The murder of Duncan was actually down to Lady Macbeth. She was the one who sat and thought it all through. It was her who planned the whole thing and mentally prepared Macbeth for the murder. The only reason why Lady Macbeth didn’t commit the murder was because she says, “had he not resembled my father, I’d have done it”. However this could have just been an excuse for her not to perform the murder, as we have never seen or heard about her father before.
In my direction, I want to make it as modern to today’s world as possible. ‘Macbeth on the Estate’ was set in a modern outer city council estate, which I do not think works very well with the play that Shakespeare has written. The whole of this version was modern with the use of motor vehicle and modern day electric items. The only exception was the use of ‘Old English’ language, and so it is difficult for the audience to actually know what is meant when any of the characters talk. However, in my direction I am not allowed to make radical changes from Shakespeare original, and so therefore I would have to let the play remain un-understandable for the audience.
In Polanski’s version of Macbeth, seen the character Macbeth, walking slowly and quietly up a long, dark and gloomy decorated hallway. He opens the door and walks in and at all times remaining silent. As he approaches Duncan sleeping, he doesn’t instantly kill him, they is a short moment where Macbeth is just looking at Duncan, and when Macbeth does go to murder Duncan, he gets a shock! Duncan awakes and for a moment they have eye-to-eye contact. At this point Duncan is looking as if to say ‘What’s going on?’ and Macbeth obviously must have been thinking ‘oh no, its backfired’. Polanski has done this to build up the excitement and tension of the people watching the play.
Even though this happened, Macbeth still went in for the kill! A few stabs and Duncan was dead! In this version of the play, Macbeth came over as a confident man, even when it came to the murder. I personally think that this isn’t right for the play. The aftermath of the murder on Macbeth is very understandable, he’s scared and wishing he hadn’t killed Duncan. No man or women would be confident when killing an innocent man.
In Polanski’s version, Macbeth is a lot evil and nervous than Macbeth is; she tries to support Macbeth by smiling a lot. Whereas in ‘Macbeth on the Estate’, it is totally the other way round, Macbeth is very afraid and wishing that he didn’t let himself into this mess, and Lady Macbeth is supporting Macbeth with her fake smiles, and saying that she would have done it but Duncan resembles her father. In Macbeth on the Estate the scene where Macbeth murders Duncan is completely different. Duncan doesn’t awake in this version, and you actually see Duncan take the dagger from a guard in Duncan’s room. After this the murder is quite quick, much quicker than Polanski’s.
Lady Macbeth in Polanski’s version doesn’t really come over as evil and manipulative as she is made out to be in the book or in ‘Macbeth on the Estate’; she comes over as actually having feelings for both what is going on and for Macbeth. This is only really shown for a small time, but is also the first and only time that this side of her is shown.
My direction, set in an old castle, located in an empty countryside in the far South of England, just this big old castle and tress. I can image the scene, Macbeth stabs Duncan repeatedly and you have a shot of the outside of the castle, the camera takes long zooms as the audience can hear the screams from Duncan’s bedroom. All to be seen is a large castle and hundreds of trees, the screams unable to be heard by anyone else, but would echo throughout the countryside area. A master direction of a simple parts of the play, but probably a part that a lot of people would remember.
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth would be based in their large ‘penthouse style’ bedroom, which would be brightly decorated with dim low-key lighting. By doing this I want to make out that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are these two very private people who don’t want their business to be anyone else’s, and that they are two young people who are fairly new to the world of grown ups and the real world, and think that they should both have what they want. In other words, Macbeth wants to be King, and they must do what they want to get it.
The whole of my direction would be set in the present day, and the characters would dress very smart and formal, as this is the King, and royal relations that we are talking about. A large widescreen TV set with Digital Television, and state of the art DVD player would sit in the main living room, by this I am trying to show that this is in the present day. The rooms would be filled of portraits of Macbeth’s late relations and walls and ceilings would have lots of white architecture, trying to show an old look, but in a modern day. The kitchen area for feature all the main items that we take for granted these days.
Now, I will talk about how I am going to direct the scene in terms of the murder and the after events between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. As we come to the main part of the play, where Macbeth murders Duncan, I am going to have my version different to what Fryer and Polanski did. Macbeth would be running to Duncan’s bedroom, close ups of his face would show the sweat and his fear. As he approaches the bedroom door, Macbeth stops and holds the dagger up in his hand. By doing this, I am trying to show that Macbeth is having serious regrets. Is he was confident, he wouldn’t of stopped running he would have continued and banged the door open, and then stabbed Duncan repeatedly.
As Macbeth is holding the dagger, a camera shot moving 360° around him captures his thoughts, feelings and most of all the regrets. Macbeth would turn and as he is just about to walk away, he suddenly turns back and dashes into Duncan’s bedroom, and stabs Duncan, only once, then waits for five or ten seconds maximum and then continues to gut him. After repeatedly stabbing Duncan, Macbeth runs faster than the wind and doesn’t stop until he reaches a large empty room on the ground floor of the castle, where Lady Macbeth joins him.
Macbeth, still holding the dagger, with his hands covered in blood, goes to hug Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth suddenly stops and realises now what has happened and continuously looks from the dagger to the blood on Macbeth’s hands. Lady Macbeth takes 3 or 4 paces backwards and starts weeping, then a knocking is heard within and both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth jump, afraid, not knowing what this knocking is.
Macbeth is left on his own as Lady Macbeth runs to plant the dagger that Macbeth has just dropped after hearing the knocking, on the guards who are drunkenly asleep in one of the guests bedrooms. As she goes she is still weeping, it is at this point that Macbeth shouts another one of his one liners “Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!” The curtain falls and the audience applauds to what they would consider to be the best and most modern version of one of Shakespeare most awkward to understand plays.
If I was to direct the play in the ways that I have said above, then the audience a watching, can a) understand what the play is actually about and b) enjoy the play a whole lot more.
