The Tragedy of King Ogbè’s Folly
ACT I
SCENE I. A chamber in the King’s palace at dawn.
Enter KING GBOROYE, a severe, aging man, and BABALÁWO ADÉWÁLÉ, a priest, bearing the OPELÈ divining chain.
KING GBOROYE:
Good morrow, Babaláwo. The sun yet sleeps,
And shadows linger in my chamber's breadth.
You come with tidings from the realm unseen,
The weight of Ifá’s counsel for my ear?
BABALÁWO ADÉWÁLÉ:
My lord the King, I have consulted Ifá,
And cast the sacred nuts at your behest,
To seek the safety of this sovereign realm,
And ease the doubts that plague your royal mind.
KING GBOROYE:
Speak plainly, priest. What Odu hath appeared?
What warning voice doth whisper from the grove?
Is ‘t war? Is ‘t famine? Doth a plague approach?
I have the mettle for a public foe.
BABALÁWO ADÉWÁLÉ:
The sign that fell was Ogbè-Àtè, my liege.
A potent word of counsel and of peril.
It speaks of one who smiles whilst bearing gall,
A viper nurtured close unto the heart,
Whose venomous ambition seeks your crown.
KING GBOROYE:
A traitor in my midst? Fie on the thought!
My court is built on honour, tried and true.
Who is this fiend that Ifá doth conjure?
BABALÁWO ADÉWÁLÉ:
The oracle is wise, but cloth’d in metaphor.
It speaks of envy, born of lesser blood,
Who views your throne with covetous, green eye.
It urges sacrifice: the timely offering
Of vigilance and wisdom, swift applied.
The danger is not from without, but here.
KING GBOROYE:
(Scoffing)
A metaphor? A tale to fright a child!
You priests do spin a web of mystery
From random shells that tumble on the mat.
Ogbè-Àtè? I know the Odu well;
It promises great fortune to the bold,
Not spectre tales of shadows in the dark.
You counsel sacrifice? I'll sacrifice
The notion that your divination’s truth.
BABALÁWO ADÉWÁLÉ:
My King, disdain not Ifá’s potent voice.
The spirits speak in earnest. Heed their call.
The blood-kin closest to your royal self
Doth harbour thoughts that poison loyalty.
KING GBOROYE:
(Angrily)
Enough! Your words offend my royal ear,
And cast a pall upon my kinsmen’s faith!
Is it my brother you imply, or son?
Away with you! Your counsel is dismissed.
I rule by sword and sense, not superstition.
The oracle is silent when the king commands.
BABALÁWO ADÉWÁLÉ:
(Bowing gravely)
As you command, my lord. But mark my words:
When wisdom’s path is scorned, then destiny
Doth write the tale in tears upon the stage.
I take my leave. The warning stands recorded.
(Exit BABALÁWO ADÉWÁLÉ. The King stands alone, troubled but obstinate.)
KING GBOROYE:
The fool doth prate of fate and hidden foes.
My brother, Oba, is a man of mirth,
Whose loyalty is solid as the earth.
This prophecy shall wither with the dawn.
(A beat)
Yet, why this chill that runs along my spine?
No matter. We prepare for the day's hunt.
(Exit KING GBOROYE.)
is the rest of the play:
ACT II (Continued)
SCENE II. A room in the palace.
Enter KING GBOROYE.
KING GBOROYE:
(Pacing, agitated)
That priest's words still echo in my ears,
A serpent in my house, a kinsman's plot.
Olàkunlé? My brother? Impossible!
We have always been close. And yet...
He seemed so eager for this war.
Too eager. I must test his loyalty.
(Enter GUARDSMAN.)
GUARDSMAN:
My King, a messenger from the north has come.
He bears tidings of the battle's start.
KING GBOROYE:
Send him in at once! This waiting chafes.
(Exit GUARDSMAN. Enter a MESSENGER, travel-stained and weary.)
MESSENGER:
My King! I bring grim news from the frontier!
The northern tribes, they fell upon our force
With savage fury. Captain Bamidele,
Brave as a lion, fought with valiant heart,
But treachery, it seems, has sealed his fate.
KING GBOROYE:
Treachery? What mean you, speak plainly, man!
MESSENGER:
The maps were wrong, the supply lines did fail.
The troop was ambushed, caught in deadly snare.
The Captain and his men, they fought like gods,
But they were overwhelmed. Bamidele is dead.
KING GBOROYE:
(Stunned, sinking onto his throne)
Dead? Bamidele? My loyal captain, lost?
And treachery? Who could betray us so?
MESSENGER:
The details are unclear, but rumors fly
Of faulty maps and a delay of grain.
Some whisper foul play...
KING GBOROYE:
(Eyes narrowing)
Foul play, you say? Olàkunlé...
MESSENGER:
(Hesitates)
My King, I have no proof, I speak only
Of whispers on the wind.
KING GBOROYE:
(Rising, his voice cold)
Enough. Summon my brother here at once!
And have the Royal Scribes prepare the scrolls.
We shall have answers to this tragedy.
A reckoning is coming, and it will be swift.
(Exit MESSENGER. KING GBOROYE stands, his face a mask of sorrow and anger.)
KING GBOROYE:
(To himself)
If my brother is the viper in my house,
Then Ifá’s words, though scorned, were true indeed.
But if he is innocent of this foul deed,
I will have justice for Bamidele’s death.
Either way, the kingdom will be safe.
(Exit KING GBOROYE.)
SCENE III. The palace great hall. Later.
Enter OBA OLÁKÙNLÉ and ADÉBÁYÒ.
OBA OLÁKÙNLÉ:
(Beaming)
The news from the North, has it reached the King?
The Captain, did he fall? Our plan succeeds!
The kingdom is now ripe for my control.
ADÉBÁYÒ:
It seems the King has received the message, yes,
For he has summoned you this very morn.
I fear, my Lord, the King suspects a foul plot.
I hear he is enraged.
OBA OLÁKÙNLÉ:
Enraged? Let him be! The truth is hidden.
They will never know how all occurred.
He cannot prove a thing. My time is near!
Soon I will sit upon the royal throne,
And the kingdom will rejoice.
(Enter GUARDSMAN.)
GUARDSMAN:
Prince Olàkunlé, the King awaits you now.
He sits in council, and his aspect is grave.
OBA OLÁKÙNLÉ:
(Smiling broadly)
I come at once. Lead the way.
(Exeunt GUARDSMAN and OBA OLÁKÙNLÉ. ADÉBÁYÒ remains, a look of unease on his face.)
ADÉBÁYÒ:
(To himself)
The King's wrath is a fearsome thing to see.
And should my Lord be guilty of this crime,
Then all of us will pay the price, I fear.
Oh, if I had but never followed him.
(Exit ADÉBÁYÒ.)
SCENE IV. The palace great hall.
The KING GBOROYE sits on the throne, surrounded by LORDS, COUNCILLORS, and GUARDS. OBA OLÁKÙNLÉ enters, bowing low.
OBA OLÁKÙNLÉ:
My King, you summoned me? I come at once
To serve you with my life and loyalty.
KING GBOROYE:
(His voice like ice)
Loyalty, you say? Tell me, brother,
What do you know of the events in the North?
The death of Bamidele? The treachery?
OBA OLÁKÙNLÉ:
(Feigning surprise)
My King! What news is this? The Captain dead?
I am grieved to hear it. A tragic loss!
What treachery do you speak of?
KING GBOROYE:
(Eyes him steadily)
The maps were faulty, and the grain did fail.
A planned attack, it seems. A betrayal!
I suspect there are traitors in my court.
I want the truth.
OBA OLÁKÙNLÉ:
(Maintaining his composure)
My King, if you suspect me of some foul deed,
Then search my chambers, question all my staff.
My heart is pure, and my hands are clean.
KING GBOROYE:
(To the GUARDS)
Seize him! Search his chambers! Find the truth!
(The GUARDS move to seize OBA OLÁKÙNLÉ. He struggles briefly, then gives a cynical smile.)
OBA OLÁKÙNLÉ:
So be it, brother. You choose to believe
The whispers of that foolish, old priest.
The oracle, you see, was right, after all.
(The GUARDS lead OBA OLÁKÙNLÉ away. The LORDS and COUNCILLORS murmur in shock and confusion.)
KING GBOROYE:
(To the remaining COUNCILLORS)
Find all the evidence. Bring me the truth.
And then, justice shall be done.
The viper has been revealed.
(The King sits heavily on his throne, his face etched with sorrow and betrayal. The curtain falls.)
The play concludes with Act V
ACT V
SCENE I. The King’s private chambers. Dawn is breaking.
KING GBOROYE:
The deed is done. My brother is no more.
Justice was served, and the realm is secure.
Yet, I feel hollow, as an empty drum.
The crown I saved is stained with brother’s blood.
If I had heeded Ifá from the start,
Perhaps this tragedy could have been curbed.
A moment's pride, a kingly arrogance,
Hath made a murderer of a brother's heart.
(Enter ADÉWÁLÉ. He bows.)
BABALÁWO ADÉWÁLÉ:
My King. The sun doth rise upon a peaceful realm.
The people cheer your name and strength of will.
KING GBOROYE:
They cheer the strength that broke a family.
Adéwalé, what lesson does Ifá teach
Through this harsh, bloody chapter of my reign?
BABALÁWO ADÉWÁLÉ:
(Gently)
The lesson, King, lies not in fate alone,
But in the wisdom used to navigate
The river of our days. Ifá provides
The map, the warning; you, the King, must choose
The vessel and the course. The Odu said:
"He who ignores the counsel of the elders
Shall find his path entwined with sorrow's vine."
But also, "When the ear is quick to hear,
The heart finds peace, though trials be severe."
You heard at last, and justice was the result.
KING GBOROYE:
Then wisdom’s ear I’ll keep, henceforth, open wide.
And rule this land with justice, not just pride.
The tragedy of folly ends today.
Let’s seek the light and drive the shades away.
(The King stands resolute. The sun rises fully through the window.)
(Curtain falls.)
KING GBOROYE sits alone, staring into a dying fire.
O the triumphant, glorious resolution, where the King's wisdom prevails just in time.
The Tragedy of King Ogbè’s Folly (Revised Glorious Ending)
ACT V
SCENE I. The King’s private chambers. Dawn is breaking.
KING GBOROYE sits alone, deep in thought. The scroll with his brother’s confession lies on the table.
KING GBOROYE:
(To himself)
My brother’s hand confessed the foulest treason,
The map, the timing, all a wicked plot.
The viper truly lived within my walls.
I gave the order for his execution,
To purge the treason and secure the realm.
But blood for blood, I fear, doth stain the crown.
Was justice served, or vengeance swift and cruel?
(Enter BABALÁWO ADÉWÁLÉ. He bows.)
BABALÁWO ADÉWÁLÉ:
My King. A runner from the northern front.
A miracle, they say, hath saved the day.
KING GBOROYE:
(Staring at him, distracted)
Miracle? Speak sense. The Captain’s dead.
We mourn Bamidele and his lost command.
BABALÁWO ADÉWÁLÉ:
Nay, Sire! He lives! Through some strange fortune's grace,
He and his men were lost, yet found a path,
A hidden valley where the foes could not reach.
They rallied, regrouped, and struck the foe’s rear!
The northern tribes are scatter’d to the wind.
The war is won, your Captain lives, the realm is safe!
KING GBOROYE:
(Stands in astonishment, joy dawning on his face)
He lives! The gods are merciful indeed!
Adéwalé, the scales fall from my eyes.
My anger made me blind to mercy’s plea.
If Ifá granted life to Bamidele,
Perhaps I should grant life to my own kin.
The Odu spoke of peril, but not doom.
The warning was a guide, not prophecy set in stone!
BABALÁWO ADÉWÁLÉ:
Indeed, my King. Wisdom lies in the balance.
Justice tempered by the hand of grace.
KING GBOROYE:
(Turns to a guardsman standing by the door)
Ho, guardsman! Run with haste! Unto the dungeon!
Stay the execution of Prince Olàkunlé!
Bring him before me. He shall live, but banish’d
From this fair kingdom for his wicked plots.
A life of exile is his punishment,
Not death, for the gods have shown us mercy here.
(The GUARDSMAN bows and rushes out.)
(Enter LORDS and CAPTAIN BAMIDELE, who is weary but alive.)
LORDS & OTHERS:
Long live the King! Long live the King Gboroye!
CAPTAIN BAMIDELE:
My liege! The day is ours! We secured the pass!
Your kingdom stands strong!
KING GBOROYE:
(Embracing the Captain)
Bamidele, brave heart! You bring great joy!
This day we celebrate the peace of Ifá,
A glorious end to war, and to my folly.
Let bells ring out! A feast for all the realm!
Wisdom shall guide us, mercy be our song!
The realm is safe, and we have peace at last.
(The King raises his sword in triumph as the sun shines brightly through the window. Joyful music plays.)
(Curtain falls on a tableau of celebration and reconciliation.
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