aw3

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.

Although all of the Noh plays had aspects about them that appealed to me I think the one I took the most away from was probably Sumidagawa. It was nice to read and understand the scripts to get a clear understanding of what the actors were performing, but nothing beats seeing the actors during the performance. I enjoyed seeing the videos of the productions in class and it helped me get a better grasp of how the performers would approach a piece.

The way the actors convey emotion is really prominent in this piece. The dance the actor puts on really goes along with how the character is feeling. It is overwhelmingly sorrowful and draws the audiences attention to the emotional connection with the character. Even if someone did not understand the exact meaning of the story being shown they would get the general sense of sadness that is incorporated throughout. So me seeing the video was the most helpful in understanding the plays. Although it was nice to read and fully comprehend the dialog from the plays seeing them dances and actors performing was the most interesting thing. That being said I took away different things from both the reading and the videos we watched in class. With the scripts we read I had a fully fleshed out story layed out in front of me, but I still felt a little detached from the words I was reading. The performances on the other hand seemed like raw emotion. Although I understood none of what the actors were saying, their emotions were prominent through their actions and dances. The moment the mother realizes her son is dead is both heartbreaking and powerful.  wc 282 sources: video and plays from class