Topic > Analysis of the character Masako in Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa

During the film Rashomon, directed by Akira Kurosawa, as the story of witnessing an accident develops, the audience begins to see more and more of the full picture. However, as the film progresses, the truth of the matter becomes even vaguer as the audience learns that the characters' accounts are not completely reliable. Ultimately, viewers are left to decipher the truth of the matter for themselves. While vague at first glance, upon further inspection and analysis, it becomes clear that each character involved in the incident, both past and present, is acting for personal reasons. Among the characters who act for hidden purposes is Masako, the wife of the now deceased samurai and rape victim of the infamous bandit Tajōmaru. As the character who seemingly lost the most from the whole incident, it's easy to cast her aside as the sole victim while playing herself in court, but seeing the event through the eyes of Tajōmaru, the husband through the medium, and the woodcutter , his more sinister motivations come to light. Masako's original intent was to end her relationship with her husband by any means which would ultimately lead to her attempting to satiate her guilt by having the court validate her point of view. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Masako had been in a clearly unhappy relationship with her husband since before their encounter with the infamous bandit Tajōmaru. Referring to their marriage in the woodcutter's second version of events he states: "I was fed up with this boring daily farce." Although little is said directly about the couple before the incident, when her reactions to her husband in alternate versions of the event are pieced together, her true feelings are revealed. From the bandit's story, it can be seen that when confronted with a tied up husband and an armed bandit, her first action was to attack the bandit to try to protect herself, and not untie her husband who could have fought off Tajōmaru when she would could. T. This action alludes to her goal at that moment which could have been to escape on her own. In her husband's testimony Tajōmaru intends to convince her to be his wife at which point she decides to go with him saying “Anywhere. Take me wherever you want." before asking the bandit to kill her husband. In the final version told by the woodcutter, she snaps after her husband insults her for being with two men and incites them to sword fight like real men to her good. She also mentioned how she hoped that Tajōmaru would save her from her affair with her husband, but she eventually grew tired of both men's pettiness. Although it could be argued that in the priest's brief testimony the couple seemed happy , with the samurai even smiling at Masako, the priest's story is also tainted by his motivations. Throughout the film he tries to continue to believe in the good side of humanity. Being a person who tries to see the good in others, he is It's possible that the portrayal of the couple as somewhat happy is part of his mentality, masking the truth even from himself. Masako desperately wanted to get rid of her husband and was willing to end their relationship by any means. Masako simply decided to take advantage of this unforeseen circumstance to achieve her goal. In the bandit story she is seduced by Tajōmaru and tells him "One of you must die... ...I will go with the survivor" Here she shows no preference for her husband over the bandit who had just raped her. His attachment to Tajōmaru is amplified in the others.”