In this paper, I will be analyzing the Noh (Nogaku) play known as Funa Benkei, ‘Benkei Aboard Ship’. The play is written by Kanze Kojiro Nobumitsu (1435-1516) and takes place in the first year of the Bunji era (1185), on the shores of the Daimotsu Bay in the Settsu province in autumn, and later moves to the sea off of the bay. This is after the Genji victory over the Heike (Heike Monogatari) in the Genpei war. The play is of the fifth category (kiri-nō), a final play, and is current in all five schools of Noh.
Funa Benkei is a sort of oddity because the main role, generally referred to as the shite, but also is known as the maeshite, which is the shite as living human being and nochishite, which is the ghost of the shite, is not played by Musashibō Benkei who is the waki, as one would normally deduce from the title. In turn the role of the shite, not being played by Benkei himself, is divided between Shizuka Gozen and the ghost of Taira no Tomomori.
Another oddity of Funa Benkei is that the role of the kokata, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, is portrayed by a child actor, which is a source of interest because a boy is unlikely to be a great general and also unlikely to be Shizuka’s lover. This, however, allows for Benkei’s role to become uncontested, thus allowing him to become the master of the play.
The story begins with the kokata, waki, and wakitsure fleeing the capital (Kyoto) set to Shidai music. They are fleeing from Yoshitsune’s brother, Yorimoto, and board a boat for Amagasaki of the Tsu Province. Upon arriving, Benkei says he has an acquaintance there, the boatman, who plays the role of the ai. Benkei asks the boatman for shelter for his lord and followers. The boatman then grants Yoshitsune the use of his inner room. Thi...
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...hough, the openness to interpretation may be the driving point of the story, as it stands, there appeared to be no real closure and thus unsatisfying. Overall, the story is capturing and compelling, but killing the story at its climax is hardly what I consider to be an appropriate ending. If satisfaction or completeness was a criteria for a good story, I would have to say that I would not be satisfied due to the incompleteness of the story, though I would be kept on the edge of my seat given the number of interesting characters that were present through the play.
Works Cited
Tyler, Royall. Japanese nō dramas . London: Penguin Books, 1992. Print.
The Noh drama: ten plays from the Japanese selected and translated by the special Noh Committee, Japanese Classics translation Committee, Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai. --. Rutland, Vt.: C. E. Tuttle Co., 19821955. Print.
...od out because he used charm and just the book to advance in the company. I think young adults and adults who are into economics, how companies work or even realistic plays would like the production that was put. It was simple and gave across a clear point. I think that people who grew up in the sixties and worked during the time period would enjoy the play. I feel that they would have a different understanding of it because they grew up in the time period and lived through what was going. Over all the play head a straight forward point that in my opinion put J. Pierrepont Finch as the protagonist because everything revolved around him, he had a simple objective and every set or choice he made effect something or someone. Whereas the antagonist was reaching high positions in the company because that was the main thing that was in Finch is way at achieving his goal.
shall firstly do a summery of the play and give a basic image of what
The main Character being completely consumed with dance and want the lead role of the upcoming play; in which it requires the dancer to be able to play 2 different persona , the White Swan innocence and grace, and the Black Swan devious and
The ending of this book was a cliffhanger. In my opinion that is the worse kind of ending, but that’s how that writing persuades the reader to get the next book in the series. Without giving too much away about the end of the story, it was very unexpected. To be
book I was greatly troubled by its ending. I can see why it is an excellent novel, but at
Overall, I enjoyed this play. Even with the dull ending, I found it to be entertaining and a good use of my time. The cast was great and they made good use of a decent
I did not like the ending of the story. I found that the ending was very predictable and anticlimactic, especially when all the tension was being built up throughout the rest of the book. When I was nearing the end of the book I was already starting to envision the ending of the book and when I got to the end I was disappointed to see that I was correct. I would have preferred if the ending was more of a cliff-hanger and ended completely different than anyone would have expected.
Theatre Journal 37.4 (1985): 426-439. Print. Wheeler, Kip. " Literary Terms and Definitions M." Literary Terms and Definitions "M" Carson-Newman University, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.
As a reader, I was not satisfied that there was no definitive plot in which I could understand the story. I read the story several times and came up with three different realities;
Japan is known for its unique gardening style, their diverse plants, their food, and their beautifully woven tapestries. Yet, most do not know about the history of their drama. Japanese Noh theatre is one of the most precise and prestigious art forms. It has been this way since the fourteenth century when Zeami first created Noh theatre. Zeami’s most famous plays, such as Kinuta, are still performed today. Japanese drama has not changed much since the fourteenth century because it has made a lasting effect on the culture. Noh theatre had a major influence on fourteenth century Japan and has affected modern day drama.
Lala, Sunny and Peachy are just a few of the characters that were cast in the play. Be assured, however, that all the others were also suitably cast for their roles in the production. Thus, making the character selection only one of the key elements in the production’s success.
Since this is a review and its based on my opinion, I would have to say this was one of the worst plays I've ever seen in my life. I wasn't entertained by the play at all. The only good parts were the good-looking girls in the play. I like the main character Marisol based only on her looks. She played on ok job of acting. I realize she had a lot of lines to memorize which she had down, but she just didn't get to me. I think the costumes were ok. They had nothing special, or out of the ordinary except for the angel's wings, which were pretty nice. I didn't like the lighting or the scenery. I didn't know where the scene was supposed to be at some points.
The Heian period(794-1185), the so-called golden age of Japanese culture, produced some of the finest works of Japanese literature.1 The most well known work from this period, the Genji Monogatari, is considered to be the “oldest novel still recognized today as a major masterpiece.”2 It can also be said that the Genji Monogatari is proof of the ingenuity of the Japanese in assimilating Chinese culture and politics. As a monogatari, a style of narrative with poems interspersed within it, the characters and settings frequently allude to Chinese poems and stories. In addition to displaying the poetic prowess that the Japanese had attained by this time period, the Genji Monogatari also demonstrates how politics and gender ideals were adopted from the Chinese.
...of Yokohama. Furthermore, Fusaku represents the ever-present western philosophy, as she is constantly surrounded by imported Western goods and the entailed modern lifestyle. On the other hand, her son Noboru holds manliness and more traditional Japanese values dear to his heart, as presented politically in the final execution of Ryuji. This fall from grace of Ryuji is abruptly halted by his death, thus presenting Mishima’s concept that Japan will restore its original splendor once westernization becomes discarded and diminished from the originally traditional Japan. The assasination of Ryuji presents an enlightening moment for the character as in the blink of an eye, Ryuji understands his weakness: death alone is the only way to correct his massive blunder.
In the play he takes on the role of a character as well as taking on