Macbeth Coursework
Macbeth Coursework The witches present modern directors with great difficulties. Consider the role of the witches and suggest how they can be made as successful for a modern audience as they would have been for a contemporary audience. In Shakespeare's day, the thought of the witches scared people as they thought that they had witches living among them, casting spells on them and trying to do them harm. This fear was fuelled by the King at the time, James I, who believed strongly in the Divine right of Kings. This meant that he thought he derived his authority from God and so could not be held responsible for his actions by any authorities on earth. He felt that if he was God's representative on earth, then Satan must also have one. He wrote a book on demonology, which talked about witches powers and origins. Due to this, it would have been very easy to make the witches seem frightening to an audience of that time. Nowadays however, people do not believe in witches and are not as superstitious. This makes it much more difficult for a director to make them as frightening as Shakespeare intended them to be. Shakespeare managed to make the witches seem evil by using a variety of techniques. One way was by giving the witches scary looking costumes. This could be achieved by wearing dark, worn out clothes and having dirty matted hair. Make-up could be worn to make them ugly
The presentation of the witches in the opening scenes is crucial to the atmosphere of Macbeth. Compare how act 1, scenes (1) and (3) are presented in two different versions of the play. Which do you feel makes the greater dramatic impact? Explain why.
The presentation of the witches in the opening scenes is crucial to the atmosphere of Macbeth. Compare how act 1, scenes (1) and (3) are presented in two different versions of the play. Which do you feel makes the greater dramatic impact? Explain why. Shakespeare is known all over the world for his advanced techniques in writing plays and the one I am studying is Macbeth. Macbeth was written for James the first, and was written because he was interested in witchcraft. In the 17th century witchcraft was frowned upon to say the least, and most people who practised witchcraft were burned at the stake. This was because society couldn't handle witchcraft; they were frightened of it. But nowadays people understand witchcraft and don't see it as a threat; they almost see it as thrilling and interesting. There have been many different interpretations and productions of the play and the two I have chosen are the BBCs version and a modern play by Anne Ross Muir. The BBC production was an old fashioned version and was set in medieval Scotland in the 11th century and followed a more traditional style. The version directed by Anne Ross Muir followed a modern route in trying to make the play more understandable. This was achieved by making the play have modern qualities, which people can relate to The BBCs was set in Scotland, at the time of war, when the monarchy was not a stable
The Essence in Long Day's Journey into Night: The Director's Notes.
The Essence in Long Day's Journey into Night: The Director's Notes ENG-4U1 By John Jung Teacher: Mr. Murray Date: Nov.17/03 Topic #1: Examine the director's notes of the play closely. What purpose do they serve within the play? How do they augment meaning and form? What function do they fulfill beyond simple stage direction? The director's notes in Long Day's Journey into Night bring a strong bond of understanding between the reader and the play. Eugene O' Neil created the book with such elaboration that no misinterpretations were to occur. The book is based on a dark family that has a bitter love relationship. The director's notes help the reader to perceive that the relationship is filled with no ordinary love, but bitter love. The purpose of the note is to make the reader part of the play, to make sure that the authors thoughts are keenly delivered with no misinterpretation. Although Shakespeare's Othello is considered as one of the best plays in the world, the play Long Day's Journey into Night is known for its better quality of content. The notes are the essence of the play because they provide a clear view of the setting and theme, summarizes the characters physical and psychological description with perfection, and provide the reader a clear picture of the character's actions, feelings and mood. The director's notes enhance the quality of the play. The
Any film maker when making their own interpretation of a play needs to create a general atmosphere relevant to the original script.
Any film maker when making their own interpretation of a play needs to create a general atmosphere relevant to the original script. This would have been the case for Roman Polanski and Orson Welles when each was creating his own version of act 1 scene 1 of Shakespeare's Macbeth. In their individual historical contexts they each had cinematic equipment at their disposal which Shakespeare did not have. When the later called for lightening and thunder ,he was given thunder boards, his play was performed in daylight with no special lighting effects in 16th century England. However Shakespeare did have the advantage of his audience understanding the superstitions concerning witchcraft, which unfortunately a modern audience would not have. Having noted these points Welles and Polanski follow Shakespeare's requirements for his play in their cinematic interpretations of Macbeth act1 scene1. Polanskis witches were quite normal looking, one is young , one is old and one is middle aged. They are also quite harmless looking, but that is really deceptive. One witch is blind, one dumb and one deaf ; they need and depend on eachother to stay alive. In Shakespeare's day 3 was a magic number, the witches appearances are very dramatic, perhaps due to their infirmities. The oldest witch is the most terrifying looking because she has got no eyes and her skin has grown over the sockets. It
Discuss the importance of the witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Discuss the importance of the witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth Introduction I am going to be discussing the importance of the witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth by focusing on three main scenes > The prologue > Act 1 Scene 3 > Act 4 Scene 1 These are the main parts of the play where to witches appear I am going to leave out act 3 scene 5 although it includes the witches it is not recognized as part of Shakespeare's work And Polanski has also left it out of his production There is some very historical importance about the witches The fact that in the time this play was being written people where being accused of being witches and where being burned for it so people would have been very scared and aware of witches and there evil powers they would have been very intimidating. Now day's witches are seen as a fun thing to dress up as at Halloween so polanski would have had a hard time scary a modern audience. He don't not use typical things like thunder and lightning instead he used fog and a misty settings when the witches are around, sometimes rain Prologue The story begins with thunder this would be very scary to a Shakespearean audience and it suggests to the audience and dangerous and uncontrollable power where as in Polanski's version he begins with no thunder and just a misty rainy sort of weather. They start talking about where they should meet Macbeth notice
Macbeth
The Tragic Hero Overall In American society, the topic "hero" is often used in entertainments such as comic books and movies. Not all heroes are a good man kind that deserves a happy ending. In The Tragedy of Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is portrayed as a tragic hero, who was initially a basically good man but falls to destruction due to his tragic flaws. First of all, Macbeth qualifies to be a tragic hero because he is basically a good man who demonstrates physical prowess and bravery throughout the play. With his courage and war strategies, Macbeth was able to gain victory in the war against Norway and win himself an honor of double Thane. However, many people argue that Macbeth does not qualify to be a tragic hero because he lacks virtue as part of his innate character. For example, Macbeth agrees to frame Duncan's two innocent guards by making "Duncan's two chamberlains drunk with wine and wassail" (1.7.71-72), and to blame them afterwards for killing Duncan "When Duncan is asleep" (1.7.69). Moreover, his thoughts of murdering Duncan "If th' assassination/Could trammel up the consequence, and catch, With his surcease, success" proves him to be a greedy and virtueless person. However, although Macbeth had evil thoughts of harming others, it does not change the fact that he is still basically a good man with both moral and conscience. After murdering
In this essay I will be comparing how Roman Polanski, Trevor Nunn and Anne Ross Muir have produced the play Macbeth and how they have portrayed the witches.
COMPARING THE THREE DIFFERENT PRODUCTIONS OF MACBETH: ACT 1 SCENES 1 AND 3 In this essay I will be comparing how Roman Polanski, Trevor Nunn and Anne Ross Muir have produced the play Macbeth and how they have portrayed the witches. Different directors each have a different point of view, their own opinions about things and the ability to make different decisions. The three different directors have produced the Macbeth scenes in a different way, and the scripts have been interpreted by each director differently. Roman Polanski started act one, scenes one at the seaside. Roman Polanski has presented the first witch as blind about sixty years old and wearing dark clothing. The second witch was about forty five years old, she was wearing shabby clothing and had wrinkly skin. The third witch looked very young about twenty three years old, she had a few pimples on her cheeks and she had blond hair. The witches dig up a hole in the sand and place three objects in the sand which are; a dagger placed in a severed hand and a noose. They then cover up the three objects with sand and pour blood on top of the sand and then spit on the surface. It seemed as though the witches were casting a spell. I think that the noose represented the
Presentation of Macbeth to Elizabethan and Contemporary Audiences
Presentation of Macbeth to Elizabethan and Contemporary Audiences For this piece of coursework, I am going to compare and contrast how I as a theatre director, would present the witches' scenes in Macbeth to an Elizabethan audience and a Contemporary audience. Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. The language used by Shakespeare is open to reinterpretation. Different people who read it will understand it in different ways. The text has many different meanings. This means that as the audience's changes socially, politically, economically and culturally there will be a different interpretation. The concept of 'witches' is continually open to reinterpretation. In the 16th century the audience was not like it is today. People in general believed in witches. It was thought that they were a real presence. Magic was a common subject and quite normal. However, witches were also thought to be evil and were therefore killed. An example of this was 'The Witch Trials' where James I executed hundreds of young women because they were thought to be witches. However, in the 21st century, there is a completely different concept of witches. Magic is no longer believed in. therefore, witches are now an aspect of fiction. Any outside influence that cannot be explained is not said to be magic or luck, it is explained to us by psychiatrists to be some kind of phenomena of the
Consider the dramatic importance of act 4 scene 1. And how as a director would you overcome some of its problems?
Consider the dramatic importance of act 4 scene 1. And how as a director would you overcome some of its problems? In this assignment I am going to consider the dramatic importance of act 4 scene 1. And how as a director how would I overcome some of its problems. Previous to this scene Macbeth has had an encounter with Banquo's ghost at the banquet and he then decides to visit the witches. This scene is of high dramatic importance, and there are many problems for a director in staging it. The witches in this scene I think are of great dramatic importance, probably of the highest, and I think this is the most important scene in the play. The witches in this scene are very important in the plot and develop certain aspects of the play. Even just their presence in this scene is very dramatic and would have been even more so when this play was first written, this is because at the time people believed in witches and the supernatural. The spell that the witches chant is very dramatic as it is an act of black magic. The spell describes transgressional activity and the vivid depiction of the stereotype witch. The spell has a forbidding and compelling rhythm e.g. "Round about the cauldron go; In the poisoned entrails throw. Toad, that under cold stone Days and nights have thirty-one Sweltered venom sleeping got. Boil thou first i'th' charmed pot". And "Double, double toil and
I am going to examine the two different ways that the witches are presented in the film versions by Trevor Nunn and by Roman Polanski.
I am going to examine the two different ways that the witches are presented in the film versions by Trevor Nunn and by Roman Polanski. In the very first scene of Roman Polanski's version of "Macbeth" (which does not take place at all in the play) the picture fades in and you see the witches on the beach. There are three witches, a younger one, a middle aged one and an elderly one. The youngest one is sort of good looking and she is wearing a light grey costume. the middle aged one is wearing a darker grey costume and the eldest witch is wearing a black costume and even though she is blind she seems to be in charge of the other two younger witches, I think that this is suggested because she is older in my opinion, this means that the older she is, the more experienced in the dark arts. This would have a greater effect on Shakespeare's Globe theatre audience than it would have on us as an audience today and this is because in Shakespeare's time there was still a strong belief in witchcraft and there was still people being burnt at the stake. Whereas nowadays most people don't believe in witches, that is why this scene would have more impact on Shakespeare's audience What they are doing is digging a circle in the sand; this seems something to do with a coven because most ritual ceremonies are performed in circles. We are surprised to see this in the play because it does not