The greatest writer of Elizabethan England is William Shakespeare, credited as "the greatest dramatist of all time" (History of Theatre, 156). The Noh theatre has a great Shakespearean figure in Kiyostsugu Kan'ami. He and his son Zeami Motokiyo perfected the Noh theatre in the late 1300's. "Zeami is usually considered the greatest of all Noh dramatists" (History of Theatre, 616). A Noh performance "combines elements of fance, drama, music and poetry" (English Nolh1, 1). Shakespeare also made liberal use of these elements. Shakespearean plays are classified into four types: Tragedy, Comdey, History, and Romance. Likewise the Noh plays are classified into five types: Kamimono (a God play), Shuramono (a warrior play), Kazuramono (a woman play), Kuruimono (a mad person play) and Kirinomono (a supernatural being play). The Noh "performance rests on the Buddhist view of the world" (Cambridge Guide to Theatre, 716), while the Elizabethan view of the world is more secular.

The Shakespearean and Noh stages have several similarities. Each has a raised platform, pillars and is surround by the audience on more then one side. Yet, there are marked differences. At the back of every Noh stage is a painting of a pine tree, but nothing else. The Shakespearean stage is just as spartan, having only curtains that block the doorways between backstage and the stage itself. The Shakespearean stage has two pillars, which lack the significance of the four pillars of the Noh stage. In the Noh theatre each pillar has its own name and connotation. "At the upstage right pillar, Shitebushira (principal character's pillar), the shite" (the main character) "pauses when he enters to announce his name and where he comes from. While reciting this speech he faces the pillar at the downstage right corner, the mesukebashire (the gazing pillar). The pillar at the downstage left corner is called wakibashire because of its association with the secondary character. The up stage left pillar, fuebashire (flute pillar) indicates the flute player's position on stage" (History of Theatre, 618). The pillars on the Shakespearean stage simply hold up the roof. Unlike the Noh theatre, mostly staged inside, Shakespearean performances were normally held in open-air theatres. The Shakespearean audience could see the play from three sides while the Noh audience could see the action from two. The Noh stage is purposely dual-sided because there are two principal areas of its stage, butai (stage proper) and hashigukari (the bridge). At the front of the bridge are three pine tress where the bridge meets the stage proper, which symbolizes "heaven, earth and man" (History of Theatre, 618) The bridge serves as the main entrance and exit for the actors and may represent either a long journey or the passageway from the earthly world to the spiritual one. Another entrance to the Noh stage called the hurry door; is where the chorus and musicians enter. On the Shakespearean stage an actor enters from the back of the stage; right, left or center. The Shakespearean stages also has a functional balcony and a trap door where actors may stand to symbolize being in a grave or being a ghost. Both stages are plain.

In contrast to the stage, the costumes of both theatres are ostentatious. Noh costumes are "sumptuous, particularly those of the shite, (Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre, 349); the "costumes" are "rich in color and design" (History of Theatre, 617). With Noh theatre, colors usually stand for some aspect of the character's personality. Costumes in the Shakespearean drama may not be used to symbolize personality but are still exquisite. "Costume was probably the most important visual element of Elizabeth theatre" (History of Theatre, 176). Though Shakespeare's play might take place in a different time period or foreign location, most actors were garbed in the current Elizabethan style; some of the grander ones were made of satin and laid with lace. In addition to notable costuming, Noh actors used elaborate makeup while simple makeup was prevalent in Shakespearean theatre. In both, men were cast in female roles with makeup and costumes required to make into woman. Masks were also used to represent characters in Noh theatre--particularly women, old men and spirits.

Because costumes were much exaggerated, props were spare. Noh theatre is known for symbolism in its use of props. "A miniature wooden or bamboo structure may represent a palace, mountain, bed chamber, or other place; a bamboo frame represent a boat" (History of Theatre, 667). Shakespearean theatre is not nearly symbolic. The company would bring on a chair if needed or tables, stools, beds and so on. However, in Elizabethan theatre "some scenic devices were so cumbersome that they were set up on the main stage where they remained throughout the performance, ignored except when relevant to the action" (History of Theatre, 175).

Both theatres use a chorus to comment on the action of the play. All Noh dramas have a chorus, while some Shakespearean plays do not. The chorus in the Noh drama usually consists of eight persons that sit on the right side of the stage; their function is to narrate the background and the story itself (English Noh1, 3). In Shakespearean drama, the chorus is a single person who may also read the prologue and epilogue.

Universal themes are explored in both Shakespearean and Noh plays. Central subjects of love, honor, double suicide, pride and betrayal fill the pages of the Noh and Shakespearean scripts. These are themes encountered in every culture, time and place.

The two plays used for comparison are Shakespeare's Othello and Romulus Linney's adaptation Komachi, a take on a Noh drama from Three Poets. Othello is the play of an honorable man, Othello, manipulated by a close friend, Iago, into believing that his wife, Desdemona, is unfaithful, which leads to a series of events with the final outcome of Othello's murder of his wife followed by his suicide upon discovering the truth. Komachi is a play about a woman, Komachi, who snubs love and the who courts her, Shosho, who is too prideful to let her escape; he dies while trying to win her love and Komachi is left to grow old and ugly, cursed because she was spiteful to love and Shosho.

"Whatever forces act in the human spirit, whether good or evil, whether personal passion or impersonal principle; doubts, desired, scruples, ideas--whatever can animate, shake, posses, and drive a man's soul" (Shakespearean Tragedy, 18). The individual is the driving force behind the acts portrayed within Othello and Komachi. Iago's manipulation of Othello's insecurities, especially jealousy, lead to a tragic end. Shosho, like Othello, allows his insecurities, especially jealousy, to lead to a tragic end. Both men live by a strict code of honor, Shosho's code definitely resonates samurai qualities, which inflames their respective insecurities. "A man's virtues help to destroy him, and that his weakness is defect is intertwined with everything that is admirable in them that we can hardly separate them" (Shakespearean Tragedy, 29). Othello and Shosho are required to be strong, brave, intelligent, and loyal--the ideal man--as both Desdemona and Komachi must fill the role of the ideal woman.

Trapped in Iago's web of lies, Othello allows his passions (anger and jealousy) to control him. Shosho also permits passion to rule him but unlike Othello, Shosho seeks to avenge his humiliation at the hands of Komachi. Othello is lured onto the dangerous avenue of passions, but Shosho jumps in on his own. Othello is insecure because of his color, feeling less of a man while Shosho is insecure about the past suitors of Komachi. Shosho is moved more quickly into a passionate rage then Othello, who waits and tries to acquire evidence of his wife's infidelity. Perhaps it is the difference between Shosho's desire versus Othello's existing love that determines how quickly the individual character allows his passion to take over. Othello loves Desdemona; she is his soul's joy (Othello, 26). Shosho wants in a very physical, Komachi. He burns for her and describes his feelings of love as "Love is a storm, a thunderbolt/It strikes and crushes" (Komachi, 13). It seems clear that violent passion is a basic part of Shosho's character, while Othello is less reactionary until he sees "proof" ... his wife's handkerchief in the hands of another man. It is because of their great passion for these women that Othello and Shosho are vulnerable to their insecurities in being spurned, rejected or cuckolded.

However, these two women are very different. Desdemona is drawn as the ideal of Elizabethan womanhood--pure, loyal, demure and beautiful. Only once in her life has Desdemona disobeyed her father and that was in marrying Othello. Desdemona rarely stands up for herself' when Othello tells her that he is going to kill her she still remains calm and properly demure. She doesn't fight back as he suffocates her and with the little life remaining to her she tells her maid, Emilia, that her husband is innocent of the crime. Komachi, like Desdemona, posses the ideal trait of beauty and she is known for her poetic ability. Komachi was scornful of Shosho's courtship, while Desdemona was open to Othello even though he was not trying to win her. Komachi verbally fights back, antagonizes and even runs away from Shosho. While both suffer horrible fates, Komachi seems to suffer more than Desdemona who is allowed to die. As the more forceful of the women, Komachi is left to endure a cursed and wretched life where she grows old, ugly and haunted until Shosho's ghost returns to kill her.

What ties these two plays together is passion. The love Desdemona and Othello, Iago's jealousy and Othello's insecurities (fueled by Iago's manipulation) causes him to react in a violent rage. Shosho's desire for Komachi, her scornfulness of him and her reaction causes another violent rage. It is passion that ruled the hearts of Othello and Shosho and it is the harmful passion of jealousy, hate and anger which leads to the downfall of each. Iago's manipulation of Othello inflames insecurities. There is no manipulator in Komachi. If there were no Iago in Othello, Desdemona and Othello might have lived happily ever after, but the same cannot be said for Komachi, because Shosho cannot control his passion.

Surprisingly, Japanese and Western theatre have much in common. The Noh and Shakespearean theatre possess many similarities: the use of costumes; a chorus; a similar stage; the use of props and universal themes explored through plot. While the compared stories may have fundamental differences, Othello and Komachi are more similar than not. They are linked through strict codes of honor, the portrayal of "ideal" men and women and uncontrollable passions erupting to violent ends.

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