Narrating the past is both an act of remembrance and a
necessary step in taking painful action in kabuki jidaimono (period) plays.
In monogatari speeches, samurai
characters recall a pivotal moment,
event, or series of events related to battle experience. Through the
narration of these critical incidents from the past, the power of memory is
unleashed, readying characters for impending, usually tragic action. Monogatari speeches are an important
tool in the creation of samurai heroes, who are constructed as loyal, moral men
of purpose and action, yet who come up against the limitations of what they
most strongly believe. This paper explores the placement and function of monogatari in plots, the ways in which
they are performed, and the role of memory in responding to terrible choices
and circumstances based in past events.
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