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TOPIC: SUMMARY OF ACT ONE:
ACT BY ACT SUMMARY
ACT I:
Ananse enters the house from where he has gone to buy some typing materials for the letters he intends to write to his daughter’s suitors. It is raining outside; Ananse soon enters, already dressed to go to work. But her father talks her into staying to type the letters. Ananse begins to complain that he is poor. From his complaint, his daughter is bale to realize the event of her father’s poverty and she then promises to co-operate if that will alleviate the suffering.
The letters are then written in the order that suits Ananse. First to Chief Sapaase, then to Chief of Akata (Togbe Klu’s IV), the third to Chief of the Mines and finally to Chief-who-is-Chief. While the first three letters have the same tone and content, the one to Chief-who-is-Chief is quite different, it is more emotional than the rest because he is the most favoured of all the suitors.
After the typing, Ananse gives his daughter the sum of 120 cedes, being the fees for staying away from her studies at the EPS Secretarial School. This money is part of the cash gift from Chief-who-is-Chief. Ananse soon gets to know her father’s plan and objects to being sold into marriage. However, she is convinced to accept Chief-who-is-Chief almost reluctantly.
There is a short interlude that features some musical performances (The Mboguo), celebrating the love affair between Akwesi and Akosua. The scene is meant to illustrate the fact that it is only the presentation of the compulsory head-drink that gives the man fonfidence to lay claim to a woman as his wife. After the initial cash gift from Chief-who-is-Chief, more gifts continue to come in, Ananse. Next to arrive is Togbe Klu’s gift through postal order.
ACT II
Two women arrive on the scene bearing fits from Chief Sapaase. Ananse is obviously happy and with all appreciation, he asks the women messenger to sit:Chairs! Bring chairs for the messengers of royalty and Water! water, let the royal travelers have water at once.Next is the Cheque gift from the Chief of the mines, Ananse is full of praises for this Chief but wishes that Chief-who-is-Chief should increase his own gift to win the competition. Later, Chief-who-is-Chief’s messenger arrives to say that the head-drink for anansewa will be sent in two weeks time. As he goes out, he stumble on Cehif Sapase’s messenger who comes again with a telegram. Ananse is now rich, he calls in artisans, the carpenter, the mason and the painter to refurbish his old house. With the donations come in soon all corners, Ananse has transformed into a big and comfortable man. Ananse’s trick has paid off he is now one of the richest men in the town. Wealth has changed his status from low to high.
ACT III
It is time for Anansewa’s outdooring ceremony. This ceremony is to mark the passing from girlhood to womanhood. It is a kind of rite of passage usually performed for marriage. But Anansewa’s outdooring ceremony is coming rather too late. Ananse’s mother is angry at this lateness. She says:
But to wait until five years after, the
girl has become a woman and then say
outdoor her! “That’s not good custom
keeping in anybody’s world.
At last, the ceremony is performed with Miss Christie Yamoah in attendance to dress for Anansewa. Six girls of Anansewa’s age come to bring her out and start off the ceremony with a song. As the celebration of this passage, was going on, a disturbing telegram arrives from Togbe Klu, bring all the excitement to a premature halt. Other telegrams come in a quick succession from Anansewa’s suitors all promising to place her head-drink on the table before long. Ananse is confused because he hardly expects this to happen. But this incident brings out his best in the trade of deceit and cunning.
He quickly thinks of a way out and then presents a scheme whereby, Anansewa feign death as way of stopping the various plans for the presentation of the head drink. Anansewa soon gets to know that this scheme is to allow Chiefwho-is-Chief to win the competition and she eventually gives her full cooperation. To get his mother, Aya and Aunt, Ekuwa out of the way so as not to face their opposition, he quickly invents a lie. With Christie Yamoha’s cooperation, he lies that some enemies have set fire to the family’s cocoa farm in their hometown and then asks his mother and his aunt to go home immediately. Christie is seen at the end bring the scene to a close with a song.
ACT IV
Fake mourning is arrange for Anansewa, on her father’s instruction, she feigns death on the very day. Togbe Klu is expected to perform the head drink ceremony. Christie tells the audience that the news of Anansewa’s death has been sent to all the four suitors. Then the messengers of the various suitors arrives in turns to bring their funeral messages. From the messages of the suitors, we get to know their various reasons for wanting to marry Anansewa. Chief of the Mines wants to marry Anansewa against the advice of his councilors who would then have hated her.
While Chief Sapaase would have brought her into a domestic rivalry in his place. Togber Klu was looking forward to having a real helper at the last to assist him in building up a substantial business. Who would ruin him.
Togbe Klu would have entrusted all the business document to his wife Anansewa. This revelation surprises Ananse so much, but he still wishes for a better life for Anansewa; and he wishes Chief-who-is-Chief could do better.
Not long after, Chief-who-is-Chief messengers arrive with the message that the Chief accepts full responsibility for Anansewa burial rite.
The Chief will do everything a husband does for his wife by providing a wedding ring, expensive clothes, a large number of drinks and a glass coffin for her funeral. This definitely makes him the winner of the contrived competition for the hand of Anansewa in marriage. Aanse invokes his daughter back to life and the play end on a happy note with songs and music.
THEMESE OF THE PLAY
The marriage of Anansewa is dominated by the following themes namely:
* Theme of poverty and ambition
* Wit and cunning
* Love and materialism
* Matchmaking
* African marital tradition
These themes are justifiably sustained by the actions and the antics of the trickster in Ananse, the protagonist of the play.
Poverty and Ambition
The Theme of poverty and ambition is prevalent in the playAnanse’s desire to better his position in life, obtain access to wealth rise to a higher-social rank is the central theme of the whole play. At the opening of the play, Ananse is seen as a suffering, unhappy man who lives in a leaky, poor excuse of a house. He also has certain bills that need to be paid off, including his daughter’s school fees and the final installment on the typewriter he brought for her. He then takes advantage of his daughter’s marriage to profit from the numerous suitors without jeopardizing her prospective love union.
Ananse’s progress from poverty to success as well as the challenges he faced along the way carefully emphasizes the theme of poverty and ambition.
Wit and Cunning
Ananse’s cunning and extra ordinary intelligence are highlighted. In the “Ghanaian folktale, Ananse is the spider who like the fox and the tortoise in other culture is said to have a keen sense of mischief, cunning and intelligence that frequently allows him to maneuver through incredibly tight spaces and challenging circumstancesFor instance, Ananse eventually escapes from difficulties in this play with an equally impressive displays of wit and intelligence thanks to his overwhelming avarice and cunning.
Love and Materialism:
Ananse desire is driven by his own financial gain, however, Ananse ensures that his daughter marriage is based on pure love in the process. Although true love and material love are diametrically opposed concepts. In the play, Ananse find a way to harmonise them in this drama. With the ways he plays the three chiefs, at the end he discovers that Chief-who-is-Chief who is the wealthiest truly loves his daughter.
Matchmaking:
Another theme that can be deduce from the play is the idea of matchmaking. Matchmaking involves a third party who brings the couple together, often for their own selfish gain.
Ananse begins his plans for Anansewa by photographing her various poses. He takes her photographs to some wealthy chiefs in order to make marriage arrangement with them.
At first Anansewa herself rejects the idea of being sold out ‘like some parcel to a consumer’ and insists on picking her own lover by herself. As the play unfolds, we come to understand that this is a matching making with a twist –matchmaking in which love is a significant factor.
Anansewa develops a love for Chief-who-is-Chief as a result of Ananse’s efforts and she desires to be with him in the end, we are convince that Anansewa could not have chosen a better marriage for herself because the Chief-who-isChief proves to be the best and most sincere of all the suitors.
African Marital Tradition
This theme is clearly portrayed in the play. The payment of bride price, for example is typically viewed in the African marital tradition as the true sign of the marital union without which no marriage can be regarded as legal. The placing of the head-drink (symbolized by a symbolic amount of money and some drinks) is a crucial procedure by which the marriage is legally registered in this drama which is imbibed on a Ghanaian tradition. Typically, members of the bride’s family has given it by the suitors family. Without the usual headdrink ceremony, no amount of cash or freely given presents can make the relationship legal. This significant aspects of the African marriage tradition is depicted in the play.
Ananse exploits this significant traditional event to enrich himself at the detriment of the four rich suitors. He also ensures that three of them are not present for the head drink ceremony.
Another important aspect of the African marriage tradition shown in the play is the outdooring ceremony. It is an important preparation towards marriage. It signifies that Anansewa is ripe for marriage. It is also an avenue for elders to chant and invoke prayers for the prospective bride.
TOPIC: DRAMATIC TECHNIQUES/SIGNIFICANCE .
EFUA T. Sutherland employs the following dramatic techniques in the play: Marriage of Anansewa :
The use of story – telling techniques, spider’s web, music, dance and audience participation in the marriage of Anansewa.
Story – telling Technique
The story-telling technique is used in the Marriage of Anansewa. The play is a narration of story in action. The source of the story is known as Anansesem and the dramatization process is Anansegoro. A storyteller and a pool of actors freely take part in the action of the narration.
This storyteller controls all the events in the drama. He explains events, prepares behaviours of characters, engages the actors, audience and even participates in the action.
The Spider’s Web
A screen made in the shape of the Spider’s Web is used frequently in the play to visually portra the web-spinning activity of the spider which Ananse personifies. Ananse is always spinning a web and trapping his victims in it. Whenever he is about to spin a web, he withdraws behind the screen which the property man puts in place.
On the other hand, when he is about to trap a character in his web (as he does to Anansewa), he places a web screen right behind the victim. He himself withdraws behind the web when his plans begin to go wrong and he needs to think out a solution. The web is therefore a predominant symbol in the play.
The web used in the play to link Ananse’s cleverness in its spinning out of his tricks with the spider’s clever spinning of its web.
The Use of Music and Dance
This implies the use of multiple dramatic devices to give the play a rich African background. In particular, the musical performances (the Mboguo) used frequently as interludes gives the play the atmosphere of music drama.
Moreso, music begins and ends the play, in addition to the frequent dancing and singing which characterize the action throughout in the play. The musical interlude is Audience Participation.
The play is deliberately structured to involve the audience in the action, especially in the singing and clapping. The use of the whole group of players as a stage audience is intended to forge a link between the real audience and the performance.
The stage audience functions as a participating audience to establish that relationship. It is like moving a part of the real audience onto the stage.
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