The scene begins in ‘an open place’. I feel this is not as effective as enclosing the three gypsies. Placing the three gypsies in an extremely dark, narrow alley would give the audience an uncomfortable sense of claustrophobia in being ‘so close’ to these evil women. Hence, my opening camera shot would be an panning shot, sweeping over the city of Edinburgh, with thunder, lightning (as dictated in the play) and torrential rain pelting the city. Shakespeare’s inclusion of thunder and lightning would have highlighted his intension to convey the sense of supernatural evil that the witches’ appearance creates.
The camera would then hover over a tiny, deserted and decrepit alleyway with torrents of water flooding down its narrow street. The thunder, lightning and rain in the opening shot are recognised as ominous and foreboding signs, almost clichéd in their use. It is also an instance of pathetic fallacy, where the weather reflects the mood of the scene. This establishes the atmosphere of mystery and horror and introduces the underlying forces that will control the action of the play.
The camera would then float down to an overhead view of three gypsies huddled around an oil drum fire, sputtering in the heavy rain. These fires are used by the homeless and poor all over the world and, thanks to most people’s perception of the homeless, would instantly let the audience know what type of people they were watching. The gypsies costume would consist of traditional traveller dress, with shawls, cardigans, large hooped earrings, long skirts and headscarves. All the clothes would be in neutral, earthy colours such as browns and greens. The clothes would be in a visibly decrepit state, drenched in rain. I feel that Shakespeare would have depicted the three witches as ancient women and I agree in that the gypsies would not only be ancient but also incredibly hideous in their physical appearance. If young, beautiful actresses were used, the audience would not feel such apprehension and repulsion towards the gypsies and so the chilling mood of the scene would be diminished.
As the camera sweeps down to a close-up of the first gypsy’s face, she begins her initial incantation. With rain dripping off her face, the flickering flames illuminate one half of her face, while the other half remain dark like the night. This symbolism could represent the good and evil within each and every person (light and dark), the major theme of ‘Macbeth’. ‘ When shall we three meet again, in thunder, lightning or in rain?’ would be delivered with an intent gaze at her companions, and the nasal whine of an ancient woman. The camera would then cut to a ‘worm’s-eye view’ of the scene, with the camera partially submerged in a deep puddle. This gives a unique and interesting angle on the scene. The second and third gypsies would deliver their lines from this angle in much the same way as the first gypsy, suggesting that the gypsies are somehow related. "When the battle’s lost and won", indicates that an upcoming battle of arms will be won, but the time of victory and battle for the soul shall be lost.
With a sudden, chilling bell chime, the gypsies throw their heads back in unison and stare into the sky which has suddenly become much more violent, with the rainfall increasing heavily and much stronger roars of thunder, hinting that they are performing some sort of incantation. The camera cuts to a close-up of the first gypsy who, psychotically screaming over the noise of the thunder and rain, asks her companions ‘Where the place?’. The camera then speed-cuts to a close-up of the second gypsy who screams in instant reply ‘Upon the heath’. Once again, the camera speed-cuts to the third gypsy who screams ‘ There to meet with…’ in instant reply. This speed-cutting and instant response makes the sequence disorientating, adding to the audience’s discomfort and allowing them to only catch tantalising fragments of information. She stops short and looks down directly at the camera for a few seconds before, in a chilling tone, delivering ‘…Macbeth’. This chilling introduction to Macbeth gives a powerful atmosphere of evil around a man we have not yet met, and the pause accompanied with a chilling voice would certainly make a few in the audience shiver.
Following this, the camera moves into the pitch darkness of the gypsy’s still open mouth. As it enters, all of the exterior sounds become muffled and finally silenced. The picture remains black and silent for around five seconds. This puts the audience on the edge of their seats, just waiting for something to happen. A sudden bolt of lightning flashes across the screen and a sharp, piercing bird-cry roars out. This sudden attack of sound and light on the audience would make many jump or scream, exactly what I am aiming for. The bird-cry is meant to be that of Graymalkin, the first gypsy’s familiar spirit. I have decided to make Graymalkin a bird, as a cat seems far too clichéd when used in conjunction with witches and the supernatural.
The camera cuts to a mid shot of the first gypsy who looks into the distance and delivers her line ‘ I come, Graymalkin’ in a low voice. The gypsies then begin to slowly circle the oil drum fire and the camera cuts to the original overhead view. They scream out their final three lines in perfect unison, using the psychotic voices from before, showing the audience the spell may have begun again. The first two lines, ‘Paddock calls. Anon! Fair is foul and foul is fair,’ are delivered in a fast, high-pitched chant. This paradoxical phrase sums up the reversal of normal moral values that is the central principle of Satanism, the witches’ ‘religion’. It is also a central theme to the play, and Shakespeare has cunningly integrated a fundamental theme throughout his play with the ghastly practice of Satanism. In doing so he has left his audience in no doubt as to how dark and mystical this tragedy is. The small drop of doubt left in the audience’s minds as to whether the witches are real or not enables Shakespeare to combine a vivid external presentation of the forces of evil with a profound exploration of their psychological sources and effects in the human mind.
‘Hover through the fog and filthy air’ is delivered in a slow, ominous moan. The gypsies are meant to disappear into thin air as directed in the text, but I feel it is much better to leave it up to the audience to decide if these women have supernatural powers. In order to allow this, the oil drum fire sputters wildly and, with another chilling bell chime, fades out in the torrential rain. The screen then becomes completely blank, finishing the scene and leaving the audience with the uncertainty as to what the gypsies truly are.
