GLOCALIZING SHAKESPEARE – KOZINTSEV’S KING LEAR AND KUROSAWA’S RAN

Abstract

This paper aims to explore two filmic representations of William Shakespeare’s tragedy of King Lear: Grigori Kozintsev’s King Lear (1971) and Akira Kurosawa’s Ran (1985). The analysis of these filmic texts pays close attention to their status as adaptations and the way they are influenced by the social, cultural and political contexts in which they were produced. Adaptation theories have proven useful in elucidating the intertextual relationships between the Shakespearean hypotext and the filmic hypertexts. In addition, the understanding of the two directors’ times has helped shed light on these Shakespearean films and their topical relevance.