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 * Among the Noh plays you have read, select one that appeals to you the most and discuss why you are drawn to it above all the other works. You may wish to refer to the video illustrations of the excerpts of the plays that we saw in class, as well as the scripts to compose your answer.**

Noh is a very interesting art form that did not appeal to me at first. It was so new to me that I did not know how to comprehend it, but as we read these plays, my opinion of Noh theatre improved. I was drawn to the Noh play "Sumida-gawa" because it is a "mad woman" play. This story is about a woman who comes to Musashi Province all the way from Kyoto to look for her son who was kidnapped by a slave trader. She impresses a boatman and his passengers by reciting an old poem, “Miyakodori," in episode nine of “Ise Monogatari (Tale of Ise)." Because of her knowledge, she is allowed to board their boat. The boatman ends up telling the story of a young boy, Umewakamaru, who they will honor that day since it has been one full year since his death. The woman is distraught, for she realizes they are referring to her lost son. She ultimately goes to the burial site and even says an invocation for her son's soul. The ghost of her son appears and when she tries to embrace him, he goes straight through her body. This leaves the woman even more distraught and the play ends with her crying.

This story is very compelling and is extremely interesting to read. Normally in Noh, when a parent is separated from their child, the play ends with a happy reunion. However, this play does not. I like the fact that this play is tragic. It is a good break from stories I am used to reading. There is, however, a redeeming quality in this story. The playwright allows the woman to say a proper goodbye to her child at his burial site. If she hadn't gone looking for him on that exact day, this would have never happened. There is hope for the mother and the reader, and the audience experiences her pain with her. I think this story is well-written and pulls the audience in to feel the same emotions the main character feels throughout the play.

http://www.the-noh.com/en/plays/data/program_012.html The script of "Sumida-gawa"
 * Word Count:** 346
 * Sources:**