 "Ran", like "King Lear", is thus an allegory.The older society, that of the medieval vision, with its doting king and warlord, falls into error, and is threatened by the new inheriting generation; it is partially regenerated and saved by a vision of a new order, embodied in Hidetora's rejected youngest son, which ultimately fails.The three themes of chaos, nihilism, and warfare recur throughout the film.