School Version

22. Calendar Moon

In Japan, the night of the full moon is called "Juugoya" (the fifteenth night). Where Western folklore 'sees' a man-in-the-moon, Japanese tradition 'sees' a rabbit making a rice cake in the moon. "Ill met by moonlight", proud Titania sleeps on upstage.

Compare the Bar version's Girlie Calendar (Bar 27. Girlie Calendar), and Calendar Moon (Bar 26. Calendar Moon) where 'the moon' appears to be the censor's 'whiting out' of private parts.

See also the Masked version's Pocket Calendar (Mask 16. The calender prop), which, by being less explicit, leaves more to the imagination. In Calendar Opened (Mask 17. The calender opened) the mechanicals appear to engage in the nocturnal passtime of 'moon-viewing', in which sake is drunk and haiku written.

A Midsummer Night's Dream