shunned by everyone as \"obscenities.\" However, Forest Father selects four of the living and leads them away deep into the forest where, in company with the dead couple, he forces them to confront their true selves and the repetitive pattern of their weaknesses and crimes.' Times Literary Supplement.  \n'The contemporary theater seems to have forgotten that it has its roots in ritual and song, and it is only the rare emergence of a Lorca or a Brecht-or a Wole Soyinka-that recreates an awareness of our deprivation.' African Forum.  \n'His play, The Road, presented in London during the Commonwealth Festival last summer, was described by Penelope Gilliatt in The Observer as \"having done for our napping language what brigand dramatists from Ireland have done for two centuries, booted it awake, rifled its pocketsand scattered the loot into the middle of next week.\" His novel, The Interpreters, has been greeted by an American critic as the work of a new James Joyce. Thanks to the Dakar Festival the two companies that he has founded, the 1960 Masks and Orisun Theatre were seen for the first time in full strength outside Nigeria in his play, Kongi's Harvest, and The Road got the Dakar prize for drama.' New Society.  \nOther plays by Wole Soyinka  \nThe Lion and the Jewel The Road Kongi's Harvest Three Short Plays [The Swamp Dwellers, The Trials of Brother Jero, The Strong Breed]  \nWole Soyinka  \nA DANCE of the  \nFORESTS  \nOxford University Press  \nOxford University Press, Walton Street, Oxford oxz 6DP  \nLONDON GLASGOW NhW YORK TORONTO DELHI BOMBAY CALCUTTA MADRAS KARACHI KUALA LUMPUR SINGAPORE HONG KONG TOKYO NAIROBI DAR ES SALAAM CAPE TOWN SALISBURY MELBOURNE AUCKLAND  \nand associate companies in  \nBEIRUT BERLIN IBADAN MEXICO CITY  \n© Oxford University Press 1963  \nFirst published 1963  \nSeventh impression 1981  \nCover designed by Taj Ahmed  \nPR INTED IN HONG KONG  \nA DANCE OF THE FORESTS was first performed as part of the Nigerian Independence Celebrations, October 1960.  \n-- +--  \nProduction was by the 1969 Masks, with the following cast:  \nDEAD WOMAN E/izabetfl Osisioma  \nDEAD MAN Taiye Ayorinde  \nADENEBI (and HISTORIAN) Ralph Opara  \nDEMOKE (and COURT POET) Ycmi Lijadu  \nROLA (and MADAME TORTOISE) Olga Adeniyi-Jones  \nAGBOREKO OLD MAN PHYSICIAN  \n)  \nDIRGE-MAN,  \nDEALER 􀀳nd  \nFunmi/ayo Asekuupatru. k Qz􀁙.eh  \nSLAVECRIER  \n) Ftim. Eub11  \nCOUNCILLOR Wo/e Siyanbo/a MATA KHARIBU So/a Rhodes PHOAELTF-'SCNOHILVDICE ) kunbo Qdun;.o ARONI Adisa Ajetunmobi MURETE Srgun Soforvote OGUN Afolabi Ajayi  \nroREST HEAD (OBANEJI)  \n) Elow Gabona1  \nESHUORO Remi Ade/eye  \nDancers The Ezeagu District Daucing Uuion  \nOther parts The Compauy  \nCharacters  \n'1\"M Guuts ofHonour  \nDEAD WOMAN DBAD MAN  \n'1\"M Town Dwtllers  \nADENEBI Council 01'3tor OBANEJI  \nDEMOKB A Carver  \nROLA A Courtesan AGDOREKO Elder of Scaled Lips  \nOLD MAN A Council Elder (father of Demoke)  \nA DIRGE-MAN HIS ACOLYTB (;OUNCILLORS BEATERS DRUMMERS  \n'1\"M Fortst Dwtllns ARONI the Lame One MURETB treimp  \nESHUORO a wayward cult-spirit OGUN par.on god of carvers  \nfOREST HEAD masquerading as  \nObaneji fOREST CllER THB QUESTIONER  \nTHE INTERPRETER JESTER to Eshuor","cbCaio83S1fP4GRx","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaio83S1fP4GRx","pdf",2099129,98,"English","# The conflict between the dead and the living\n## The arrival of the dead ancestors\n## Forest Father’s judgment and the living’s confrontation\n## Reception and critical remarks","[{\"question\":\"What central conflict drives A Dance of the Forests?\",\"answer\":\"The play’s dynamic comes from a conflict between the dead seeking judgment and the living trying to avoid it, guided by Forest Father.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the play begin and what happens to the summoned ancestors?\",\"answer\":\"It opens with two dead ancestors arriving from the understreams for “the gathering of the tribes,” but instead of being idealized figures, they are bitter, resented, and shunned.\"},{\"question\":\"What role does Forest Father play after the ancestors are rejected?\",\"answer\":\"Forest Father selects four living characters and leads them into the forest to confront their true selves, including their repeated weaknesses and crimes.\"}]","A DANCE OF THE FORESTS | PDF",1789989442,151]