The ritual person as a hero in J. P. Clark’s Ozidi

Abstract

Within the microcosmos of J.P. Clark’s epic-drama Ozidi, a man can become a hero by fulfilling the demands of ritual. Ozidi is a posthumous avenger, bom to set right the wrong committed by conspirators who had murdered his father in cold blood. By avenging his father's death, he gives the man honour and prestige among the living-dead. He also restores the lost harmony between the world ofthe living and the world of the dead. This singular act makes him a hero in Ijo world-view.