No

No, Japanese drama

No: see Asian drama.

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No, chemical symbol

No, symbol for the element nobelium.

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No, lake, Sudan

No (nō), lake, S central Sudan, in the swampy Sudd region. It is formed by the floodwaters of the White Nile and varies in size seasonally. Its maximum area is c.40 sq mi (100 sq km). Much papyrus grows in the lake.

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Thebes

 biblical No

The Colossi of Memnon, carved from single blocks of stone to represent Amenhotep III, whose …

(credit: © 1997; AISA, Archivo Iconográfico, Barcelona, España)

Ancient city, Egypt. Its remains are located on the Banks of the Nile River. In early times it also included Karnak and Luxor; the Valley of the Kings is situated nearby. The earliest monuments in the city itself date from the 11th dynasty (c. 21st century BC), when the rulers of Thebes united Egypt and made Thebes the capital of Upper Egypt. It remained the capital until the end of the Middle Kingdom (c. 18th century BC). It was obscured for two centuries under the rule of various foreign invaders, after which the kings of Thebes restored Egyptian rule in the 16th century BC and again made it the capital. It flourished as Egypt's political and religious centre throughout the New Kingdom period and was well known for achievements in sculpture and architecture. It began to decline in the 12th century BC and was sacked by Assyrians in the mid-7th century BC, by Persians in the 6th–4th centuries BC, and by Romans c. 30 BC. Its ruins include great temples and tombs, including the Temple of Amon at Karnak (c. 20th century BC), the tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings, and the great mortuary temples of Ramses II and Hatshepsut. The region's antiquities were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.

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No¹, Noh

the stylized classic drama of Japan, developed in the 15th century or earlier, using music, dancing, chanting, elaborate costumes, and themes from religious stories or myths

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No²

Lake. a lake in the S central Sudan, where the Bahr el Jebel (White Nile) is joined by the Bahr el Ghazal. Area: about 103 sq. km (40 sq. miles)

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No

(chemistry)

nobelium

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NO.

On drawings, abbr. for “number.”

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(networking)

no - The country code for Norway.

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No 

(also noh, nogaku), a genre of Japanese traditional theater. Originally a genre of Japanese folk theater, no later became a professional art. In the 14th and 15th centuries it developed into a form of theatrical entertainment for the feudal and military aristocracy.

A no presentation includes music, dance, and drama. Action is accompanied by an orchestra consisting of flutes and drums of various sizes and by a male chorus that takes an active part in the drama. No plays are presented on a square stage open on three sides, covered by a roof supported by four pillars. On the left side of the stage there is a platform (hashi-gakari), which leads into the wings. The actors make their entrances and exits on the platform, which is also sometimes used as a stage. Curtains and scenery are not used. Painted on the wall at the back of the stage is a spreading green pine tree on a field of gold. The orchestra and chorus perform on the stage, the orchestra along the back of the stage and the chorus along the right side.

No plays are based on themes from classical Japanese literature, historical chronicles, and Buddhist legends. They contain many monologues and reminiscences. The action is very drawn out, and there is little dramatic development and conflict. There are always two characters, the shite (the principal actor) and the waki (the secondary actor), who sometimes have companions, the tsure. The tsure have no independent functions. The shite and his companions appear in masks; the waki does not wear a mask. All roles are performed by men. No drama is based on two aesthetic concepts: monomane (imitation of reality) and yugen (inner meaning), which are expressed in the text, dance, music, and onstage movement.

A no presentation usually consists of five plays of varying character. Short, rather ordinary folk comedies, called kyogen, are performed between the plays as a contrast to the elegance and refinement of the main action. Makeup is not used. There is no facial mimicry: the faces of actors and members of the chorus remain motionless. The bright colors of the ornate costumes serve to “orchestrate” the performance.

The founders of the no theater were Kiyotsugu Kan’ami (mid-14th century) and his son Zeami (Seami) Motokiyo Kan’ami (14th to 15th centuries). Both were not only actors, playwrights, and creators of music and dances but also theorists who formulated the basic principles of the art of the no theater. Historically, five schools of no theater developed: the kanze, komparu, hosho, kongo, and kita.

In the 1960’s and early 1970’s the medieval structure of the no drama was still intact. No dramas are performed regularly, but they are intended for a restricted audience. For this reason, the no theater exists only through continued financial support from an association of admirers of the genre.

REFERENCES

Konrad, N. I. “Teatr No.” In O teatre. Leningrad, 1926.
Tanaka Makoto. Nogaku-no kansho (Best Presentations of the No Genre). Tokyo, 1949.
Teatr i dramaturgiia Iaponii. Moscow, 1965.
Kawatake Shigetoshi. Nihon engeki zenshi (History of Japanese Theater). Tokyo, 1966.

L. D. GRISHELEVA