Compare the Ways Three Different Directors Stage the Scenes – Macbeth Act one, scene one. Macbeth Act one, scene three.
As they are returning from battle, Macbeth and Banquo meet three witches who predict that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and later King of Scotland. They also predict that Banquo will be the father of kings. Soon, Macbeth is made Thane of Cawdor. Tempted by the prophecies and his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan of Scotland when he visits his castle. Duncan's sons Malcolm and Donalbain run away and Macbeth is crowned King.
Macbeth has Banquo killed, but doesn't manage to kill his son, Fleance. Macbeth goes to see the witches again and is told to beware of Macduff, that he is safe until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane and that he can not be harmed by anyone born of women. Macbeth gets people to kill Macduff, but they only kill Macduff's wife and children. While this is happening, Lady Macbeth goes insane and dies. Malcolm returns from England and leads an army camouflaged with leaves from Birnam Wood to attack Macbeth's castle, Dunsinane. Because Macduff was born by caesarean, he is able to kill Macbeth. Malcolm is crowned king.
We watched three film versions of Macbeth directed by three different people - Jeremy Freeston (1996), Roman Polanski (1971) and a BBC version (1998).
In the Freeston version, which is set in the sixteenth century, Macbeth is portrayed in a traditional manner. He is unkempt having just returned from battle. Before he meets the witches in act one, scene three, Macbeth is cheerful and victorious. When he meets the witches, he is slightly taken aback at first and then becomes curious and eager to find out more. Macbeth remains stationary as the witches talk to him.
Banquo is also unkempt and victorious returning from battle. However, he is dismissive and disrespectful towards the witches. He mocks them and speaks with sarcasm. The witches' power is made less convincing when Banquo starts circling them in a threatening and pretentious manner.
The witches, in contrast to tradition, appear quite normal although this could be unsettling. The witches are not particularly ugly and the youngest witch could be said to be quite attractive, but wearing a very vacant expression. The two other witches are older, but still not ugly and seem more powerful than the youngest. They wear tattered clothing, but so did a lot of normal people in the sixteenth century. When the three witches meet Macbeth in act one, scene three, the youngest witch behaves in a seductive manner, which highlights her sensuality. She temptingly draws up very close to Macbeth to talk to him and then quickly pulls away.
In the Polanski version, Macbeth is again portrayed in a traditional manner. As in the Freeston version, he is unkempt but triumphant from the recent battle. Macbeth stands completely still when he meets the witches, but follows their every move with his eyes. There is a touch of nervousness in his voice as he speaks to the witches. When the witches begin to move away from him, Macbeth breaks from his 'trance' and follows them, desperate to find out more.
Banquo is also unkempt as in the Freeston version of the film. In contrast to the Freeston ...
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In the Polanski version, Macbeth is again portrayed in a traditional manner. As in the Freeston version, he is unkempt but triumphant from the recent battle. Macbeth stands completely still when he meets the witches, but follows their every move with his eyes. There is a touch of nervousness in his voice as he speaks to the witches. When the witches begin to move away from him, Macbeth breaks from his 'trance' and follows them, desperate to find out more.
Banquo is also unkempt as in the Freeston version of the film. In contrast to the Freeston version, Banquo remains motionless but he is still a bit disregarding of the witches when he speaks. He doesn't really seem to believe what the witches are saying but is none the less unsettled by their presence.
The witches are traditionally hideously ugly and eccentric. The eldest witch has been horribly burnt and as a result is blind. Witch hunters may have burned her, as burning was a traditional sixteenth century punishment for witchcraft. The remaining two witches guide the eldest witch showing a powerful alliance between the witches. The witches are wearing very ragged and dirty clothes and look like they are no longer welcome in a society. In the first scene, the witches are performing a ritual involving a severed arm, a dagger and a vile of blood, which could be symbols of war and murder. Unlike the witches in Freeston's version, these witches seem a bit demented. However, when they meet Macbeth, they are able to keep his attention because of their 'macabre sexuality', so much so that when the witches retreat, Macbeth follows. As the witches disappear into an old building, the youngest of the trio shows contempt for Macbeth by flashing her chest at him.
In the most modern BBC version of the film, Macbeth is not returning from a primitive battle with swords and spears, but from a war, possibly the Gulf War. He is wearing a military uniform but is not dirty and dishevelled like in the other two versions of the film. When Macbeth meets the witches in an underground car park, he sometimes looks a bit perplexed but for the most remains unperturbed by their presence.
Banquo is most definitely a secondary character in this version of Macbeth. He says very little and is nonchalant about being in the company of witches. As in the Polanski version of the film, Banquo doesn't seem to believe in the witches.
The witches are portrayed very differently in this version than they are in the other two films. They are neither old nor ugly, but they are cold, calm and calculating. The emphasis is on the power of the witches rather than their eccentricity and magical abilities. They exude confidence and control at all times. The first scene begins with the witches discussing meeting with Macbeth whilst gathered around Ouigi board type game. They use tarot cards to illustrate what is going to happen. They join hands as they say their final line in the first scene, which shows a powerful alliance between the witches. When Macbeth and Banquo enter the disused car park, the witches surround them on roller skates. The three witches circle Macbeth and Banquo threateningly whilst chanting. They are wearing 'Halloween' style masks and their speech is very rhythmic. You get the impression that, unlike the Polanski version of Macbeth, these witches are not isolated from society.
In the Freeston version of Macbeth, fire and roaring flames enforce the dramatic entrance of the witches. Sounds in the background such as howling dogs, wailing wind and beating drums tell of impending doom. The witches emerge from within a thick veil of grey mist making them seem quite alarming. The mist clears and we see that is in fact a nice and sunny day. In act one, scene three, the witches are accompanied by a low musical hum that is in a minor key making it sound scary. In this scene, the camera focuses mainly on the three witches as they speak. The weather is sunny and clear - a sharp contrast to the mist and gloominess of scene one. The sunny day may be to make the witches appear more normal.
In the Polanski version of Macbeth, the witches are also accompanied by dramatic background music. This music is sorrowful and mysterious. When Macbeth first sees the witches, they are singing a screeching and tuneless song. In this version, Macbeth remain stationary while the witches circle round him, making them seem intimidating. In the Freeston version, it is Banquo is the one intimidating the witches by circling them.
In the BBC version of Macbeth, eerie music sets the scene. The music is low and echoes in the disused and isolated car park where the scene is set. The music is sombre but new age. The witches wear new age clothes, makeup and jewellery. In the first scene, the camera focuses on the game, the tarot cards and the witches' faces. When Macbeth and Banquo come into the parking lot, the witches circle them on roller skates. The camera spins and follows the witches making the scene very dramatic. The three witches vanish into thin air, which is made possible by the use of special effects.
The Polanski version and the Freeston version of Macbeth focus mainly on the themes of evil, fate and the supernatural. The BBC version concentrates on the power of the witches. The witches are described as being 'aware of their own sexuality'. The witches' power lies in being able to manipulate men and get them to function in a way suited to the witches.
The way that dialogue is spoken also varies in each version of the film. The line 'Fair is foul and foul is fair, Hover through the fog and filthy air' (act one, scene one) is spoken by all the witches in an evil chant in the Polanski version. In Freeston's version, the line is spoken on a sunny day making it seem out of place and nonsensical. In the BBC version, the line is spoken in unison very rhythmically. The line is said with great confidence and conviction.
In act one, scene three, Macbeth speaks the line 'Speak if you can. What are you?' when he first encounters the witches. In the Polanski version, Macbeth has a hint of apprehension in his voice but in the Freeston version, he is confident and assertive, keen to learn more about his destiny. In the BBC version the line is not said at all.
In act one, scene three, the witches greet Macbeth with the line 'All hail Macbeth'. In the Polanski version, this line is said very sinisterly whereas in the Freeston version, the line is said more like a normal greeting. In the BBC version, the line is spoken with confidence and power, emphasising Macbeth's inferiority as far as the witches are concerned. This is also shown by the way that the witches circle Macbeth, making him follow them.
In act one, scene three, Banquo speaks his lines with fear in the Polanski version, but with sarcasm and contempt in the Freeston version. In the BBC version, Banquo remains a secondary character and doesn't say much at all.
Each version of the film that we watched is portrayed slightly differently. The Polanski version is the most traditional, with the witches being portrayed as sinister and evil hags, isolated by society. There is however, comical elements to Polanski's witches, such as their screeching song and the youngest witch flashing at Macbeth. The Freeston version shows the witches as less evil characters and more normal. The witches are not as ugly and eccentric as traditional witches, but use manipulation techniques such as seduction to captivate Macbeth. The BBC version is the furthest from tradition, but it is the most believable to a twentieth century audience as it is set in modern times. I prefer this version of the play because it portrays the witches as powerful and confident women able to manipulate men and prey on their weaknesses, which in the case of Macbeth are vanity and greed. These witches are also more believable to a twentieth century audience because, unlike traditional witches, they are not isolated from society.
The portrayals of acts one, scene one and acts one, scene three from Macbeth vary throughout the three version that we saw, but the themes of manipulation and choosing to do evil runs throughout.
Claire Williams September 2000
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