The Frolic of the Beasts

Yukio Mishima’s work “The Frolic of the Beasts” is from his middle time and is based on Noh plays, particularly the 14th-century Motomezuka. The plot revolves around a tragic love triangle that involves Kōji, a former college student, Ippei Kusakado, a renowned literary critic, and Yūko, Ippei’s stunning and mysterious wife.

The story, which takes place in rural Japan soon after World War II, is nonlinear and addresses themes of passion, guilt, punishment, and the different personas we adopt throughout our lives.