Blog Post: Matsukaze

Due to the shortness of this piece I read it twice over looking for a point that would personally satisfy me. The difficulty in this goal is that this play is not like any other plays I have read before. The dialogue is poetic and not blunt while the story is very brief and open ended. Having said that, if I were to construct a point it would be, "While our emotions may provoke wishful thinking, our intellect encourages moving on from traumatizing events." I think Murasame and Matsukaze represent the two different sides of a person's thoughts. They are one, yet they are split due to their extreme differences. Murasame being the logical point of view that remains calm throughout the play (the intellect). Matsukaze being the emotional/sentimental perspective that is more impulsive and dramatic.


Lines 295-315
Matsukaze- Love rushes upon me. Helplessly I sink down, weeping in agony.
The River of Three Fords has gloomy shallows of never-ending tear; I found, even there, an abyss of wildest love. Oh joy! Look! Over there! Yukihara has returned! He calls me by name, Pine Wind. I am coming.
Murasame- For shame! For such thoughts as these you are lost in the sin of passion. All the delusions that you held in life---- none forgotten! That is a pine tree and Yukihira is not here.
Matsukaze- You are talking nonsense! This pine is Yukihira!

2 or 3 key words:
Nonsense- Ironic word used by Matsukaze when Murasame claims the tree is not Yukihara. The irony is derived from the fact that Matsukaze is being nonsensical in this moment. The translator chose this word to illustrate how our feelings can blur reality. Despite Murasame's skepticism, Matsukaze still retains the idea that this pine tree is her old lover.
Passion- Murasame says that Matsukaze is lost "in the sin of passion." Passion is a commonplace word with deep implications. The passionate love that causes Matsukaze to never lose hope corrupts her grip on reality. This passion endures through time and circumstances which in some contexts may be beneficial, but in this scenario this passion has driven Matsukaze mad.
Delusions- Murasame says, "all the delusions that you held in life---- none forgotten!" This emphatic line indicates that Matsukaze has held on to these beliefs for quite some time (even in human existence for these two women are only ghosts). Note that even though these "delusions" have lingered even in the afterlife with no substantiation, Matsukaze still maintains unwavering hope by ignoring how thinks actually are.

My view on the point based off this one scene:
I see that our emotions truly can overpower our decisions. The play is titled Matsukaze and it's no accident. Matsukaze remains in control throughout the play (and this scene), and that is most likely why the spirits still linger at the bay of Suma. The delusion of the tree being Yukihira emphasizes the point, and the delusion of the tree further shows that our emotions not only provoke wishful thinking, but also can blind us for extensive periods of time.