Sanetomo

       Sanetomo was a historical Shingeki play based on the Chinese poet of the same name. He was an ineffective ruler of China and mainly remained influential through his poetry. The play, for the most part, sticks to historical accuracy while presenting it as a fusion between Shakespeare's Hamlet and Lady MacBeth. The continuing themes seen in Shakespeare's famous plays present themselves in a similar fashion in Sanetomo. More so than Shakespeare though, I noticed a direct connection between this drama and other historical Asian epics.
      The play centers around the life of the poet and presents him as one struggling to find his place in the world. He is a puppet to his parents and therefore has no real purpose in life. Although there are many references to masks throughout the play, no character wears one. The constant references signify to me a direct lack of identity. In my previous blog, I discussed the role of the mask in creating an identity for the character to assume. Because of this lack of mask but constant reference, I perceive the author of the play to be implying that Sanetomo is currently confused about his identity in the world and is in the process of finding his "mask." Furthermore, Sanetomo has a passive face that doesnt change throughout the course of the play. The lack of character and expression in his face can be interpreted to be a manifestation of the lack of identity he has within him. Such a characterization forces prevailing themes to become apparent. As Sanetomo searches to find himself, we as the audience or readers are asked to contemplate what is the nature of man, and what is the perfect man. Although the author says this is a poet detaching himself from the world, I would argue the opposite. Dealing with an alienated modern man, I argue that Sanetomo is attempting to attach himself in the world by finding himself and his path in life.
       In this context, it, to me, becomes quite apparent the similarities of Sanetomo with the Indian epic the Ramayana. The historic Indian epic deals directly with the questions of the nature of man and the nature of the perfect man through their protagonist, Rama. Rama goes on an extended journey to get his wife back, but in the process, we see much broader themes about the nature of himself manifest. Questions about moral obligation, priorities, and the value of relationships attempt to be answered. Similiarly in Sanetomo, as he tries to find himself, he must face his chaotic world and confront the same questions tht Rama did. In essence, Sanetomo must simultaneously discover the nature of man and the obligations that come along with that.
        Henceforth, similarites in Asian theatre are more present than I previously speculated. Looking beneath the surface, I am able to see the connection between different types of Classical Asian Theatre and the reciprocal influence they have over one another. Instead of understanding specific forms of theatre individually, I am beginning to realize that individual styles are not so separate and have been connected to all other Asian style through a historical process of oral tradition, immigration, amalgamation, and unification.