Shadow of An Eagle – A Play

“Hope and Desire alone have no virtue. It is the fulfilment of our aspirations that brings satisfaction.”

This quote from the play, Shadow of An Eagle, evidently reveals Bill Marshall’s depth as a playwright.

The play depicts the lifestyle of an African family in peculiar circumstances in a rural setting. It explores the tension and feeble frustrations, which can occur in a family.

Being one of the earlier plays of Bill Marshall, which were widely patronized by schools and colleges and broadcast on the BBC African Theatre, Shadow of An Eagle uses the symbolism of the eagle in Ghanaian mythology to highlight the need for the youth to aspire to higher heights.

Just like the hero who refuses to relapse into degeneration, which he finds at home on his return from his foreign exploits, Bimpo hopes that members of his family would shed their past frustrations, brace themselves up and take to the sky like eagles.