This paper discusses the similarities and
differences between Greek tragedy and Japanese Noh Drama. It examines how although
they are separated by nearly two millennia, by thousands of miles and by cultural
differences, both were theatrical
traditions involving masked performers, frequent use of music and dancing, on-stage choruses and historic-mythological themes and stories drawn from traditions. It looks at how later centuries' understanding of them, depends heavily on Aristotle's "Poetics" and Zeami's essays on Noh drama and how the two writers' approaches indicate the principal difference in the two traditions.