Symbolism in Tarantino's 'Kill Bill'

The screenshot above is from a fight scene in Kill Bill ~ written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.

• As the colour yellow has connotations of cowardice and happiness the costume worn by the female Protagonist is therefore ironic, however the black stripe running down the costume could symbolise the splitting of these representations and that part of her is happy to kill these men and scared due to facing the many that surround her yet the other half is serious and brave to take them all on at once; this could also be supported by the shadow that is formed over half her face, suggesting her intentions are split.
• The stairs that are directly behind the protagonist could be a symbol for her rising above and succeeding in the battle.
• As the floor is reflective this could resemble how those standing will soon reflect those on the floor, dead, perhaps also being a subtle foreshadowing of the fight's outcome.
• The sword used by the female protagonist is very thin and appears delicate which could represent the stereotype of women being fragile.
• The red tinge in the wood filling the background of the shot connotes danger, passion and anger which could symbolise the emotions Tarantino wanted to portray in this scene.
• The black masks the antagonists are wearing removes their identity, and as they are black this suggests the antagonists are sinister and evil as well as connoting death.
• As the antagonists are all wearing suits this could symbolise that they are doing the job for someone else as their attire connotes business.

By Elli Smart