Japanese No Dramas [Paperback]

Japanese noh theatre or the drama of perfected art flourished in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries largely through the genius of the dramatist Zeami. An intricate fusion of music, dance, mask, costume and language, the dramas address many subjects, but the idea of form is more central than 'meaning' and their structure is always ritualized. Selected for their literary merit, the twenty-four plays in this volume dramatize such ideas as the relationship between men and the gods, brother and sister, parent and child, lover and beloved, and the power of greed and desire. Revered in Japan as a cultural treasure, the spiritual and sensuous beauty of these works has been a profound influence for English-speaking artists including W. B. Yeats, Ezra Pound and Benjamin Britten.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Translated with an Introduction and Notes by Royall Tyler

Acknowledgments
Japanese Names and the Pronunciation of Japanese
General Introduction
List of Terms Used in the Stage Directions
Plan of the No Stage
Ama: The Diver
Atsumori
Aya no tsuzumi: The Damask Drum
Chikubu-shima
Eguchi
Funa Benkei: Benkei Aboard Ship
Hagoromo: The Feather Mantle
Hanjo: Lady Han
Izutsu: The Well-Cradle
Kantan
Kasuga ryujin: The Kasuga Dragon God
Kinuta: The Fulling Block
Kureha
Matsukaze: Pining Wind
Nonomiya: The Wildwood Shrine
Saigyo-zakura: Saigyo's Cherry Tree
Seki-dera Komachi: Komachi at Seki-Dera
Semimaru
Sumida-gawa: The Sumida River
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