1. As the introduction notes in passing, the point of Matsukaze does not revolve around the linear, cause-and-effect narrative we are used to in Western drama, but rather the interaction of symbols, many of which can seem cryptic to modern Western readers. For each of the following symbols, begin by working with your group to brainstorm a list of at least six words, images, or concepts that you associate with the word. Next, work together to do some web research about what these symbols might be mean in Japanese culture, particularly within the context of Matsukaze:
pine
the moon
the sea (including brine / salt)
Next, return to the text of the play and consider which symbols are associated with which character(s). Do you see any further potential meaning in the ways in which these symbols are applied or the ways in which they interact in the play? Find passages to support your answers.
2. What do you think the reader is ultimately supposed to think about Masukaze’s longing? How are we supposed to react to her as a character? How does the play work similarly or differently from the Greek tragedies we have examined in class so far, particularly in regards to those plays’ central moment of catharsis?
3. Collaborate with your group members to compose a statement of the point of Matsukaze.
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