Ans: “The Lion and the Jewel” is a remarkable comedy by Wole Soyinka and perhaps the only play by him written entirely in comic spirit. Soyinka entitles the drama after Baroka and Sidi. In the play, Baroka is called the lion and Sidi is called the jewel.

Jewel is a precious stone that everyone wants to possess. Sidi is a village beauty. She is considered the Jewel of the village, Ilujinle. Sidi was renowned for her beauty and was desired by many of the men in the village.

Lakunle is a school teacher who is in love with Sidi. He wants to marry her without paying the bride price. Because he considers it barbaric and compares it to buying a cow from the market. He tries to convince her to marry him without the bride price. But Sidi knows her value as the Jewel of the village and refuses to marry him without the bride price. Sidi senses that Lakunle’s modern attitude is —

“A way you mean to avoid payment of lawful bride-price. A cheating way means, and misery.”

Even when Sidi loses her virginity, Lakunle offers to marry her but she does not accept the proposal.

Like Lakunle, Baroka desires to marry Sidi seeing her picture in a glossy magazine. So, he sends his head wife, Sadiku to Sidi with the proposal of marriage. Being proud of her beauty, Sidi rejects the proposal. After the printing of her photographs in the magazine, she realizes that she possesses more beauty than that a goddess. She also thinks that her fame has been spread far and wide with the publication of her photographs in the magazine. Sidi thinks that being jealous of her beauty, Baroka wants to possess her as his personal property. She is conscious that she is the Jewel of Ilujinle whom Baroka wants to get.

Baroka is the lion of the play. Just as the lion is the king of beasts. Baroka is the chief of the village, Iujinle. He is called the lion due to his strength and vitality.

None can refrain the lion from possessing what he decides in the animal world. Baroka desires to have Sidi and becomes able to possess her. When Sidi refuses his proposal, he takes the shelter of a clever trick. He spreads the rumor through his head wife that he has lost his manhood and has become impotent. Thinking of him to be really impotent, Sidi goes to his palace to mock his manhood. He impresses her displaying his physical strength by defecting a wrestler in a wrestling match and seduces her. As Baroka has taken away her virginity, she decides to marry him rejecting the proposal of Lakunle.

In conclusion, we can say that because of her beauty, Sidi is considered the Jewel of the village and Baroka like the lion manages to possess the jewel by means of his strength and vitality. So, undoubtedly the title is justified.