Existential Dualism and Absurdity: Modernist Theatricality in Wole Soyinka’s <i>Death and the King’s Horseman</i> and Samuel Beckett’s <i>Endgame</i>

Abstract Wole Soyinka and Samuel Beckett apparently occupy distinct places in the literary space, all ramifications. Specifically, while former’s dramaturgy is definable within context of traditional convention playwriting, otherwise known as well-made plays, latter inherently non-conformist this regard. Hence, effort paper was to locate a nexus their writings, using two Death King’s Horseman Endgame , respectively. Theatre Absurd, an offshoot existentialism, provided ground for critical intersection philosophical ideological geometry plays. The paradigm essentially relied on interconnectivity absurdist writings existentialist thoughts, holistic which fundamentally defines modernism, assess what conceived modernist theatricality Building modernists’ interrogation man’s existence essence world existential meaning presumably lost, concluded that texts are largely intoned with regardless formal or structural distinction. It arrived at by placing particular emphasis playwrights’ attempts, these works, demanding more spontaneous response question individual his/her place universe existence, sense, believed have been lost.