Research Guides: Monzaemon, Chikamatsu: Critical Articles

Articles

"Tragedy and Salvation in the Floating World: Chikamatsu's Double Suicide Drama as Millenarian Discourse" by Steven Heine
Examines the cultural context and history of the lover's double suicide (shinju) and its use in Chikamatsu's work and in other Japanese drama.
"Heroic Honor: Chikamatsu and The Samurai Ideal" by C. Andre Gerstle
The plays of the Japanese dramatist Chikamatsu Monzaemon, who wrote during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, strongly influenced the conception of ideal Samurai virtues, such as honor and loyalty, among the Japanese populace from his time forward. As his career progressed, Chikamatsu explored the tensions between the public and private spheres in Japanese society. He also made his heroic characters increasingly complex, realistic and compassionate. He ultimately came to assert that the Samurai ideals of virtue and honor were attainable by all Japanese, regardless of their social station.
"Chikamatsu and His Ideas on Drama" by Makoto Ueda
Discussion concerns the elements of dramatic structure, responsibilities of the playwright, and the sense of honor that plays an integral role in his works.

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