Ran is set in the 16th century in Japan. There is not much dialogue. Hidetora has three sons, whereas King Lear has three daughters. In that sense, there is a parallel between these two stories. Also in both of these works of art there is the question of authority that is given away from a father to his children. In the 16th century, there was a culture of the samurais which can be seen in Ran.
In King Lear, the king is separated from his daughters Goneril and Regan because of their greed and from Cordelia because of his own vanity and bad judgement. In Ran there is a conflict between the father, who is mainly a warrior, and his sons Taro, Jiro, and Saburo also because of his bad judgment and trust.
When Lear leaves Goneril he curses her: "And from her derogate body never spring a babe to honor her" (Shakespeare). That adds drama to this disturbing event. This is the first time that Lear sees the true face of his daughter and he goes to his other daughter, Regan.
Hidetora is disappointed when Lady Kaede and Taro make him sit below them during a family meeting, and Taro makes him sign a paper that he gives all his power to him. He is very disappointed and also goes to his second child Jiro.
Both Lear and Hidetora want to maintain some of the privileges they had while they had the absolute power. It is very important for them to have their men-warriors even for ceremonial purposes. However, their children think that Lear's 100 soldiers are too much and that he should have none while Hidetora's children agree that his 30 men are an unnecessary luxury. That is, when the true conflict arises. Both of them feel humiliated without the escort of their faithful warriors.
There is a great similarity between Cordelia and Saburo. They are the youngest children and both of them are not yet married. Lear disowns Cordelia, but the king of France agrees to marry her and Hidetora disowns Saburo, but Master Fujimaki takes him for his son-in-law. Fujimaki sees his disobedience as a strong character. One must ask themselves how it is possible that a father cannot see a virtue in his child where a complete stranger admires it at first glance.
Saburo and Cordelia are both sad for the loss of their fathers, but their fortune doesn't leave them. They find shelter at the courts of the noble men who are capable of recognizing the true beauty of spirit. On the other hand, the two other brothers and two other sisters first plot together against their fathers and later on plot against each other. In such a situation, everybody is at a loss.
King Lear is desperate for his daughters to show their endless love for him and Hidetora wants respect. They are both delusional and don't value honesty. They both want formality even if it is false.
There is no Gloucester in Ran and his character shows us a second father who is also tricked by one of his two sons, the illegitimate one. Gloucester renounces his legitimate son and gives all his credit to his other son. He is a victim as well as both Lear and Hidetora.
There is also a parallel between Lady Kaede's lust for Jiro and Regan's attraction to Edmund. All of them have the same corrupt, dishonest and deceitful characters. Some of them seek revenge, like Lady Kaede, because Hidetora had killed her family and the others just want to reign.
Lady Sue and Tsurumaru, her brother believe in Buddhism, and Lady Kaede wants to avenge her ancestors. We can see traits of Edmund and Cornwall in the behavior of Kaede. All of them make plots.
Blindness is also a theme in both of these dramas. It is a metaphor that people can see better without their eyes. That way they can feel. It is also the ultimate punishment, crueler than death. Gloucester and Tsurumaru are blind as a result of a whim of their enemies.
The Fool has a significant role in Hidetora's life. He speaks the truth and doesn't get punished for that because he is considered a fool. There is a similar character in King Lear and that is Edgar while pretending to be the bum.
The Fool in Ran has a strong personality. He remains loyal to his master to the very end, until his master dies. All the way he warns Hidetora about the consequences of his actions, but the master dismisses them, because the Fool is not supposed to be taken seriously.
There are also elements of nature in King Lear as well as in Ran. A storm takes place and makes a chaos in King Lear and a powerful wind strikes all the living creatures in Ran. It is interesting to know that Ran means chaos.
In the end, all the main characters die. Both kings, all of their children and all of the enemies. There is a sense of justice because the good characters kill the evil ones before they die themselves. That way the natural order is restored.
Cordelia dies in the presence of her father as well as Saburo. After that, Lear dies of grief as well as Hidetora. People around them are sad to see them pass away. They are trying to make them stay. However, Lear says: "You do me wrong to take me out of the grave" (Shakespeare) and Hidetora says: "Why are you so cruel? Why pull me out from my grave?" (Kurosawa). That is the end of King Lear and at the end of Ran we see blind Tsurumaru walking around the ruins of the castle that once belonged to his family. That ending suggests that people are fragile no matter how powerful they might think they are during their lifetimes.
Works Cited:
Shakespeare, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Massachusets Institute of Technology, 12. Feb. 2014. Web http://shakespeare.mit.edu/lear/full.html
Ran.Dir.Akira Kurosawa. Toho, Orion Classics, 1985. Film
