Book adaptation on Disney+ Shogun, James Clavell shows considerable interest in the political aspect of the novel. In fact, the central point of the plot is the battle between five sworn enemies to dominate the shogunate and seize power from their rivals.
And although influential Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) proves that he is the right leader not only in the midst of a crisis. In addition, to exercise control over all aspects of the fiefdom, including the life of Taiko’s surviving son, a boy unable to rule.
But more than that, it tells a love story. The tragic romance between court lady Lady Mariko (Anna Sawai) and John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) is a plot element that provides insight into the culture of the time. At the same time, we will delve into how the country understood fidelity, bonds of love, and especially ethical fidelity. And this is in the midst of a silent but deadly struggle to realize the right to govern valuable Japanese territory. Is this a real character, like many others included in the plot of the series?
Shogun is a new Disney+ series that takes you back to feudal Japan.
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The simplest answer may be no. Although the figure of Daimyo Toranaga is a fictional version of the famous Tokugawa Ieyasu, in the case of Lady Mariko it is just a symbol. However, it is necessary to delve into complex themes such as love, marital duty in feudal Japan, and the pain of betrayal.
Elements that coincide in the plot as a way to understand how ruthless men can be in the midst of a sexist society. Much more, such a strict restriction that it makes clear that Lady Mariko’s fate (married for convenience and subjected to humiliation) could be a real event. More precisely, in the middle of a scenario similar to the one told in the series.
A painful love story
From the version in the work of James Clavell, which Disney+ is adapting to ShogunLady Mariko is more than just a symbol of forbidden love. It is also a vision – from the point of view of Japan and its moral constraints – Madame Bovary Gustave Flaubert. In addition, the film adaptation of the already known story about Madame Butterfly from the opera by Giacomo Puccini.
In both cases, the plot of both works leads to the same point. This is a woman who suffers because she marries a man she does not love and who effectively turns her into an object of desire. In the case of Lady Mariko in Shogunthe character is the wife of the despot and cruel Toda Hiroshige “Buntaro” (Shinnosuke Abe). Therefore, he suffers from the hardships of a relationship that he does not want, and at the same time from slavery, which begins with the customs of the country and culture to which he belongs.
When John appears on the scene, they both fall in love. A resource that the novel uses to tell how emotional connections were designed in a country where women were expected to be subservient. In both the book and the series, these relationships allow us to understand the elements that separate Asian culture from Western culture. In fiction, Lady Mariko is radically different from ideal Japanese women. Her temperament – daring, courageous and ultimately tragic – is so strong that it can be considered courageous. A moment that is touched upon again and again in the plot of the film adaptation.
A woman in difficult times
Moreover, he is skilled with a sword, is able to protect the place where he lives, and, in the end, makes a dramatic decision in support of his ideals. Firmer, more hostile and full of courage than many of the members of the court to which she belongs, the lady will be able to resist the love she feels for John. And also what this can mean for a woman who considers herself more than just a wife or lover.
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Lady Mariko is a way to understand the subtext of what is happening in a country engulfed in political strife. In the series, the struggle of a strong character shows versions that argue that the influence of women of that time, although in scenarios other than political, was of great importance. A point that the heroine emphasizes in several of the most tragic moments of the story and especially in its painful end.
Source: Hiper Textual
