Femme Fatale and its Tragic Consequences in Wole Soyinka’s A Dance of the Forests

Abstract

Femme fatale is one of the social constructions of womanhood. It conveys the deep-rooted idea that some women are intrinsically destructive by virtue of their exceptional and irresistible beauty. This study is specifically concerned with interrogating gender stereotypes that are often found in works of literature. For this reason, it investigates femme fatale and its tragic consequences in Wole Soyinka’s A Dance of the Forests. The methodology for the study is qualitative in nature and is hinged on Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytic theory. The paper argues that the concept of femme fatale sits tangentially against women while neglecting other factors such as male tragic flaws, inordinate desires, ambitions, personal choices, ignorance, overwhelming influences, and impetuosity on the part of the male gender, which activate the seemingly destructive nature of femme fatale. The study reveals that, although the woman is a passive agent of tragedy and her beauty a catalyst for destruction, she is not entirely to blame for the tragedy of the men who are involved in relationships with her. Her charming beauty associates her with destructive tendencies, but she cannot solely be the carrier of fatality without the contributing actions and personal choices of the men who are usually termed victims. The study recommends that the factors which facilitate the destructive nature of femme fatale should be taken into consideration in literary discourses so that the concept of femme fatale will not be restricted to the alluringly beautiful woman alone as the carrier of fatality.