Compare and contrast how you,as a theatre director, would present the witches scene in Macbeth to an Elizabethan Audience and a 20th Century Audience?

The reason i will keep the witches like this is in both eras of the play is because of the Quotation which banquo says that the witches are so ugly that they cant be anything of this world.

In the Elizabethan version I will give Banquo and macbeth the profile of Noble knights.

"All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Glamis"

In the Elizabethan play I will give Macbeth this image because the witches point out that he is The thane of Glamis and therefore he is a knight and i will give Banquo this image because Banquo fights alongside Macbeth in battle.

In the 20th Century play i will give Macbeth and Banquo an image of well dressed businessmen. The reason for this is that they both serve close to the king and therefore in a high position in the business heirarchy (they are well paid).

I would give Ross and Angus a not so suarve look as i did for Macbeth and Banquo becuse they are servants of the king.

In the Elizabethan play Lady Macbeth will be given the look of a queen as she is the wife of Macbeth.In the 20the Century play i would give Lady Macbeth the role of a sexy business-women becuse she is very rich like Macbeth.

Scenery / Setting / Stage direction

In the first scene with all the withes i will set the scene on a beach on a cold, gloomy and windy day

"When the hurly-burly's done,

When the battles lost, and won.

In the Elizabethan version the quotation shows that the witches like to speak in rhyme. Thay have started to chant a spell so i think it would be the right setting for three ugly witches to cast a spell upon some one.

In the 20th Century version i would let the witches cast there spell in an old abandoned graveyard to exaggurate the aspect of the witches being evil. I would also keep the weather the same as the Elizabethan version because the weather fits the withches personality and also the casting of a spell in a graveyard is supposed to make the watcher of the play be spooked.

Later in the witches act,in the Elizabethan version when everybody is speaking to Macbeth in the castle, i will make the weather rainy and dark to give the feeling that a bloody battle has just gone on and how an evil plot is being planned by lady Macbeth to try and convice macbeth that he must do anything to become king.

In the 20 th Century Version I will set the scene in a big Penthouse appartment and there will be rain pelting against the windows while they are plotting the plan.

Personality

I would give the witches a personality that shows the witches to be decieving and evil.

"When shall we three meet again?

In thunder, lightning or rain?.......

......When the hurly-burly's done,

When the battles lost, and won."

In the quotation above it shows that they are planning to meet macbeth and they want to meet him in a dark and gloomy place. they dont want to meet when it is nice weather. It also shows that they are planning to give Macbeth a suprise visit after the battle.

I will give Macbeth the personality of a posh american businessman who doesn't like to brag but likes to be organised. He also is very decieveable person as he is convinced to kill Duncan.

Banquo will be given a very loyal personality who is kind and caring for his friends and family.

Lady Macbeth will be given a lady who is very selfish and can decieve people.

All these personalitys that i have given to these people will be used in both Elizabethan and 20th Century plays.

Extras / Walk-ons

Since the plays are set in different eras i will use what ever technology is relevant to their time

In the 20the century play, while walkin back from the business meeting ( the battle ), There will be cars and other people walking round the street like a typical new-york style city. In the fight scenes there will be guns used instead of the primitive sword and dagger that is used in the Elizabethan version.

The only extras that i will use in the Elizabethan version of the witches scene will be the horses used that Macbeth and banquo ride on. In the 20th Century version of the play i will use a Limo for an extra to carry Macbeth and Banquo round.

Special Effects / Lighting

In this scene i would use the sound of thunder and lightning and also highlight the the witches with red light to show that they are plotting something and chanting in mysterious ways and also i would use fog to emphasise the point that the witches are very mysterious. I would, in the 20 the century version, use the same effects as i would in the Elizabethan version.

Later in this scene i would usethe same effects when Lady Macbeth is trying to convince Macbeth to do whatever it takes to become king. this time i will also include thunder and lightning while she is plotting to kill Duncan and i will also use gothic music to create a feeling of evil in both eras aof the play

Music

In the Elizabethan version of the play i would use music from that era and when the witches are chanting and plotting and when lady Macbeth are plotting evil things, Church gothical music will play to create a mysterious feeling.

In the first scene when the witches are making a spell i will use dotty music that rhymes with the chant that the witches do. This will emphasis the spell effect that the witches are chanting.

Casting / Effects

Int he Elizabethan version of the play i would use actors that are unknown to the commom audience. This is to emphasise the age of the play.

In the 20th Century play i will use stars that are well known to the common audience because i dont think it would be right using well known actors in an old style play. This is because an audience mostly see new actors like Tom Cruise and other hollywood actors in Modern style movies and i dont think the actors will be well suited for some of the language used in the old style of the play.