Noh Macbeth (Izumi, 2006)
新作能《マクベス》は、シェイクスピア作『マクベス』のテーマを能の世界観と手法によって表現し創作した修羅能・夢幻能です。修羅とは、醜い争いや果てしのない闘い、また激しい感情のあらわれなどのたとえです。(English) The new Noh play Macbeth is a Shura or dreamlike Noh play that expresses and creates the themes of Shakespeare's Macbeth using Noh's worldview and techniques. Shura is a metaphor for ugly conflict, endless struggle and the manifestation of intense emotions.
Noh Macbeth (Izumi, 2006)
Title: Noh Macbeth
Year: 2006
Director: Noriko Izumi Production
Performed by: Macbeth
Language: Japanese
Type: stage
Venue: MOA Museum of Art, Osaka
A)
1)
I am a monk from London, England.
I have not yet seen Scotland, so that I will travel of my own accord.
I will leave the city I have lived in, become a hermit and see the sky on my journey.
At the end of my body, not knowing where I will go, what will be the destination?
2)
Oh, strange, the sun is setting, and I am looking to enter the edge of the mountains, but immediately a mist rises and hides the way; what is this?
Here and there, I wandered and unexpectedly entered a deep forest.
From the mist comes a frightening voice - is it a bird? Or is it a demon?
All around us is the forest.
There is a bird that chirps dazedly.
3)
What? There is a light floating in the distance.
It seems to be approaching me.
Are you one of those who got lost in the fog?
Yes, I am. I am lost. I thought I would disappear into the dew of the undergrowth, but I am glad to see you.
The fog is so deep around here that travellers often get lost in the forest and lose their lives.
No, even humans often lose their way in the fog of the five desires.
It is also by some chance that I have met you, a monk.
I am the castle lord, and you can stay here for the night.
I will show you my castle, so please come here.
I appreciate your kindness. Then I will accompany you.
4)
The old castle comes into view through a strange misty clearing illuminated by a beautiful moon.
When you enter the castle through the mossy stone steps, you find quaint stones, but the blinds are old, and the pearls are gone.
The houses look very run down; what happened to them?
Is it a castle without a master because it does not look human?
Let me ask you without lying.
There is only the shadow of the moon in the inn, where no human exists.
Let it be narrated to you.
5)
In the first place, this castle was the castle of a great and proud king, King Duncan.
Macbeth, the king, was seduced by an evil mind to take the throne.
He disobeyed the heavens, made a mistake on earth, and took the king's life and castle.
But he became suspicious and fearful of what would happen if the throne were to be taken back.
His mind was not at ease for a moment, and he did not sleep peacefully.
Finally, he even killed his ally Banquo, and the country was in trouble.
But yesterday's loyal soldier Macbeth, today's enemy, was killed by the son of King Duncan.
That is the end of my wretched self.
At last, he vanished with the dew of the grass.
After that, the castle became without a master.
Only one man has guarded it for far too many years.
6)
Strange. You speak as if it were your own of the world's tales of long ago.
Who are you?
I am no longer a man.
The soul is on the Shura path, powerfully drawn to certain things; the soul that cannot leave appears in castles, wanders, sees and hides.
People say that I am a phantom.
One is tentatively condemned.
I appear in the mist, a tale of remorse for sin, I say it is the ghost of I, Macbeth, and I disappear in the shadow of the dark flame.
I disappear into the darkness.
B)
7)
Now the ghost of Macbeth, tentatively appearing, exchanged words with me.
I am a loyal subject, but I have fallen into the path of the Shura.
What great evil spirit has seduced me?
What? A suspicious person is approaching from the distance.
Let's stay in this bush for a while and see what happens.
8)
I am the one who dwells in this wilderness, who is of a different shape.
I see through the wickedness of men; I foretell the future and call forth the evil hidden in their hearts.
It is our delightful and amusing purpose in life to mislead, seduce and lead men down the path of destruction.
King Duncan, the original master of the castle, was known throughout the land as a benevolent ruler.
One day, however, there was a rebellion that threatened the king.
The loyal subjects Macbeth and Banquo defeated the rebels and restored peace.
The two were allies who were bound by a bond of righteousness.
They studied together, fought through fierce battles and served King Duncan.
King Duncan praised them both.
9)
But the world and the hearts of men are easily transfigured.
Macbeth, the loyal subject, had an evil wish for the throne.
It was a secret wish of which he was unaware.
Indeed, "Beautiful is dirty. Dirty is beautiful."
" The light that shines is deep darkness. The deep darkness is the shining light."
We made a prophecy and brought out the evil in Macbeth's heart.
Our plan worked quite well.
" Macbeth, Macbeth..."
10)
" Where is my husband, Macbeth?"
Oh, it won't fall, it won't fall. Please bring me water for my hands.
Please bring my perfume.
The red blood on these white hands, the fishy smell of blood on this body, I can't wash it off.
Macbeth, Macbeth, my husband, Macbeth.
King Duncan is a great king, but he is already old.
Now is the time to take the throne.
Then you will be king, have a shining crown, and I will be the king's wife.
Wearing gold, silver, treasures, and fragrant perfume, let us both go to the castle with its many vassals and stand side by side like the sun and the moon.
What is it now that frightens you? Oh, Macbeth.
Were the hopes you told me you had of becoming king only a joke over a drink?
Kill, kill, kill Duncan.
Now be brave and take the throne and the castle!
That's what makes you a man-my husband.
The blood won't come off. I can't get rid of the smell of blood.
Bring me water.
Bring me some Arabian perfume.
Oh, it's cold. It is dark.
Why is it so cold? Is it such a deep fog?
Is anyone out there? Bring the light!
Where is Macbeth, Macbeth, my husband, Macbeth?
11)
That woman, Lady Macbeth, has fallen into a lonely hell because of her sins.
Her obsession remains and still appears in this castle.
She still washes her hands and calls for her husband.
Even in death, she is still a sad woman.
Now, Macbeth fights and is slain and comes to life again.
He has fallen into the hell of Shura(the world of strife), where he will fight forever.
This, too, remains an obsession in this world.
On misty nights, he emerges from the dark streets of hell into this castle and wanders around incessantly until the night is over.
Interesting.
Our plan has worked.
The human mind is at our mercy.
Oh? I can see someone through the mist.
It could be our new target.
Come, my friends, come a little closer.
Let's see into this human mind and seduce him.
My friends, let us show him an impossible vision and lead him down the path of destruction.
Beautiful is dirty. Dirty is beautiful.
The shining light is dark darkness. Darkness is the bright light.
12)
I have heard a genuinely terrible tale.
In this tale of the old castle, Macbeth's crime in killing the king and his friends is profound.
Lady Macbeth, who seduced Macbeth, is boundless in her folly.
But we are not all wood and stone.
The demons are terrifying, toying with the fragile human heart.
Now let them be mourned by us, with the voice of the law also high in the air.
The mists of deep attachment will be lifted, and the wandering departed will be illuminated by the clear moon of truth.
13)
The impermanence of all things.
Morning glories bloom in the morning but wither in the evening.
Even the strong will one day perish.
Everything is like dust in the wind.
Even though I say this is a world of dreams, it's stifling; I miss prosperity.
It's strange. You are wearing material armour and chanting from the darkness, 'All things are possible'.
Perhaps you are the ghost of Macbeth?
Should I wrap something up now?
His body decayed quickly; he killed his king and his friends and defied humanity, and the heavens punished him.
Even after death, I float in the deep sea of suffering, burnt by the red flame, blown by the wind and attacked all the time.
Unexpectedly, a monk is chanting a great sutra.
I come from the depths of the earth; help me.
How deep is your suffering? Your soul appears to be remorseless.
Tell me the story of your fall into Shura(the world of strife).
14)
As a vassal of old, I became a Yasha (mythical demon god) and a lion.
With his bold work, which even demons and gods did not fear, he destroyed his enemies and made his land safe.
This pleased the king greatly.
The king celebrated him as a warrior of honour and gave him a feast.
My wife told me to strike the king and take the country.
Along with that evil heart, I could not restrain my own lousy heart.
Then I crept into the room where the king was.
The king was sleeping, and I was hiding, checking on him in the lamps.
I turned my face away, still horrified and shallow after all this time.
I tried to turn back, but I inspired myself again, picked up my sword, and stabbed him in the chest.
Then I even killed my best friend.
My heart was also disturbed, and the deceased blamed me.
Even those who had always adored me rebelled against me.
Finally, I even killed the king's son, who had been looming as an enemy of the country.
Thus, I fell into the path of Shura (the world of strife), cause and effect.
15)
Thus, cause and effect are like a spinning wheel.
It shows the principle of the inevitable decline of the prosperous.
The threads of the armour are frayed in the bitterness of the endless Shura(the world of strife) wars, and there is no peace of mind.
Looking back, I was the first to go to the battlefield and draw my bow and arrow for King Duncan.
He competed with his friend Banquo, and the two thought they were headed in the right direction.
Oh, Macbeth is here!
16)
The world is something of an everlasting Asuka River.
Yesterday's abyss is today's rapids.
Is this a dream, monk?
It is confused by the darkness of the mind; who decides whether it is a dream or reality, a reality or a dream, a dream or a dream?
From somewhere, there is a voice calling me.
And the voice of the darkness of the Shura path(the world of strife), echoing in the heavens and filling the earth, it is not dew that shines in the night, it is not rain that pours down.
Whether you shake it off or not, the land of the enemy flies at you.
Macbeth is indeed weakened and dazzled.
Finally, he is beheaded and falls to the dew of the grass.
I am shallow and ashamed of myself.
I enter a dark path.
Shine far, moon over the mountains.
17)
Ring bells of the Gion Shojha.
It means an echo that everything in the world is constantly changing.
"Those who have achieved glory and prosperity do not last long; they are as fleeting as a dream on a spring night, and those who are vigorous eventually perish, like dust easily blown away by the wind."
Even the mourning monk, once he has disappeared beyond the darkness, is hidden in the deep mist, shadowless and formless.
Now only the weeping voice of the old lord of the castle echoes.
Noh Macbeth (Izumi, 2006).
https://globalshakespeares.mit.edu/noh-macbeth-izumi-noriko-2006/