How Do You Say "The Scottish Play" in Japanese?

 Macbeth.

A play so dark and violent, actors refuse even to speak its name out loud; although truthfully, there are far worse in Shakespeare's repertoire. Titus Andronicus, anyone? Coriolanus? And don't even get me started on John Webster (but I digress).

Macbeth, of course, tells the story of the extremely brutal Medieval Scottish warrior who is told by a trio of witches that he will one day be King and (with a little encouragement from his wife) decides to murder, well, everyone, really. 

Things do not go well (sorry; spoilers).

Over the years, several films have attempted to update this ultra-violent tale of ambition, blood-lust and walking trees. Depressingly, the basic story seems to work beautifully in virtually any historical context, as long as that context features aggressive, ambitious men (hmmm). To wit, there have been re-tellings of Macbeth set in the American Mafia...

in Michelin-starred restaurants...


in hamburger joints (don't ask)...


and (most relevant to us this week) in Feudal Japan.


Throne of Blood is Akira Kurosawa's specific take on Macbeth; very closely following the basic plot of Shakespeare's original, but re-inventing it as a tale of warring Samurai, and staging it in the style of Noh-Theatre.


It is, I think, significant that many people regard this as the best version of Macbeth on film, despite the fact that it doesn't actually use any of Shakespeare's text. Toshiro Mifune plays Macbeth (or Washizu , as he is here) as a very effective warrior, but a hopelessly inept leader; completely out of his depth once he seizes power.





It says a lot about Shakespeare that films as radically different as Throne of Blood and 10 Things I Hate About You can both be directly adapted from his writings.

We will be screening Throne of Blood at the Victoria Park Baptist Church on Thursday, the 10th of February at 7.30pm. Come and see for yourself!



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