Ran Essay Questions

What is the symbolism in Ichimonji killing the wild boar?

Ichimonji's reign has been a bloody and violent one. All he and his people have known is war, and this is how he accumulated his power. Now that he is old and weary he wants to transition his people into a time of peace. The wild boar in Japanese culture symbolizes aggression and an attacking spirit. Thus, when Ichimonji kills the boar, it represents him putting an end to his violent reign. The boar, which Ichimonji describes as old and not worth cooking, also represents aging and Ichimonji himself, someone who is advancing in age.

Why does Saburo break the three arrows his father gives to him?

Saburo has just learned that his father is giving his authority over to his eldest brother. Ichimonji attempts to show the three brothers that together, they cannot be broken. Saburo cracks them over his knee in order to show that he is the only one thinking reasonably, and knows that neither of his older brothers will reign peacefully. This symbolic act only angers Ichimonji, who banishes his son.

What is the motivation behind Kaede's vengeful attitude?

Kaede grew up in the First Castle, but her family was killed by Ichimonji's clan many years earlier. Since then, she has long coveted a position at the throne in the First Castle, so that she can enact revenge for all the wrongs done to her. When Taro ascends the throne, she takes her opportunity to get revenge. Then, after he is killed, she seduces Jiro so that she can sabotage his reign. At the end, after all of the bloodshed and destruction of the film, Kaede simply says, "All I wanted was to avenge the destruction of my own family. I wanted to see this castle burn." Kurogade immediately cuts off her head after she says this.

What is the significance of the final image?

At the end of the film, nearly all the characters have died, brought down by the greed and war taking place in the kingdom. The only person left standing is Tsurumaru, the blind brother of Lady Sué, who has been reduced to living as a peasant after Ichimonji killed his family and stripped them of their royal status. The final image is Tsurumaru, standing amidst the ruins of his family's palace, having just dropped an image of the Buddha. He represents the atrocities that have taken place, the fallout from all of the destruction: a vulnerable individual standing among the ruins of his inheritance, waiting for someone to reach out to him in peace and help.

How faithful is the film to Shakespeare's King Lear?

Ran takes the premise of King Lear and superimposes it onto medieval Japanese culture. It takes the basic premise of Shakespeare's play—three children of an aging king vying for power within the kingdom—and turns it on its head. Indeed, while Kurosawa turned the children of the king into three sons instead of three daughters, many of his characters have equivalents in Shakespeare's play, and the plot remains very faithful to the events in Lear, all the way up to the tragic end, with the final reconciliation and death of the king and his most loyal child.