japanese masks
...g since changed. Of all the Japanese masks the Noh mask is said to be the most artistic one. The origins of Noh theatre go back to the thirteenth century. At that time a very popular performance was 'Dengaku no Noh' which translates as 'Field-music Performance' and it had its root in rustic acrobatic and juggling exhibitions. By the fourteenth century, however, Noh had become a kind of opera in which the performers recited while sitting next to each other and then danced. As the fourteenth century went on, another type of Noh, Sarugaku, which used a lot of buffoonery, developed into a serious dramatic performance. In 1647 the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu (the Shogun was the Japanese military ruler) ordered that no variations were allowed in Noh performance. At that time stage directions were written down, costumes and masks were clearly defined and actors were allocated fixed positions on stage. The structure of the play holds many contrasts-time being one of them. But there is another with the mood of the play. For the majority of the play the mood appears to be quite tragic however there are brief lapses of humour which creep to the surface, especially when Pozzo and Lucky arrive. The play could also be played in a comic fashion depending on one’s interpretation. This contrast however is not totally individual and by no means cliché but acceptable. Often comedy is a result of tragedy and I believe this is one of Beckett’s links from the play to reality. This may tie in with the language form of the play: often the script is made up of a short and snappy conversation: ESTRAGON: And we? VLADIMIR: I beg your pardon? ESTRAGON: I said, And we? VLADIMIR: I don’t understand. ESTRAGON: Where do we come in...