CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND
May 2019
Kumonosu-jo Following the success of our Summer reading, Terence’s Heautontimoroumenos, the Orchard Yard Players decided on something from an entirely different genre for Autumn 2018. Our International Day took us far afield for a reading of the screenplay of Kumonosu-jo (‘The Castle of the Spider’s Web’). This epic story of treachery and betrayal is a close adaptation of Macbeth, transferred from eleventh-century Scotland to sixteenth-century Japan, and memorably filmed by the famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa under the title Throne of Blood (1957) with Toshiro Mifune in the lead role (see list of equivalences with the Shakespearean characters, at right). After securing a major victory on the battlefield, Taketoti Washizu and one of his commanders, Yoshiaki Miki, find themselves lost in the maze-like Spider’s Web forest. They come across a spirit-like seer who tells them of their future: both have been promoted because of their victory that day; Washizu will someday be the Great Lord of the Spider’s Web castle while Miki’s son will someday rule as Great Lord as well. When they arrive at the castle, they learn that the first part of the prophecy is correct. Washizu has no desire to become Great Lord but his ambitious wife urges him to reconsider. When the current Great Lord makes a surprise visit to his garrison outpost, Washizu is again promoted to commander of his vanguard but his wife reminds him of the danger that comes with the position. As pressure mounts, Washizu takes action leading to a terrible conclusion. It was important to remember throughout that this was a screenplay, not a stage-play. A narrator (Jennifer O’Donoghue), therefore told
Kurosawa
Shakespeare
Taketoki Washizu Asaji Washizu Kuniharu Tsuzuki Kunimaru Tsuzuki Noriyasu Odagura Yoshiaki Miki Yoshiteru Miki Old Woman (Spirit of the Forest)
Macbeth Lady Macbeth King Duncan Malcolm Macduff Banquo Fleance The Witches
Soldiers, Generals, Messengers, Phantoms those parts of the story within the camera shots, which are clear to viewers but not in a voiceonly reading. Sound effects, from both the Noh and Kabuki strands of Japanese theatre, were provided by Orla Coffey. Patrick J. Ryan
Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens (IIHSA) Day School, 23 February 2019: Animals and Us: Human-Animal Relationships in the Ancient World The annual Day Schools of the Irish Institute are outreach events for anyone interested in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. This year’s theme was an invitation to reflect on the myriad and complex relationships between animals and us (human-animals). The papers were therefore wide-ranging, taking in ancient philosophical thoughts about animals, hunting in the Greek world, and examining closely particular animals such as elephants, weasels, bulls, and centaurs. Speakers were Gordon Campbell (Maynooth); Jessica Doyle (UCD); Ashley Clements (TCD); Simone Zimmerman (TCD); Kathryn Murphy (TCD); Hazel Dodge (TCD); and Christine Morris (TCD). The event was hosted by TCD Classics at the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute, followed by a reception kindly offered by Jason O’Brien and Odaios Foods. CEM 5