The
Samurai and the Spirit: Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood as a Dialogic Transposition
of Shakespeare’s Macbeth
Prarthona Roy
Independent
Researcher
North 24 Parganas,
West Bengal, India
Abstract: This paper explores the dynamics of film
adaptation by analysing the cross-cultural and artistic aspects of Akira
Kurosawa's one of the most popular movies Throne of Blood or Spider's
Web Castle as a cinematic adaptation of William Shakespeare's Renaissance
tragedy Macbeth. Moving beyond
the traditional demands of literal fidelity, this study shows how Kurosawa
masterfully transforms a text, heavily dependent on Elizabethan verse, to a
cinematic, visual form while working on the same universal themes that Shakespeare
introduces in Macbeth. The
paper explores the creative genius of Kurosawa, his art of transposition, by
discussing how he relocates the entire narrative from the Scottish highlands to
feudal Japan during the Sengoku-Jidai period.
Kurosawa also replaced the rich poetic soliloquies of the original play with
the Japanese traditional minimalist aesthetics of Noh Theatre. And the very western themes of the supernatural are
re-imagined from the Buddhist philosophical lens, including the themes of Karma
and characters from traditional Japanese folklore. Moreover, the climax of the
film remains significant for its representation of psychological paranoia,
isolation and the ultimate tragedy of human ambition. Ultimately, this paper
argues how Throne of Blood sets
a benchmark for the overall art of adaptation, proving that an adaptation can
reject being a mere copy of the original text while portraying the similar
stories or themes depicted in it, and can still achieve distinction.
Keywords: Film adaptation, Akira Kurosawa, Shakespeare,
Macbeth, Throne of Blood, Noh Theatre, transposition,
cross-culture.
Film Adaptations refers to the
process of translating a text (whether it is a story or a novel or a play) into
a cinematic production. The modern studies of literature and cinema argues that
the concept of adaptation has transcended the traditional demands of literal
fidelity. The contemporary critical theories suggest adaptation is not just a
mere copy of the original text, rather, it is an act of dynamic transposition,
appropriation, and creative reinterpretation. The entire process of adaptation
is a dialogic one which adds new layers of meanings through the intersection of
multiple cultural voices, and different perspectives. When a literary work is
adapted across language, culture or medium, it demands some structural and
creative alterations that serve to preserve the core essence of the original
text. These demands are met gracefully in Japanese film director Akira
Kurosawa's movie Throne of Blood
or Spider's Web Castle (originally titled Kimonosu-jō, released in 1957), which is an adaptation of
William Shakespeare's twentieth century tragedy Macbeth. His use of cinematic artistry to bridge the gap
between a Western Renaissance drama and a Japanese film is commendable and also
proves his faithfulness towards the original play while still creating an
independent identity. The most interesting aspect of this movie is how
beautifully he incorporates his own culture and traditions while telling this
story. Whether it's his use of natural landscapes, the traditional costumes,
the sets, the characters from traditional Japanese folklore or his use of Noh
Theatre aesthetics—all seems to blend smoothly with the whole narrative.
Kurosawa has later adapted two other Shakespearean tragedies. His films The Bad Sleep Well (1960) and Ran (1985) are the adaptations of Shakespeare's Hamlet and King Lear. But Throne of
Blood holds the special position of the frontliner as it encourages viewers
to watch more of Kurosawa's work and praise his cinematic artistry.
Before moving forward in our discussion of Kurosawa's cinematic
translation of Macbeth, we must try to understand and establish the
structural themes and foundations of the original text. Without any doubt, Macbeth
is one of the most intense, blood soaked, psychologically dark tragedies
written by Shakespeare. Now, at its core, Shakespeare explored the themes of
unchecked ambition, the corrupting nature of power and the immense weight of
inescapable guilt. Through Macbeth he introduces a corrupt world where
moral boundaries are blurred, revealed in the opening song of the Three Witches: "Fair is
foul, and foul is fair." (Macbeth, 1.1.9-10). These witches act as
the supernatural catalysts who play upon Macbeth's hidden desires and provoke
him to seize the throne by committing regicide that also destroys the natural
order of succession.
The play also creates an eerie and claustrophobic environment, as the
psychological unraveling of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth occurs. At the initial
stages of the play Macbeth does not appear to be a cold-blooded, paranoid
villain, rather he is a celebrated warrior, faithful to the king, Duncan. But
it is his ambition that serves as a primary reason for his own downfall, also
marking him as a tragic hero. He
lives in this dilemma between his ambition and his conscience, not being able
to decide whether he should commit regicide or not. But this internal conflict
of his reaches to the boiling point by Lady Macbeth’s ruthless pragmatism who
famously questions his manhood repeatedly to drive him towards the brutal act.
Once the crime is done, the narrative shifts to reveal their inner
psychological paranoia. Both of them are plagued by sleeplessness,
hallucinations and an overwhelming sense of doom.
Shakespeare succeeds in profoundly presenting these deep, serious themes
with his use of Elizabethan verse. The audience experiences Macbeth's inner
turmoil and feel pity for him when they listen to his very famous soliloquies— such as the speech saying
“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,” (Macbeth.5.5.19-27). This speech
shows his inner state of mind, the sense of nihilism and despair as he is
informed of the death of his queen, Lady Macbeth. The original text shows that
the deepest human emotions— grief, ambition, guilt or madness— are best
articulated through spoken words. Shakespear’s unparalleled poetic language,
thus, marks his play a towering literary achievement and also a challenge for
any film makers who attempt to work on his plays.
While Shakespeare relies on the cadence of poetic verses to build this
tragic atmosphere, Kurosawa succeeds in achieving the same psychological depth
by transposing the narrative into the rigid codes and chaos of feudal Japan,
during the Sengoku-Jidai period. This was a period when Japan was struggling
with a lot of civil wars, political assassinations and societal upheaval,
lasting from 1467-1600. By doing so, Kurosawa's Throne of Blood replaces
the Inverness with Spider's Web Castle, transforming Macbeth into a Japanese
Samurai, Taketoki Washizu. It
also transforms Lady Macbeth into Asaji,
Banquo into Miki, and Duncan
into Lord Tsuzuki. The Birnam
Wood and Duncinan Hill are replaced with the dense Spider's Web forest on the
slopes of Mount Fuji, which symbolizes the characters internal paranoia and the
sense of being trapped in their own dark desires.
Shakespeare's plays have been adapted for films of various genres and
languages, representing various cultures. But the one by Kurosawa stands out
the most. While most directors struggle to deal with the heavy linguistic
demands of Shakespeare, Kurosawa dares to totally abandon the original
dialogues of the play. He rejects a word-for-word translation, as he believed
that this could fail to create connection with the mid twentieth century
Japanese audience. Thus Throne of Blood proves that an adaptation of a
classic play doesn't require literal repetition but an alignment of spirit.
Shakespear has used the Elizabethan theatre conventions— like blank
verse, supernatural elements, solliquies, asides— to portray psychological
paranoia. In the film, Kurosawa has replaced them with the rigid, stylized
aesthetics of traditional Japanese Noh
Theatre. Noh Theatre is Japan's oldest major classical dance drama which
has been performed since the fourteenth century. It integrates masks, music,
and highly stylized choreography to tell traditional folk tales. Instead of
allowing the characters to deliver long, introspective speeches, Kurosawa uses
different camera angles and performance styles that mimic the Noh
tradition.
In
his 1984 book entitled The Films of Akira, well-known American Japanese
film critic Donald Richie has talked about Kurosawa's reliance on Japanese Noh
drama, quoting Kurosawa's words:
“I
like [Noh] because it is the real heart, the core of all Japanese drama. Its
degree of compression is extreme, and it is full of symbols, full of subtlety.
It is as though the actors and the audience are engaged in a kind of contest
and as though this contest involves the entire Japanese cultural heritage…I
wanted to use the way that Noh actors have of moving their bodies, the way they
have of walking, and the general composition which the Noh stage provides.”
The most brilliant use of Noh conventions
are executed through the character of Asaji. Unlike Lady Macbeth who uses bold
fiery speeches, Asaji speaks in a low monotonous voice. Her facial expression
is pale and still, resembling the Shakumi
mask which is used in Noh to depict a woman on the brink of madness. When she
glides into the dark corners of the castle, the only sound that is heard is the
rustling of her robes against the wooden floorboards. Kurosawa also utilizes
other masks like Ko-omote, Yamanba and Heida, for Macbeth and the witch and
other characters to channelize their distressed or demonic aspects.
Kurosawa’s references of Noh is found in different points of the film,
such as the scene that shows a mysterious lady spinning a wheel, or in the
banquet scene where an old man performs a dance, or the heap of bones and
skeletons that Miki and Washizu encounters in the forest. Kurosawa while making
these scenes was probably inspired by the famous Noh play Kurozuka that
begins with the very similar scene of a poor woman spinning a hem thread on a
wheel while reciting a lament for her empty bitter life. Thus Kurosawa
amazingly replaces the verbal poetry of Shakespeare with chilling visuals that
perfectly depicts the cold, calculating essence of ambition.
Furthermore, Kurosawa in Throne of Blood reimagines the
supernatural elements through a Buddhist
philosophical lens. The three Witches in the play reflect the Elizabethan
concerns regarding witchcraft and demonic forces. But Kurosawa replaces them
with a single forest spirit of Mononoke
(a character from Japanese folklore). The spirit is seen to be sitting
in an empty but in the Spider's Web forest, spinning a wheel which probably is
a symbol for the Buddhist concept of the cyclical nature of karma. When the
spirit prophesizes on Washizu’s rise and fall, it sings a song on the futility
of human ambition, saying that men are consumed by desire only to leave behind
nothing but rot. Thus the universal theme of futility of human control over
fate is revealed in the film.
The thematic fulfillment reaches the highest in the movie's climax. In
the original play Malcolm’s army camouflages themselves by cutting down the
branches from the trees of Birnam forest and attacks the castle. And Macbeth
does in an honorable battle against Macduff, restoring order to the Scottish
throne. However in the movie, Kurosawa reimagines this scene to reveal the
ultimate tragedy of psychological paranoia. Washizu does not die in a specific
battle, instead his own troop betrays him as they find out Washizu's regicide
and murder. They unleash thousands of arrows on him as the Spider's Web forest
begins to move. After the fog is cleared we see Washizu lying on the ground
with hundreds of arrows stuck in his body.
Kurosawa uses close-up shots in low angle and frantic editing as Washizu
dodges the arrows, still trying to escape. These visuals help to portray his
fear and desperation with his ultimate isolation. Unlike the original text that
sort of romanticizes Macbeth's heroic death, Kurosawa depicts Washizu’s death
in a way that leaves the audience in a sense of fear. The scene is a
manifestation of what happens when a tyrant, consumed by ambition, takes
actions which he shouldn't have taken. Through these deliberate choices that he
made in his film Throne of Blood Kurosawa has mastered the art of
adaptation.
If we want to evaluate whether Kurosawa fulfilled the purpose of
adaptation we should know what that purpose is. Modern critical theories says
that an adaptation must not mimic thoroughly the original text but it should
prove the timeless universality of the original narrative’s themes, while also
successfully translating those themes into the style of a new medium. So a
cinematic adaptation should translate literary devices into cinematic ones. And
after discussing how Kurosawa does this translation, we can agree on the fact
that he has very successfully fulfilled the purpose of the adaptation.
In conclusion, Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood stands as one of the
best adaptations in cinema, demonstrating that it needs creative and artistic
vision, not literal accuracy to make an adaptation successful. By rejecting
William Shakespeare’s iconic Elizabethan poetic language, Kurosawa did not
weaken the tragedy of Macbeth, instead, he unlocked its universal essence.
Through the use of Noh theater aesthetics, the introduction of Buddhist
symbolism, and a terrifying climax, the film successfully translates a
seventeenth-century English drama into the visual and historical representation
of feudal Japan. Ultimately this adaptation proves that the themes of unchecked
ambition, psychological guilt, and self-destructive paranoia are not bound by
geography, language, or culture. Kurosawa’s masterpiece demonstrates that when
a narrative is stripped of its original words, its visual soul can speak across
cultures with equal intensity. For scholars and students of cinema and
literature, Throne of Blood remains a definitive blueprint for
how the mediums of literature and film can engage in a creative dialogue,
ensuring that Shakespeare's warnings about the human condition remain
universally felt for generations to come.
Works
Cited
Kurosawa, Akira, director. Throne of Blood
[Kumonosu-jō]. Performance by Toshiro
Mifune and Isuzu Yamada, Toho, 1957.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Edited
by Sandra Clark and Pamela Mason, Arden Shakespeare, 2015.
Richie, Donald. The Films of Akira
Kurosawa. 3rd edition. University of California Press. 1996. Davies,
Anthony. Filming Shakespeare's Plays: The Adaptations of Laurence Olivier,
Orson
Welles, Peter Brook, Akira Kurosawa. Cambridge UP, 1994.
Savas, Minae Yamamoto. "The Art of
Japanese Noh Theatre in Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood". Bridgewater
Review 30 (2),19-23, 2011.
Suzuki, Erin. "Lost in Translation:
Reconsidering Shakespeare's Macbeth and Kurosawa's Throne of Blood."
Literature/Film Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 2, 2006, pp. 93-103.