THE PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN IN SELECTED PLAYS OF NEW MILLENNIUM YORÙBÁ PLAYWRIGHTS

Abstract

Creative writers often make use of the female characters in their works to reflect the realities in the society. In a society that is male dominated, there are tendencies for the male writers to portray women in the negative sense exposing their vices and weaknesses. In the real Yorùbá society, women are seen as good mothers, caring wives, and supporters of their husbands’ good will. The new millennium Yoruba playwrights have been criticized for portraying women in negative light using popular stereotypes. However, feminists believe that women are part of the society and that work of art should reflect their laudible roles as integral members of the society.This paper, therefore, examines how the new millennium Yorùbá playwrights depict the female characters in the selected plays. Using a qualitative approach in the analysis of Fọlọrúnṣọ́ Adéníyì’s Ìyàwó Ọ̀lẹ̀lẹ̀, Àkàngbé Adéníyì’s Èépà-ń-para rẹ̀ and Débọ̀ Awẹ́’s Àpótí Alákarà, the study discovers through the negative portrayal of female characters that millennium playwrights indeed depict women in negative light.