In this post, I shall briefly examine the characters in Ola Rotimi’s The Gods are not to Blame and the roles each character plays in the play.
The characters being focused on are King Adetusa, Queen Ojuola, King Odewale, Aderopo, Ogun Priest, Baba Fakunle, Abero, Alaka, and Gbonka.
Let’s delve right into it.
King Adetusa
He is the husband of Queen Ojuola and father of Odewale and Aderopo. King Adetusa is the king of Kutuje before the ascension of Odewale to the same throne. He meets a tragic death in the hands of a son he doesn’t know exist.
The presence of his murderer in Kutuje would bring deaths and illnesses to the land twelve years after his death.
Judging from his confrontation with Odewale in the latter’s farm in Ede, King Adetusa is well versed in spells and incantations.
Queen Ojuola
Ojuola is King Adetusa’s wife and later inherited by Odewale. She is the mother of Odewale and Aderopo. Cruel fate makes her bear four children for Odewale, her son cum husband. She kills herself when she learns that her husband, Odewale, is her son all along.
All through the play, Ojuola projects the image of a patient, reserved, obedient and dutiful wife. She also plays the role of a good hostess.
Related:
- Critical Analysis of Ola Rotimi’s “The Gods are not to Blame”
- Memorable Qoutes from Ola Rotimi’s “The Gods are not to Blame”
King Odewale
Odewale is the tragic hero in The Gods are not to Blame. He is the ill-fated child destined to kill his father to marry his mother. Ignorant that by running from his destiny, he is actually being drawn to the course of his destiny, Odewale abandons his foster parents, Ogundele and Mobike.
In Ede, he kills a man who years later turns out to be his biological father. He flees to Kutuje and liberates its people from the captivity of invaders. Odewale is given the throne of Kutuje on a platter of gold on the account of his meritorious contribution to Kutuje Land.
He marries Queen Ojuola, the wife of the former king, and has four kids by her. Odewale is valiant and powerful but hot-tempered. As a king, Odewale is a good and attentive leader save his anger and trust issues. He motivates his people to action. He espouses even in the face of his tragic end that man is the architect of his destiny.
Odewale plucks out his eyes, abdicates the throne, and leaves Kutuje hand in hand with his four children gotten through incest as a self-imposed punishment for the abomination he commits.
Aderopo
Aderopo is Odewale’s brother and the second of the two sons of King Adetusa and Ojuola. He is respectful. Unlike the boastful Odewale, he can differentiate between what should be made public and what shouldn’t. As the prince of Kutuje, he is equally responsible for the welfare of the people.
He is the one sent to Ife to divine the possible cause of the crisis in Kutuje. Back from Ife, he brings with him a riddle that needs to be demystified. Upon his suggestion, he again goes to Oyo to bring the blind seer, Baba Fakunle, to clear the air of mystery.
Out of no fault of his, Aderopo is banished from the palace by King Odewale who in his distrust supposes Aderopo is in connivance with those who want to snatch his throne. The mantle of leadership will later fall on Aderopo after the tragic ends of Odewale and Ojuola.
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