Post by Teng Lai Chang on Nov 4, 2015 22:36:22 GMT
Onnagata are not only male actors who perform the role of females on stage, but they also embody femininity into their own, personal lives and identity. Their very speech, action, and gestures are those of a female, as they exude the feminity and elegance of women. Masayuma, an educated man, was fascinated by and infatuated with the beauty and femininity of Mangiku, an onnagata. This obsession with Minagiku led him to working in the kabuki theater staff. Despite knowing Mangiku is a man biologically, he can't seem to steer his eyes away from Mangiku. Despite entering the Kabuki to rid himself of these illicit feelings for Mangiku, it instead backfired. Seeing him backstage (half-naked as well), not in the role of the female characters, made Masayuma even more in love with Mangiku as Mangiku's feminine beauty on stage is essentially the same in speech and body gestures he is off stage. Despite being a man, his feminine beauty exceeds and transcends that of all women. However, this kind of obsession with Mangiku can only be achieved at a distance as Mangiku always seemed unreachable and far even though he was always near him. This sort of unapproachable demeanor and distance is the beauty of Mangiku as it makes him unattainable and seraphic. This satisfaction of gazing from afar is broken as he realizes Mangiku is in love with Kawasaki, a young director who is unfamiliar with kabuki. At the end of the story, Masayuma becomes disillusioned (and jealous) by the fact that Mangiku is so real and approachable toward Kawasaki, his crush and yet Masuyama, himself, can never take that place and attention that Kawasaki received in Mangiku's heart.
I think "An onnagata is the child born of the illicit union between dream and reality" means that Onnagata are born in a world where men can "become" women. In the world of kabuki where men can only perform, all female roles are performed by men. Not only do they have to become a woman on stage, but also in their own personal life. In other words, Onnagata essentially are no different from women in terms of how they appear, act, and feel. This reality and dream dichotomy is very much harmonized in the world of kabuki as we see men become women not only on stage (dream/imaginary world) but also in their personal, daily lives (reality). What is essentially fake and unrealistic becomes reality as we see men becoming women in every aspect of their lives. However, this union of dream and reality is "illicit" because no matter how much a man feel emotionally and behave naturally like a woman, he is nevertheless, biologically, a man. We may become entertained by the fact that a man can look, behave, and possibly, feel like a woman in the kabuki world, but we will never see onnagata as true women because we have already conceptualized what makes a male and female as they are - their genetic makeup, genitalia, facial appearance, masculinity/femininity, etc (however, that's all very ambiguous, fluid, and socially constructed). Onnagata are, therefore, entrapped in a life where they have to become women on and off stage, but this kind of life is seen as socially unacceptable and is forbidden and taboo in a society that only accepts a male and female gender binary.
Discussion Questions: Why do you think Mangiku seemed uninterested in Masayuma and, instead, likes Kawasaki? What did Kawasaki have that Masayuma didn't?
I think "An onnagata is the child born of the illicit union between dream and reality" means that Onnagata are born in a world where men can "become" women. In the world of kabuki where men can only perform, all female roles are performed by men. Not only do they have to become a woman on stage, but also in their own personal life. In other words, Onnagata essentially are no different from women in terms of how they appear, act, and feel. This reality and dream dichotomy is very much harmonized in the world of kabuki as we see men become women not only on stage (dream/imaginary world) but also in their personal, daily lives (reality). What is essentially fake and unrealistic becomes reality as we see men becoming women in every aspect of their lives. However, this union of dream and reality is "illicit" because no matter how much a man feel emotionally and behave naturally like a woman, he is nevertheless, biologically, a man. We may become entertained by the fact that a man can look, behave, and possibly, feel like a woman in the kabuki world, but we will never see onnagata as true women because we have already conceptualized what makes a male and female as they are - their genetic makeup, genitalia, facial appearance, masculinity/femininity, etc (however, that's all very ambiguous, fluid, and socially constructed). Onnagata are, therefore, entrapped in a life where they have to become women on and off stage, but this kind of life is seen as socially unacceptable and is forbidden and taboo in a society that only accepts a male and female gender binary.
Discussion Questions: Why do you think Mangiku seemed uninterested in Masayuma and, instead, likes Kawasaki? What did Kawasaki have that Masayuma didn't?
