Discuss how Rhys Ifans and BBC Shorts Production “realises” Act 2 Scene 3 for television. Do you think this is a successful adaptation?
Discuss how Rhys Ifans and BBC Shorts Production "realises" Act 2 Scene 3 for television. Do you think this is a successful adaptation?
The scene we are studying is directly after the killing of Duncan. This will mean the Director and Actors will have to create a realistic setting. There will be a lot of drama and tension. We all know that Macbeth killed Duncan but what the production has to do is show that he is trying to play along with the rest of the characters as though he is as surprised as them.
I have decided to focus my attentions on the BBC Shorts Production of this scene, directed by Justin Chadwick. Firstly we are introduced to the actor, Rhys Ifans, who is to play Macbeth. He is extremely interested in this dynamic character and the scene he is to perform in. He hopes in his performance to convey the conflicting emotions of Macbeth. Macbeth has just murdered the King. He knows this and cannot escape this reality. When Macbeth brings Lenox and Macduff to the room where Duncan's body lies, he cannot face to go into the room yet he cannot change what has happened. He is trapped. Ifans also describes how there is a "plethora of options" which the language offers to the actors meaning the character is diverse and can be performed in many different ways.
The actors also have to display the relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. She has been the dynamo behind him all this time. Yet when he kills the henchmen we realise that he is no longer "plotting" with her, but has left her behind. He is also angry with her. He feels as though he has killed for her affections and to prove his manliness which angers him. Lady Macbeth is still a strong character but the actress playing her, Abigail Campton, needs to show that the tables have turned and she has been forgotten. Ifans needs to portray Macbeth in such a way that shows us he detests Lady Macbeth for what he ultimately thinks she pushed him to do.
There is also the suggestion that Banquo is suspicious of the Macbeth and his wife as he is shocked at Lady Macbeth's response to the hearing of the killing when she immediately thinks of her reputation, rather than Duncan's welfare; and when MacBeth defiantly kills the Henchmen. Banquo, played by Dave Fishley, needs to show that he has a close relationship with Macbeth and he knows that although Macbeth is a brave soldier he is not a cold - blooded killer.
This production is set in a Modern Gothic Mansion. This is important because at MacBeth's time it was gothic so this is an updated version. It is supposed to have affluence and decadence but with an end of the millennium feel to it. The setting is as though it is the morning after a huge party. Top designers such as Gucci, Versace and Alexander McQueen create the costumes. They are very extravagant which suits this production. Ifans creates the atmosphere by saying it gives us a sense of "heightened reality where anything can happen". The millennium feel also fits in as it gives us the feeling that it is the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.
It would be very difficult for the director to do this scene as it is taken from a very diverse text and he is only concentrating on this section of the play. The production opens with a Prologue: a piece of drama that is not in the text. He decides to show us the actual murder of Duncan, which has spine-chilling effects. The first Shot we see is of a "door" far away. The door is actually a white curtain, which could refer back to earlier in the text when Macbeth talks of "wicked dreams" and how they "abuse the curtained sleep". When you are sleeping you are protected unless you are disturbed by something evil. The colours in this shot are blue and grey suggesting coldness. There is the sound of a heavy drum and the camera does not zoom up to the door but cuts three times, which creates drama. Heavy breathing is also heard. I feel the director is trying to show us MacBeth's journey as he goes to kill the King. It is dramatic and the camera is angular. Your attention is totally fixed on the door. The door is a bright white, which signifies that good lies behind it and is going to be destroyed. In the final cut there are noticeably two people posing as statues. They are Egyptian Ka Statues. These statues were put outside the tombs and it was believed the soul of the dead inside would be transferred into the statue. This is significant, as we know Duncan will die in this room yet by having real people pose as the statues intensifies what is about to happen. There is not one statue but two, implying that there will be more deaths after the King.
There is then an abrupt change. A dramatic colour change is noticed. It is a deep red but it is also very dark and there are shadows being formed. This is very dominant after the greys and blues. The light is almost as though it is infrared so we can see into the darkness. I think this is to show that it was night time and the red creates the image of evilness and blood. The actual act of the murder is done very cleverly. We see a close-up of Macbeth leaning over Duncan's sleeping body. His face ...
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There is then an abrupt change. A dramatic colour change is noticed. It is a deep red but it is also very dark and there are shadows being formed. This is very dominant after the greys and blues. The light is almost as though it is infrared so we can see into the darkness. I think this is to show that it was night time and the red creates the image of evilness and blood. The actual act of the murder is done very cleverly. We see a close-up of Macbeth leaning over Duncan's sleeping body. His face is tense and his eyes wide to show anxiety. The shot then cuts to Duncan abruptly waking up. There is another quick change of camera as Macbeth makes his first wound in Duncan and then there is a shot of Lady MacBeth's eye. By introducing her into this scene it shows the control she had over Macbeth and could also suggest he is thinking of her as he kills. The camera then goes back to Macbeth who stabs Duncan twice more then leans over his body breathing deeply. This image is very sexual and his breathing represents a man at the height of sex. Again this makes us think of Lady Macbeth. She challenged her husband's manhood when he was having second thoughts about the murder. This could also suggest that they both are sexually aroused by the thought of the murder. By killing the King he is in some way making love to her. The dagger is then used as a phallic symbol, which is a representation of a man's penis in Greek Legend. Macbeth looks straight into Lady MacBeth's eyes as if questioning to see if he had performed well enough for her. Also by having Lady Macbeth at the murder heightens the drama, as though she is still pushing him. He then offers her the daggers. This again is a sexual reference as he is offering her his manhood and she takes it away, satisfied.
We are then taken to outside the door and it is now a retreat away rather than coming towards it. The retreat is slow and gives us the feeling of dizziness, as though Macbeth is faint after completing the deed. There is a backlight now behind the door suggesting that something has happened. There is the sound of music now. It is quite futuristic with slow rhythm tic beats and creates the perfect atmosphere for the next shots.
It cuts to a Landscape shot of the main hall of the mansion. The camera slowly moves to the right. Firstly we see Macbeth's arm. He is holding on tightly to the railings behind him. His head is down and he is still breathing very heavily. His position is suggestive of the crucifixion, almost as though he is crucifying himself for his actions. His behaviour could also represent drugs as the night before was a party. Macbeth is presented by Ifans as sleep-deprived and high. He then looks directly into the camera, which is very dramatic. It implies Macbeth is dangerous as he stops breathing so heavily, as if he is beginning to calm down. This makes the character seem very frightening. The camera then gives us a wider shot of the gothic hallway. At the gothic arches there are colours of deep pink and red on them. This is significant as there has been a murder. Lighting is being used again to show the change in the atmosphere. The drumbeat continues as the camera cuts to a room full of sleeping people. They are lying "sprawled" across the floor as if they just fell there after their night of partying. We are then shown a close-up shot of Lady MacBeth's face. The camera is at an angle, which could represent the confusion. Her face is shadowed and she is wearing heavy, dark make-up. This makes her appear evil with no compassion for what has just taken place. Campton has a wonderful glaring look in her eye enabling us to see how cold this character is.
This then cuts to the porter who jumps up from the mass of sleeping bodies. Before this character even speaks we know he is going to be outrageous. The costume is really brought into effect here. The wacky headdress and slashed top, along with the mad antics of this character provide this dark scene with some light relief. The Porter is being very crude, shouting, laughing and running about. This could help us realise how the other people in the house were feeling. They were probably hung over and confused about their actions the night before. An interesting shot is taken when there is an Ariel view of two stairwells inter-linking. The Porter runs up and down appearing at different places. This could represent the confusion of the mind and also gives us an image of hell as he is talking about letting people through. It is an image of eternity. Also as he approaches the door quickly, we can see a statue with an orange glow. This is another sign that this house is connected with the evils of hell and because this is the topic the porter is talking about, it makes it all the more dramatic.
Two new characters are introduced. Macduff who is played by Christopher Colquhen and Lenox played by Joseph McFadden. They arrive to awake the King as he had made plans to go early. There is the creation of tension, as Macbeth appears on the line "Is thy master stirring?" As he enters there is a high sound of a computerised noise, like a string on a violin, which causes tension. There is still the rhythm of the drum representing the heartbeat. This is to show Macbeth may look cool on the outside but there is still the anxiety hidden inside. He speaks calmly to both men and tells them he will bring them to the King. He arrogantly walks through them and there is even a hint of bisexual advances between Macbeth and Lenox as they look at one another. Macbeth is relaxed and cool yet the walls are still red showing the truth.
We are then taken back to a far off shot of the door. This time two cameras are used. One to show the men as they walk toward the door and another to show what they are looking at. This is a repetition of the opening of the scene. Macbeth is making the same journey. This whole sequence is slowed down and the camera is swaying. The music becomes louder and as the three men walk toward the door they almost seem like models walking on the catwalk. This represents the stylishness of the production. Macbeth' suit is a tie-dye effect with white and dark blue. The colours are dramatic because it is almost as if his goodness which is represented by the white colour is being covered up by the darkness of the murder, the dark colour. The modern cinema idea comes into play here as the three men walk toward the door, almost like three warriors or FBI agents about to uncover something. There is a glow of red behind the three men, which is very effective. The slowing down of the camera leaves us to wait in anticipation of what is going to happen.
They arrive at the door and Macduff goes in to wake the King. Ifans shows us that Macbeth cannot face going inside by continuing to stare at the door, waiting for the truth to be revealed. The cleverness of the text means that although Macbeth will not go into the room, he cannot escape his actions and Lenox represents the death with his words. Lenox is making polite conversation about the weather and as he recounts how the night had been bad due to weather, Macbeth begins to focus on what Lenox is saying. As Lenox speaks of "Lamentings heard I' the air", we can see by Ifans facial expression that he is re-playing what the murder was like in his head. His position on screen is identical to at the start of the production when he is about to stab the King so visually we are reminded of the killing also. The drum becomes louder here as though Macbeth is anxious. MacBeth's reply totally understates everything which Lenox has said, "'t'was a rough night". The music heightens here to create drama as Macduff re-enters. He is standing with his head lowered and mutters the word "Horror" as if in total disbelief. The lighting is clever here and we cannot make out his eyes as they are blackened. This is to represent that he has been blinded by the sight he has witnessed and links to the reference in his speech about "gorgons" which are terrible monsters that blind people. As Macduff comes forward in between the two other men it shows that one of MacBeth's eyes are blacked out. This could tell us that he two has been blinded but only partially, not fully. Colquhen is excellent as Macduff. Usually, in other productions such as Channel 4's version directed by Michael Bugbane, we see the character run out of the room shouting in utter disbelief. However, Colquhen gives us the sense that the character is almost faint due to the sight he saw. He begins to walk up the corridor talking in shock and thinking of the people he has to deliver the news to such as the King's two young sons. This is when he begins to seem deeply angered and spits out his words for the whole mansion to here.
This leads us to the room, which Lady Macbeth is in. Macduff enters. Her position is excellent. She is sitting high up, almost as though she is already on the throne assuming power. She speaks to Macduff in a nasty way. She almost spits out the line, "What's the business..." and commands him in a strong voice to speak. Macduff refuses to tell the "gentle lady" what has happened and this is very ironic. It is like black comedy. She is looking very domineering while sitting on her throne and speaking cruelly to Macduff yet he still remarks she is a woman and cannot handle what he has to say. Banquo enters asking about the confusion and Macduff whispers it into his ear but Lady Macbeth overhears. Campton speaks with venom in her words. She sneers at the thought of Duncan being killed in her house. She is showing that Lady Macbeth is not worried about Duncan but because it happened in her house and she will seem responsible. Her costume emphasises this part of her character as she is wearing dark clothes with an elaborate hat, almost like a crown. Banquo is disgusted at her reaction and talks through gritted teeth. He directs the line "Too cruel anywhere" at her implying his suspicions then turns his back to her to show he does not want to talk about what happened with her.
Macbeth then enters with Lenox. He is no longer wearing his coat so he is identical to how he looked when he killed the King. This is ironic, as he has just come back from killing the henchmen. He immediately looks at Lady Macbeth. This is to show he sees her as the primary force in all this mess. Macbeth begins to speak and does so in an accusing way. We know he is speaking for the benefit of Lady Macbeth. He spits out the words almost as though he is ready to burst into tears. His line "Had I but died an hour before this chance, I had lived a blessed time", is full of regret and is his way of telling his wife this. Donalbain, one of Duncan's sons wakes up and questions what is happening. Macbeth responds to the young Prince's question in an insane way. He holds the Prince's head in his hands firmly and gently shouts into his face. This shocks the other men. Macbeth speaks to Donalbain in poetical language saying "the fountain of your blood is stopped", whereas Macduff Comes straight to the point by saying his father is dead. Macbeth then holds the Prince's head into his chest. He is realising the effect the murder is going to have on so many people and although it would appear he is comforting the King's son, he is actually comforting himself. Lenox tells the young Prince's that the evidence of the bloodied knifes show that the henchmen are guilty and Macbeth announces to the group he killed them in fury. Macduff questions this action and it is the first hint of suspicion by someone other than Banquo, who has been standing behind Macbeth trying to look into his face and discover the truth.
Macbeth begins his speech to stick up for himself after MacDuff's question. He starts to walk around the group of people gathered talking into their necks as though he is sniggering at them because they questioned his actions. As he is explaining the emotions that were running through his body when he discovered the henchmen, he makes eye contact with Lady Macbeth and begins to walk toward her. On the wall behind Macbeth there is a modern painting that looks like the image of the crucifixion. This is a connection with the image of Macbeth earlier in the production and could also be a sign that he has made a mistake and will be punished. He comes to Lady Macbeth and grabs her head into his hands as he did with Donalbain. He begins to describe the actual stabbing, "Here lay Duncan, His silver skin laced with golden blood" and spits the words into her face. Ifans wanted Lady Macbeth to know exactly what the murder was like and how gruesome it had been. I feel he is so passionate as he speaks because of her earlier accusation to him only loving her if he performed the murder. He is showing her what a mess he has made to prove his love for her and he is very angry. This is when we see the power switch between the two characters. She is genuinely frightened by his reaction and tries to free herself from his grip with trembling hands. Chadwick decided not to have Lady Macbeth faint, as it would not work in this situation. Instead he changes the meaning of the words spoken. When Lady Macbeth says "help me hence" she is asking the others in the room to help her, not because she feels faint. When Macduff steps forward he takes a hold of MacBeth's arm and says, "Look to the Lady". He is asking Macbeth to look at how he has scared his wife not for someone to attend to her after she faints. This was a very good idea and adds variety from other productions. When Lady Macbeth shouts for help we know she is doing this because Macbeth has overstepped the mark and is revealing too much. This is her way of trying to put him back in his place.
Banquo then makes a declaration of loyalty to the dead King to question "this most bloody piece of work" and directs this speech at Macbeth. Fishley is trying to show that Banquo is taking the moral position. When he speaks he stresses the word "I" as though he is distancing himself from Macbeth. The other men in the room plight their feelings also but Macbeth remains silent which shows he is no longer the same and is excluded from the declaration. The drum again becomes louder and quicker as we sense MacBeth's anguish. All the men leave the room and dramatically Lady Macbeth is left alone. She is still leaning against the wall and no longer looks as strong as before. She is by herself and this is significant to the rest of the play. Macbeth no longer needs her.
The scene finishes with Donalbain and Malcolm speaking of how they must flee as there are "daggers in men's smiles" and they could be in danger. Chadwick again introduces a new idea that Macbeth overhears their conversation about them both fleeing to England and Ireland. This shows us that Macbeth is not finished and will go on to lead a life corrupt with murder and evil. The final shot is of Macbeth looking straight into camera with a sly smile on his face. Ifans was trying to show that there has been a change in Macbeth and he is no longer the man he was before. The colour is again dark grey and blue implying he is cold to human feelings. This ends the scene in an interesting climax and leaves you wondering what will happen next.
