ANANSE AS AN ICONIC TRICKSTER IN THE STORY ANANSE TOLD BY MARTIN OKYERE OWUSU

Folktales are the backbone of African Oral literature. This is especially so in the case of drama as a genre of literature because performance and characterization are core areas for both of them. The study considered Ananse as an iconic character whose presence in the drama isnt merely for entertainment purposes but for even more serious and important roles. The study is significant because a lot of studies have gone into the aesthetic features of folktales but little is heard about metaphorical and iconic characterization. This gap created made this study purposed to look into the role of Ananse as an icon and metaphor utilization in literary theory to study the characterization in folktales. Through the lenses of trickster theory, the study examined Ananse as an icon whose trickster nature is metaphorical in the play The Story Ananse Told by Martin OkyereOwusu. The use of icon and metaphorical character are examined in the play with content analysis as the approach to not only identify them but to link them to the outside world situation. Through the analysis, the features of a trickster character were identified in not only Ananse but also in other characters in the play. Findings from the research reveal that deceit, greed, lies, trickeries, and flattery as identified with Ananse, the iconic characters, were found with other characters in the play indicating metaphor. The research also came out that these traits in Ananse is metaphorical in the real world because of greed, deceit, propaganda and the like have engulfed our society.