The parent-child image in Noh plays

Abstract

This research analyses the parent-child image in 57 Noh plays in the current repertoire, and 76 Noh plays outside the current repertoire. All the 133 plays were written in the Muromachi period. The image of the father, mother, and child found in the first type of plays is both the same and different from that found in the second type. The overall image of the child is that of filial piety. The daughter appears much less than the son. But her image of filial piety is not weaker than that of the son. The mother is loving and dedicated to the child particularly the son. The father also has this same image as the mother. But in the plays of the current repertoire his negative image is stronger than the positive image.