Yoroboshi: A modern Noh Play
Date
2024
Authors
Razavi, S. Hassan
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Abstract
This thesis examines the implications of designating an adaptation with the source material's name when the two bear little resemblance. Focusing on Mishima Yukio's Yoroboshi, a play from his Modern Noh Plays collection, this study investigates the effects of this practice on the imagined audience. By classifying a Western-style drama (shingeki) under the highly formalized genre of Noh and creating the category of "Modern Noh," Mishima merges the contrasting notions of tradition and modernity. This thesis posits that this fusion suggests that solutions to contemporary issues critiqued in the play, such as the erosion of national identity, may be found in the past.
Mishima's Yoroboshi, adapted from a classical Noh play of the same name, introduces a family court to adjudicate the legal parentage of a young man blinded in an aerial bombing. The thesis explores the sociopolitical context of its time and the impact of labeling it as "Noh" on the audience. This analysis involves contextualizing the play, conducting a critical translation, and comparing it with the source material to assess its nature as an adaptation.
Through this examination, this thesis aims to enhance understanding of Mishima's Modern Noh drama in the postwar context and its significance for the audience.
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Keywords
Modern noh, Mishima Yukio, Adaptation, Fascism, Theatre