After finishing Rashomon I wanted to do something with Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

In Macbeth, Kurosawa saw a contemporary issue—a parallel between medieval Scotland and medieval Japan. — Donald Ritchie

As much as I love Shakespeare, Lear has always been a play that I have found extremely dissatisfying.

Lear never reflects on his past evil or why he comes to what he is, but Hidetora [Ran] is aware that his past is catching up with him, and this in the end is the cause of him becoming mad.

About Shakespeare, I am not a specialist.

Associated Plays