Writing+Assignment+3

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.

My favorite Noh play is Sumidagawa. I really enjoyed this play because of the emotion involved in it. It begins with a description of a crazy woman, but in reality she is not crazy she is hurting, and overwhelmed with sorrow. She searches for him in Musashi Province which is a great distance from her hometown. A boatman offers to give her a ride only if she can show him that she is crazy. In the end he offers her a lift and she discovers her son is dead. She sees an ghostly image of her son and she attempts to embrace him but this does not happen. This story does not have an happy ending. Her pain and sorrow is never comforted but seems to worsen by the reality that her son is not coming back. I enjoyed that this play was very realistic. There are many mothers who experience the pain of losing a child and I think this play does a well job of displaying the true grief that it can cause and that there is no easy fix. It also shows the deep love that mothers have for their children and the amazing bond that mothers have for their children. I am sure many can relate to this play. This play really allows the view into the life and experience of this woman, and how important it is to not define or label someone as crazy or insane thought first understanding the person and their situation.

Work cited: http://www.the-noh.com/en/plays/data/program_012.html