On the Art of Adaptation in Soinka's King Baabu

Abstract

Soyinka's King Baabu was created in 2001. It was double influenced by Ubu Roi by of Alfred Jarry and Shakespeare's Macbeth. There are many similarities between the three plays in the plot, characters, thematic ideas and artistic techniques. Soyinka applies the framework of Shakespeare's Macbeth; Babu, Ubu and Macbeth are typical of careerists, conspirators and tyrannical monarchs in the history of world drama. King Baabu is a highly targeted satire, with the same distinct political tendency as Macbeth and the absurd and irrational ideas similar to Ubu Roi; both King Baabu and Ubu Roi adopt exaggerated, ironic and "black humor" artistic techniques. The clever reference from the ideological art of Macbeth and Ubu Roi fully shows Soinka's superb adaptation art.