Spiritual Design: The Contrasting Framework of Shakespeare s Macbeth and Kurosawa s. Throne of Blood

Transcription

1 Student Sample #2 1 Student Sample #2 Mr. Wheeler English 10, Per March 2015 Spiritual Design: The Contrasting Framework of Shakespeare s Macbeth and Kurosawa s Throne of Blood It is obvious that spiritual differences are a root cause of the inconsistencies between William Shakespeare s play, Macbeth, and Akira Kurosawa s film, Throne of Blood, but the degree to which these elements affect the creative decisions made by the two artists is astounding in depth. The differing religious affinities of Shakespeare and Kurosawa penetrate even the structural foundation of their works. Indeed, the main events in one have clear counterparts in the other, save for minor details. The two works additionally share similar themes and morals. However, it is the sequencing of events and hence the style in which the same story is portrayed differently that allows each man s intrinsic perspective to shine through. The overall pattern of peace, disturbance, and an eventual return to peace in the plot of Shakespeare s Macbeth is reminiscent of Judeo-Christian values of sin and redemption; conversely, the structure of Kurosawa s Throne of Blood is rife with cyclical implications that remain consistent with a Buddhist outlook. Both Macbeth and Throne of Blood exemplify the aforementioned plot structures from their direct outsets. The storyline of Macbeth opens with the aftermath of a battle between the Scots and the Norwegians with a focus on the victors. Ross, a Scottish nobleman, sums up the conflict: Norway himself, with terrible numbers, / assisted by that most disloyal traitor / The

2 Student Sample #2 2 thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict, but in the end, The victory fell on us, to which King Duncan declares his great happiness (I.ii.59-66). Evidently, there is peace and order in Scotland. The characters haven t shown any breaches in morality thus far, and so they enjoy stability and prosperity. This follows the Christian belief that one who walks with integrity will always have a shield (New Living Translation, Proverbs 2.7). Because an antagonist has yet to reveal himself, the play maintains an upbeat tone. This ideology is immediately deviated from in the very first scene of Throne of Blood. The film s opener utilizes visual and auditory cues to create a foreboding mood with images of the ruins of Spider s Web Castle and a chorus that tells of those who perished because of their consuming desire that will never change throughout eternity (Throne of Blood). By disclosing the fate of those in the movie before they are even introduced, Kurosawa begins at the end, in a sense. This way, he is able to link the characters demise to their introduction, just as Buddhist principles of reincarnation link death to rebirth. This is the first of many orbicular references throughout the film. Following these precursory scenes, the plots of both Throne of Blood and Macbeth escalate in their individual manners. As both the play and the film progress, their individual plots begin to take shape. Macbeth quickly declines into a torrent of chaos spurred by the title character s insidious deeds. At the peak of the turmoil, Macduff emphasizes the hopeless state of his homeland by exclaiming Bleed, bleed poor country! and condemns Macbeth s great tyranny (IV.iii.39-40). Macbeth s sins bring about devastation and uproot the stability that is celebrated during the play s exposition. As Macduff states, Scotland is in a period of complete disorder as a direct result of Macbeth s malice. Just as sinners receive misfortune by a Judeo-Christian mindset, Macbeth s actions catalyze the anguish of his entire kingdom. This doesn t happen until he begins to succumb to greed and hunger for power, demonstrating evil traits that the entire cast

3 Student Sample #2 3 suffers for. Though the situation in Throne of Blood is just as dramatic, it is more than the result of one man s misdoings. It is emphasized that corruption within Spider s Web Castle is inevitable as long as the wheel of terror continues to turn. This is exemplified in the prophecy scene where a demon in the guise of an old woman spinning on her wheel is made to be an embodiment of ironic, amoral Nature (Hsiung). The old woman is a manifestation of the supernatural, as is demonstrated by the prophecies she delivers to Washizu and Miki. The fact that she is spinning a wheel while she delivers her cryptic messages not only highlights the unbroken circle of murderous Great Lords that have ruled over Spider s Web Castle hitherto, but also ties into the cyclical nature of koans, or nonsensical paradoxes used in Zen Buddhism to help students realize the limitations of logic and reasoning (Capra). Even though both Macbeth and Throne of Blood detail deviations from piety by the main characters, Macbeth is responsible for his own demise, while Washizu is merely another cog in the wheel. These patterns also hold true through the end of the two storylines. The disarray in Macbeth is finally resolved when Malcolm and company de-throne Macbeth and restore order to the kingdom. Scotland rejoices as Malcolm declares that they have successfully fled the snares of watchful tyranny (V.viii.80). This peaceful resolution is the result of the positive forces that emanate from Malcolm and the other thanes to counteract the negativity generated by Macbeth s foul character. This implicates a purging or absolution of Macbeth s prior sins, corresponding with the ideals of redemption that are so integral to a Judeo-Christian sensibility. While Throne of Blood also ends with the death of the tyrant, Washizu s murder is merely part of the chain of slaughter that is inherently associated with the title of Great Lord. As his wife Asaji explains, the Great Lord precedes him secured his own position [by] murdering his predecessor, as did the Great Lord before him (Throne of Blood). The repeating process of regicide and accession

4 Student Sample #2 4 suggests the existence of an unbroken circuit from which escape is impossible. This vortex of criminality can be related to the Buddhist concept of karma, which is generally defined as a divine chain of cause-and-effect that binds the human mind to the material world. Each Great Lord that has ruled over Spider s Web Castle has been confined to the same despicable path by their blind ambition and ignorance, becoming another rotation of the wheel; likewise, karma is believed to tie each person s essence to the phenomenal world until enlightenment is reached. The close of Throne of Blood implies that the cycle continues until Spider s Web Castle lies in ruins, whereas Macbeth comes to a peaceful, balanced resolution. In summary, the repetitive nature of the events that transpire in Kurosawa s Throne of Blood lacks resemblance to the struggle between positive and negative aspects that is seen in Shakespeare s Macbeth, likely because of opposing perceptions of the world set forth by the religions Kurosawa and Shakespeare are familiar with, namely Buddhism and Judeo- Christianity, respectively. This takes into account both the overall arrangement of events and specific references throughout each storyline, validating the consistency with which the individual works fulfill this argument. Though there is undoubtedly a multitude of elements that factor into the synthesis of each piece, the symmetry between the separate religious doctrines and the two unique layouts is too apparent to ignore.

5 Student Sample #2 5 Works Cited Capra, Fritjof. "Beyond Language." The Tao of Physics. S.l.: S.n., Print. Hsiung, Yuwen. Kurosawa s Throne of Blood and East Asia s Macbeth. CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 6.1 (2004) < Proverbs. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, Print. Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Tragedy of Macbeth. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, Print. Throne of Blood. Dir. Akira Kurosawa. Perf. Toshiro Mifune and Isuzu Yamada. Toho, Digital File.