Archetypal Posturing of Soyinka’s Stylistic Modes in the Trials of Brother Jero

Abstract

Soyinka’s deep immersion in mythology coupled with his stylistic modes in the portraiture of the archetypal trickster hero, as utilized in some of his comic plays, demonstrate a genius whose creative works anchor both the collective universal literary tradition and a domesticated form that defines his uniqueness. Drawing interpretive insights from Frye’s archetypal criticism and the Jungian psychology, this essay examines how Soyinka appropriates the archetypal figure as a monumental image in the play, The Trials of Brother Jero, and how his stylistic choices in the handling of the hero craft a new psycho-social role of picaresque mythology.