EA 190 Shakespeare & Japan: Discussion Notebook Questions Week 4

Throne of Blood is an adaptation, not an interpretation of the play: Kurosawa takes Macbeth as his point of departure, but creates a new autonomous work, with a new text.

Like Shakespeare, Kurosawa is creating a story that is set in the past, but is completely symptomatic of the contemporary context (post-war 1950s Japan). He's mythologizing the past, to make points about the present. The questions for this week are meant to help you understand how he does this.

1. As you are watching Throne of Blood, make a list of who the characters parallel in Macbeth. Note any character differences that you see. In class, we will consider how the characters are different in the two works, and how this changes our understanding of the story. Here is a list of characters for you to use:

Note that the names are in Japanese order with the family name first; the name in CAPS is the name the character is generally referred to in scholarship.

2. For a comparison of scenes in Throne of Blood and Macbeth, click here. As you are watching Throne of Blood, use this table to make a list of the scenes and characters Kurosawa eliminates. You should also make a list of what Kurosawa adds (note particularly where he extends scenes or adds framing and other kinds of shots).

3. How do these eliminations and additions effect our understanding of Washizu and Asaji's actions? Do you feel more sympathetic or less sympathetic to them? Why?

4. As you are watching Throne of Blood, take notes about things you do not understand. What do you feel you need to know more about in order to understand what is happening in this film?