n of characters and events to see what was changed and what was not; and
2) thematic comparison to see if the two are compatible in terms of underlying meaning even if details have been altered.
Kurosawa has given his view of what adaptation means when he says that he "believes that every adaptation must be an interpretation" (Prince 125). The process of interpretation is subjective. There is no indication, for instance, that the interpretation has to accord with the original intent of the author of the source material, though certainly that is inherent in some of the critical response to the film.
Donald Richie notes that one of the reasons why Macbeth appealed to Kurosawa was that he saw in it the opportunity to create a mixture of the two essential styles of Japanese film, that of the film that looked to the past, and that of the film that looked to the contemporary scene:
In Macbeth, Kurosawa saw a contemporary issue--a parallel between medieval Scotland and medieval Japan which illuminated contemporary society; and, further, a pattern which is valid in both historical and contemporary contexts (Richie 115).
When asked what philosophical questions he explores in his films, Kurosawa answered,
I look at life as an ordinary man. I simply put my feelings onto film. When I look at Japanese history--or the history of the world for that matter--what I see is how man repeats himself over and over again (Richie 115).
This pattern of repetition is destructive. The free hero tries to destroy this pattern. Washizu, however, is not free but is bound with his ambition:
His fault--not ambition nor pride, as such--is his failure to realize himself completely. Instead, he wants merely to rise in the world, he wants something as conventional as power. Naturally, one murder leads to the other, because this is the pattern of power (Richie 115).
Macbeth reflects the Elizabethan worldview which saw a direct connection...