My version of this scene would be set in a 16th c. city, during a large feast hosted by the Macbeth’s in the city centre. M is down a side ally when LM joins him part way through the scene. Throughout the scene M and LM are both tense as they are nervous about anyone walking in on them. The reason I would set it in the 16th c. is because honour was a major part of society which is one of my main themes of the play, along with King James being in power at the time. Also in the 16th c. community events involving the entire town/city were not uncommon, making my version of act 1 scene 7 perfectly viable. The reason I’ve chosen to set it in a city is to fit in with the story but to make it totally unique. It would allow for everyone to get drunk including Duncan’s guard, which intern allows the murder to take place in a unique way, with LM and M travailing out doors to reach the king’s quarters. The way this would work is as follows: the king would be down stairs in one of the houses bordering the city centre, with one other man (his guard). While everyone else is asleep, slumped over benches and of the like LM and M would silently make their way over the bodies to the city centre. I would create tension by the music which I would put in place and having some of the people stirring in and out of sleep as the Macbeth’s pass. Then when they finally reach the king’s quarters, a man is lying across the front door causing M to enter through the window. Then when M climbs through the window into the room where Duncan is asleep, the lights will dim leaving, a candle lit glow illuminating the room. When the murder takes place the dim orange glow would dramatically switch to a vibrant blood red. Simultaneously a white light will illuminate both of the Macbeth’s faces showing clearly their expressions. M has a faint grin on his face as he takes strength from the act, while LM shrivels and becomes by far the weaker of the two. This is the point in the play where their characters switch.
I would want my play to stand out from the rest, and to do that I would update the language. I think this would help younger students, understand the play resulting in a far wider audience. However I wouldn’t want a very young audience, as it is not suitable. However to keep it in theme with the 16th c. ideas I would not be able to update all the language in the play. An example of this would be in act 1 scene 7 where LM states ‘he has almost supped, why have you left the chamber?’ this would translate into ‘the meal has almost finished, why have you left the feast?’ This still holds much of the original meaning but it is far easier to understand making it more enjoyable for some people. Apart from this, I wouldn’t change anything else in the play, as I think it would distract from the main story because I would be more focused on the alterations than the story line, thus distracting from the meaning of the play.
Shakespeare uses this scene to explore several themes. The first of these is honour. I would display this strongly through M before he kills the king, and then after when he has no honour everything falls apart in his life. (What happens to him was written as a warning, to please the king). I would display the transition from honour to dishonour as described earlier. I would also have LM fearful when she realises that she and her husband have made a terrible mistake. This shows that honour is very important and without it you have nothing. The 2nd theme is the concept of people being two faced. This would radiate from LM in this scene. I have chosen this as one of my themes as I think I could get a lot across throughout the play based on this. It tallies well with LM’s character- evil (even though she reveals it to M alone). Through act 1 scene 7 I would have LM be very tense and conscience that someone could over hear their conversation. To emphasise the evil side of her I would not only have her speak slowly between the lines 48-59, but also between lines 35-44. I would have her layer her voice with malice and occasionally pausing for effect. This would create a contrast between the perfect LM and the ‘evil’ wife M. the final theme I will have is power and the need the Macbeth’s have for it. To make this theme stand out in act 1 scene 7, I would have LM labour on the words ‘wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life,’ these words state, ‘do you not want the highest achievement?’ which is the highest achievement of power. This displays the greed of power and wealth that LM has and simultaneously appealing to her husbands greatest desire- power.
In my version of act 1 scene 7, the two characters of M and LM will really show their ‘true colours’. At the beginning of the scene when LM hasn’t yet walked in, M starts off with his soliloquy. This soliloquy is the equivalent to what M is thinking. He states that he doesn’t really want to kill Duncan when he says ‘not bear the knife myself’ it is at this point that M fully decides he will not kill Duncan. After this, all he does is give reasons why it is a good thing he is not going through with murdering him. Through the soliloquy, M talks himself out of murdering his king and ‘kinsman’. He comes up with lots of reasons for instance the king is in ‘double trust’ and he is ‘his host’. This soliloquy should clearly declare the state M’s mind is in as he acts out his thoughts to the audience. The audience should clearly see that M is very unstable and is torn between power and the right thing. ‘But here upon this Blanc and shoal of time, we’d jump the life to come. But in these cares we still have judgement’. However simply reading the words out would not convey the depth of meaning I wish to convey. So I would have the actor show unrest in the first few lines. Then as the soliloquy goes on M should become slowly more confident, then when he reaches his decision not to kill the king, he finally has the courage to hold his head high. This represents the battle going on inside his mind. Once the battle is resolved however M is confident and clear minded as he knows what he thinks he’ll do. Throughout the soliloquy all that can be heard is M talking as the audience are effectively hearing what is inside M’s head. The way M works the issue though his mind is by coming up with lots of reasons why not to kill Duncan, while totally ignoring his greed for power, resulting in a temporary decision. For example he starts of by saying, ‘first as I am his kinsman and his subject strong both against the deed’, then ‘this Duncan have borne his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in his great office that his virtues will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued against the deep damnation of his taking off.’ Then he goes on to say, ‘and pity, like a naked newborn babe striding the blast, or heaven’s cherub s horsed upon the slightest couriers of the air, shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, that tears shell drown the wind.’ Through these examples of M reckoning with himself, we can see an argument which first stacks his honour, ‘first as I am his kinsman and his subject’. And then how he would be effected. It says that the ‘cherubs would blow it in every eye’, and that ‘the wind would be filled with tears’. This shows that, if he does commit the deed, he will be discovered, as ‘angelic children’ watch over Duncan. Which basically means he is in Gods favour, ergo, with God against him, M cannot hope to win, and would surly be found out. When LM walks in at the end of the soliloquy, M tells her that ‘they will do no further in this business’. (That he won’t kill Duncan). When he tells LM this, her immediate reaction is shock, (I would direct the actor to look taken aback when M says the line ‘He hath honoured me of late,’. It would be it that point because when M says ‘we will proceed no further in this business’ she isn’t quite sure what he means). This would be shortly followed by anger, ‘was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself?’ LM then very quickly rallies on M and begins to brutally persuade him again to kill Duncan. First of all, she calls him a coward by saying ‘art thou afraid to be the same in thine own act and valour, as thou art in desire?’ She then goes on to say that he lacks ‘manliness’. However, the stroke that wins M back to her way of thinking is often interpreted as evil, (between lines 54 – 59). These lines show LM terrifying loyalty, and word wise, make her sound totally evil. These lines shock M (and the audience, especially at the time it was written) into going along with the plan. I would show this on stage, by having M shrink away from LM, and wincing at the key words. I think that Shakespeare wanted to have the effect of totally shocking the audience, and I would want to do the same. However, I think Shakespeare intended to shock his audience through the fact that the character is evil, I would, however, rely on modern society and the fact that most people would be horrified by the thought of ‘dashing the brains out’ of a ‘newborn babe’. I would also have the background noise of laughter and singing throughout these lines, to create an eerie silence. Lighting wise, I would have a harsh white light shining across the stage at them to wash out all colour and create a scene of death and evil. All this should have the effect of shock and almost disbelief on the audience as I would want these lines to be burned into their memories, because they are the most poignant lines in the play. They carry so many connotations that without them being remembered, the entire purpose of the scene would be lost. As soon as LM has finished this speech, M makes one final attempt to redirect LM by saying (feebly), ‘if we should fall?’ but LM sweeps the words away like the feeble attempt it was. From then on, the rest of the scene if dominated my LM as M is still in reprieve from what LM said; (As the audience should be). At the end of the scene, the characters of M and LM are finally in agreement. LM has convinced M to go through with murdering Duncan, his ‘kinsman’. So, at the end of the scene, LM is fully in command, but this will soon change.
Throughout act 1 scene 7 are devices designed to make it stand out. The first one seen in this part of M is the soliloquy. Through this Shakespeare wanted to captivate the audience for the scene that would follow. I would make this device work by introducing lighting, sound, and directing the actors. Personally I would make the soliloquy work by firstly working on M. he would be wearing makeup, put on to make him look tired and drawn. M the scene on stage, with his head hanging low, He would begin speaking feverishly then as the soliloquy develops, he should become stronger and more confident, as described before. The turning point in the soliloquy is when M realises what he was planning was ‘wrong’ and that it was doomed to fail. Ergo, he decides not to kill Duncan. At this point M lifts his head and says triumphantly ‘he is here in double trust’. At this point the lighting would become lighter and warmer, both representing the revelation in his mind. This lighting will be effective, as it will be in total contrast to the previous lighting, which was a harsh white. If this were to be made into a film, I would place a heroic, but faint tune in the background, played by a brass band to add to the texture and connotations of the play. The second device used by Shakespeare is ‘violent imagery’. This device come through the play on several occasions, for instance, when LM displays her loyalty and depth of commitment while trying to bring her husband back on course. This device has major importance throughout the play. An example of how I would direct a section of this is between lines 54 – 59. I would have LM act out the phrases ‘pluck my nipple from his boneless gums’ and ‘dash the brains out’. This is designed to help the audience visualise what she is saying, therefore having a larger, and deeper impact. Unlike before, even if this was made into a film, I would have no music underneath, as this might distract form the lines. The same goes for in the theatre; I would not place any music underneath, as the words are powerful enough!
Act 1 scene 7 is a very important scene in the play ‘Macbeth’. It is during this scene that the most important decision is made. it was also during this scene that the most dramatic and most memorable lines throughout the play are said by LM,(her son “dash his brains out”).It is also the first time that M attempts to stand up to LM. In short, had this scene of the play been lost or forgotten the entire play would also have been forgotten, as this scene, is by far the most memorable scene, and makes it a classic. In my version of this scene, I would strive to make the audience pity M for his weak mind and be shocked by LM with her brutal ways. I would want this response because it would indicate that the audience had understood the meaning, and that I had directed it well. Out of everything that is said in this scene, I think that what LM said between lines 54 and 59 are the most pivotal and provocative because is at that moment in the play, that it becomes clear this story will last for centuries. And this essay is living proof. The audience are meant to feel sorry for M at the beginning of the scene, as it should be clear, he is in a mess. However, they should shortly feel resentment towards him, when they watch how LM manipulates him, (i.e. calling him a ‘coward’ and attacking his manliness). I am fairly sure that Shakespeare wanted the same, and therefore I want to achieve the same. My views on this scene are very similar to want I have directed throughout this essay. I think that M is very unstable and up until he kills Duncan has very little confidence. He relies heavily on LM to make many of the decisions and to motivate him. I think, on the other hand that Lady Macbeth is not evil. I think that she is a strong minded woman who craved power and had t o motivate her weak husband to get it for her. (A sign of the times). Later in the play, when Duncan is killed I think that M gains confidence with his new status and the ease with which he got it. In contrast LM realised the enormous mistake they had made and began to break down. As a whole, I think the play is packed with morals and at the time was written to please the current king. (King James 1). Amazingly, I think it relates to today’s society very well with one of the main themes being ‘you cannot read people by their outward appearances’. As in these days the world seems to over value and focuses too much on image. Therefore this plays still bears a powerful and very meaningful message, even today, 500 years later.
By Charles Medlock
