bmNoh&Kyogen

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.

 The Noh play, //Izutsu//: The Well-Cradle appealed to me most, but not just because it stirred my emotions but also because I was overall intrigued by it. There were certain parts that I really liked, but there were also parts that I didn’t like.  One of the parts that I really liked was part of the story of the married couple growing up. I also liked how the wife unconditionally loved her husband no matter what he might have done, and even when she could still see his reflection in the water after all of the years that her ghost was around. I also like how the story was told with the Priest traveling, stumbles across this temple and well and the then the story of the play is told. I did like the dance at the end when the wife is wearing her husband cap and gown, as you pointed out in class, she raised her hand as to show/symbolize that she was still grieving (Richmond lecture 2-24-12).  Some parts that I didn’t like included how the husband didn’t unconditionally love her as she did with him (naturally). And I know that this helps with the story and all, but with the script, I didn’t like how some lines would repeat. I know that it probably has a lot to do with the music and the dances but for me personally, it made it a little harder to read.  The play //Izutsu//: The Well-Cradle was really appealing due to its structure, emotional attachment to the audience, and song and dance. Over all, even with its ups and downs, //Izutsu// is a very good play.

Word count: 275

Cited Sources

Farley Richmond Lectures