The final two lines, "Where distant sky and horizon meet, a new beginning's light, / As if hearing the common folk's cheers, joyful and bright," cleverly foreshadow the core theme of Hero – the dialectical relationship between individual sacrifice and the peace of 'All Under Heaven'. When Nameless ultimately abandons the assassination, he essentially chooses the ideal of "a new beginning's light" (the unification of the world), while "the common folk's cheers" points to the potential well-being of the people brought by peace. This choice is embodied in the film through the two words "All Under Heaven" (Tianxia) that Broken Sword wrote for Nameless, and it is this concept that prompts Nameless to lay down his sword at the final moment.
Through its depiction of the court scene, "A Bow to the Court" perfectly condenses the complex relationship between the individual and the power structure in Hero. Nameless is both a challenger of power and, to some extent, an understander of power – he ultimately recognizes the historical significance of the King of Qin's unification project. This complexity is precisely where Zhang Yimou attempted to innovate beyond the traditional wuxia model of "settling scores freely"; he transforms the assassin from merely a rebel into a visionary capable of considering the fate of 'All Under Heaven' from a higher perspective.
3 "Disrobing and Search": The Ritualized Politics of the Body
The poem "Disrobing and Search" begins with "Ministers and generals swiftly encircle, a tightening ring, / At the anchored hall door, guards urgently prepare," immediately creating a tense and dense atmosphere. This highly visual description directly corresponds to the strict security procedures Nameless undergoes before entering the Qin palace in Hero. In the film, this process is presented as a highly ritualized scene – countless guards surround Nameless in layers, the palace gates serving as a marker of the boundary between inside and outside power, defended to the utmost. This is not only a physical security measure but also a ritual of power taming the individual intruder.
The lines "Inside, a bustle of movement, front and back, they scurry, / Faces flustered, anxious to complete their task with haste" vividly depict the anxious reaction of the power apparatus facing a potential threat. It is worth noting that this "fluster" and "bustle" described in the poem does not stem from fear but from power's innate vigilance towards an individual it cannot completely control. In Hero, although the King of Qin stands above all and holds the power of life and death, he still shows unease when facing Nameless, a potential assassin – this unease arises not only from the threat to his personal safety but also from the possibility of his power structure being challenged.
"Robes removed, bodies searched, roots of hair inspected, / The General proclaims the decree of the King's command" directly depicts the process of the body as the object of power's discipline. In the film, Nameless is required to remove his clothing and undergo a thorough inspection, even his hair carefully examined to prevent hiding any weapons. This scene is highly symbolic: the individual is forced into complete exposure before power, with no privacy to speak of. "The General proclaims the decree of the King's command" emphasizes the legitimacy of this process – it is not simple violence but is endowed with a legal veneer through "decrees" and "commands," granting power the legitimacy to intervene in the individual's body.
The most dramatic tension lies in the final two lines: "The warrior's gaze is steady, eyes sharp and bright, / His spirit filled with heroic air, mind set on clouds and sky." These two lines perfectly capture Nameless's mental state during the inspection in Hero. Facing the comprehensive discipline of power, Nameless does not show fear or submission but maintains an inner dignity and determination. His eyes are sharp, his spirit filled with heroism, showing his spiritual invincibility. In the film, Jet Li, through subtle facial expressions and eyes, successfully portrays an assassin who is outwardly obedient but inwardly resolute, highly consistent with the poem's description.
The entire scene depicted in "Disrobing and Search" is actually a micro-struggle between power and the individual. Power attempts to bring the individual into a controllable range through ritualized inspection procedures; while the individual, through the persistence of inner spirit, maintains a degree of autonomy. This tension is further sublimated in the climax of Hero – when Nameless ultimately gives up the assassination, it is not because he is conquered by power but because he freely chooses a higher ideal: the peace of "All Under Heaven."
Through this depiction of body politics, Zhang Yimou explores the complex relationship between power, freedom, and sacrifice. During the inspection, Nameless's body is disciplined by power, but his spirit transcends this discipline, reaching a new height. As scholar Zhang Baiqing pointed out, the assassins in Hero undergo a transformation from "assassins" to "heroes"; they are no longer confined to personal vendettas but can make sacrifices for higher ideals.
4 Thematic Resonance of Hero Reflected in the Two Poems
When we read "A Bow to the Court" and "Disrobing and Search" side by side, we find that they together form a complete interpretive framework for the themes of Zhang Yimou's Hero, revealing the complex relationship between power, the individual, and 'All Under Heaven' in the film from different angles. These two poems are like two prisms reflecting each other; through their refraction, we can see the profound ideological connotations of Hero more clearly.
4.1 Poetic Transformation of Visual Aesthetics
Zhang Yimou is renowned in Hero for his highly stylized visual language, and these two poems capture this visual震撼 in textual form. The film constructs different narrative segments and emotional atmospheres through five dominant colors (black, red, blue, white, green). The square rigor of "Two flanks open wide, formation square" in "A Bow to the Court" corresponds to the solemnity and oppression of the Qin palace scenes, dominated by black tones; while the lonely imagery of "Ascends the steps, a solitary figure toward the clouds" echoes the tiny yet determined figure of Nameless in the huge palace. This visual contrast – individual vs. group, small vs. grand, movement vs. stillness – is a typical feature of Zhang Yimou's aesthetics.