ENG2602
ASSIGNMENT 3 2025
UNIQUE NO.
DUE DATE: 18 AUGUST 2025
, Question 2 (Drama: Ngũgi wa Thiong’o and Ngugi wa Mirii’s I Will Marry When I
Want).
Essay: Didascalia, Dialogue and Rhythm in I Will Marry When I Want
The extract from Act 1 of I Will Marry When I Want by Ngũgi wa Thiong’o and Ngugi wa
Mirii offers a vivid snapshot of a rural Kenyan household struggling with poverty,
disillusionment and the weight of economic oppression. Through a combination of stage
directions (didascalia), dialogue and rhythm, the playwrights bring to life the themes of
hardship and despair that underpin the play. The setting itself speaks volumes about the
family’s material struggles, while the exchanges between characters reveal both
resilience and resignation in the face of exploitation. At the same time, the rhythm of
speech, interruptions and even song mirrors the erratic, unsettled rhythm of lives lived
under the pressure of economic inequality. This essay argues that the playwrights
strategically employ didascalia, dialogue and rhythm to portray the family’s
impoverished existence and the despair that shadows their daily lives, while also
illuminating broader social realities in postcolonial Kenya.
The didascalia in the extract provide critical insights into the family’s living conditions
and the atmosphere of deprivation. The stage directions describe the home as a
“square, mud-walled, white-ochred, one-roomed house,” with the white ochre already
“fading.” The house’s decay reflects the family’s fragile economic position, as they are
unable to maintain even basic housing materials. The presence of a single room
accommodating a bed for the parents and rags on the floor for their daughter, Gathoni,
highlights overcrowding and deprivation. The use of rags as bedding underscores the
family’s dire poverty, making visible the absence of dignity and comfort in their lives.
The didascalia also draw attention to small, symbolic items: a title deed hanging on the
wall, representing land ownership, and a sheathed sword, symbolising pride, dignity and
perhaps latent resistance. These objects reveal the psychological tension within the
household: they possess land and heritage, yet their material condition undermines their
ability to live with honour. Even the coats hanging on opposite walls, torn and patched,
emphasise scarcity and the constant repair of worn-out belongings. Through these
ASSIGNMENT 3 2025
UNIQUE NO.
DUE DATE: 18 AUGUST 2025
, Question 2 (Drama: Ngũgi wa Thiong’o and Ngugi wa Mirii’s I Will Marry When I
Want).
Essay: Didascalia, Dialogue and Rhythm in I Will Marry When I Want
The extract from Act 1 of I Will Marry When I Want by Ngũgi wa Thiong’o and Ngugi wa
Mirii offers a vivid snapshot of a rural Kenyan household struggling with poverty,
disillusionment and the weight of economic oppression. Through a combination of stage
directions (didascalia), dialogue and rhythm, the playwrights bring to life the themes of
hardship and despair that underpin the play. The setting itself speaks volumes about the
family’s material struggles, while the exchanges between characters reveal both
resilience and resignation in the face of exploitation. At the same time, the rhythm of
speech, interruptions and even song mirrors the erratic, unsettled rhythm of lives lived
under the pressure of economic inequality. This essay argues that the playwrights
strategically employ didascalia, dialogue and rhythm to portray the family’s
impoverished existence and the despair that shadows their daily lives, while also
illuminating broader social realities in postcolonial Kenya.
The didascalia in the extract provide critical insights into the family’s living conditions
and the atmosphere of deprivation. The stage directions describe the home as a
“square, mud-walled, white-ochred, one-roomed house,” with the white ochre already
“fading.” The house’s decay reflects the family’s fragile economic position, as they are
unable to maintain even basic housing materials. The presence of a single room
accommodating a bed for the parents and rags on the floor for their daughter, Gathoni,
highlights overcrowding and deprivation. The use of rags as bedding underscores the
family’s dire poverty, making visible the absence of dignity and comfort in their lives.
The didascalia also draw attention to small, symbolic items: a title deed hanging on the
wall, representing land ownership, and a sheathed sword, symbolising pride, dignity and
perhaps latent resistance. These objects reveal the psychological tension within the
household: they possess land and heritage, yet their material condition undermines their
ability to live with honour. Even the coats hanging on opposite walls, torn and patched,
emphasise scarcity and the constant repair of worn-out belongings. Through these
