Shakespeare’s plays were split into three groups; histories, tragedies and histories. I will be looking at one of his histories/tragedies, Macbeth.
Mac Beth is wrote in five different acts and is based on the career of King Macbeth. He was a commander for King Duncan but ends up murdering Duncan to become King of Scotland for seventeen years. However Malcolm, son of Duncan who then became Malcolm the third, killed him. The play Macbeth would have been performed around 1606 and it was first printed in 1623 and it is known as first folio. The story tells us how far someone would go in order to find success; it is a harrowing study of ambition.
I am going to look at the opening scene from Macbeth on which I will base my assignment. The scene gives an indication of what is to come and would keep you interested; it arouses our curiosity. In the scene the three witches talk of Macbeth and they sum the scene up with “There to meet with Macbeth”.
In Shakespeare’s day the public believed in witches and that they had supernatural power. Society was totally opposed to witchcraft as it went against religion and society and was not to be tolerated. Most people believed in witches in the 17th century but the intensity of the play deals with whether the witches control Macbeth’s future or whether he is responsible for his own.
For my assignment I have looked at two versions of Act 1 Scene 1. One is by Orson Welles and the other is by Roman Polanski.
Orson Welle’s version was directed and produced when he was thirty-three. He was one of the best actors of his time and wrote and directed arguably the best film made “Citizen Kane”.
At the time of production colour would have been available to Welles' however he wished for his production to be done in black and white. The costumes used also create a mysterious and spooky atmosphere. Welles' has gone for the stereotypical version of the witches and the witches seem like a unit. Also this helps to create atmosphere and eerie noise plays in the background. The background is silhouetal and misty. What we see is a barren tree and a crag of rock with three figures on it around a cauldron. We then find out the witches are reciting something; what they are actually saying is from Act 4 in the book, it has been transposed and the witches also have Scottish accents. We then see the cauldron bubbling rapidly and start to see what is going into it. We then hear the different voices and then there is a close up of inside the cauldron. We then see a ghostly picture of a noose, which makes us wonder what is happening, it creates a sense of mystery. One witch says, “When shall we three meet again?” whilst the witch speaks fire rises from the cauldron. This shows that the witches have power and magic. As the witches are talking they plunge their hands into the cauldron, which creates further mystery and arouses our curiosity. Things move very fast in the cauldron and a close up of the cauldron then takes up the whole screen. A lump of clay is then pulled out by one of the witches and the witch shapes it into human form. At this point the word Macbeth is said at the end of a drum roll then the scene ends. In this version the witches speak in unison and Welles’ portrays the witches as a force. His version is stereotypical of witches as they are dressed in black and they are with a typical cauldron. It is a mysterious version as it is rushed and happens quickly and the sounds in the background are effective.
Roman Polanski directs the other version I looked at. Polanski collected a few Oscars with his production of the Pianist. Polanski had a hard life and sad upbringing. His mother and father were taken to a German concentration camp when he was three; his mother died but his father survived and Polanski was reunited with him when he was twelve. Cult leader, Charles Manson, in a random attack, also killed his wife in 1969. Polanksi followed the murderers for years and then he re-emerged with a violent adaptation of Macbeth.
Polanski’s version starts with a panoramic view of a beach. The sky is red but changes from dusk till dawn quickly. There is no music playing and all you can hear is the squawking of a seagull, which is mysterious. From the right hand corner appears a stick and a circle is drawn in the sand, which shows us that there is a hierarchy of witches however we do not see the witch’s faces’. The other two witches then dig a hole in the circle with their hands. We see the witch’s faces; one is in old age, one is middle aged and one is young. Polanski challenged the stereotypical version of the witches by making them different ages; he gives them their own qualities. The witches are more like individuals. As well as being of different age they all wear different colours of clothes, the oldest wears black, the witch of middle age wears grey and the youngest wears brown. Polanski also puts emphasis on the oldest woman’s hearing as she wears a balaclava with her ears cut out. A noose, which symbolises death, is then taken out and buried in the sand; this creates curiosity. A hand is then taken out and a dagger is put in the hand then it is also buried. You ask yourself is this a sign of what is to come, an omen? Herbs are then sprinkled on it then the hole is covered up. At this point it seems to be a ritual. Silence is used very well as it creates an eerie and mysterious atmosphere. A phial of blood is then emptied on the burial spot and then the witches spit on it. This is unusual and makes us want to find out more, it challenges the stereotypical view of witches, as a cauldron is not used for this ritual. As the witches pour the blood on the spot they say, “Fair is foul and foul is fair hover through the fog and filthy air.” After this the witches get up and leave with the youngest helping the oldest. A moist wind then blows up from the sea, which creates atmosphere. The oldest witch was also dressed in black to symbolise she is the leader as the other two wear different clothes.
From both versions we can see that cinema has changed. Welles’ version is stereotypical whereas Polanski challenges this. Polanski’s is also more mystic and vicious than Welles’ and this leaves the viewer confused.
If I were to make a version of Macbeth I would do something different. The setting would be in a football club’s boardroom. It would be late at night, around 10 o’clock and it is raining heavily outside as the witches discuss a young Macbeth's future. There is only a lamp on in the middle of the table in the boardroom. The chairman, the manager and an assistant manager would represent the three witches. The chairman would be old and walks with a walking stick. He talks very loudly and coughs frequently; he is dressed in a suit. His age would be around 65. The manager would be of middle age around 45 and he would be wearing the club tracksuit, he walks with a swagger as he was an ex-pro footballer and he thinks highly of himself. The assistant manager would be around 35/40 and he would also be wearing the club tracksuit, he would rarely speak and wouldn’t be all that important and when he does he is very quiet and speaks in a low voice. Macbeth would be a young footballer playing for a top club in Scotland and the witches believe he will go on to represents Scotland at international level. Macbeth would be a down-to-earth character who is quite shy and who walks normally. I would keep to the same lines as the pay. I would also use a lot of silence to build up tension. All the characters speak with a Scottish accent.
Drama today is not what it was, it has changed significantly and what way once performed on a stage is brought to the comfort pf our homes by television, video and DVD. Still, Shakespeare’s work is renowned. In his day Shakespeare was equal in popularity with soap shows. Boaz Lurhman sees Shakespeare as a “fantastic storyteller” and “incredibly popular”. Ian McKellen a Shakespearean actor and film star believes Shakespeare is “not old fashioned; he is bang up to date” in reply to critics who criticise Shakespeare’s work.
At any one time there is a Shakespeare play being acted somewhere in the world. His work will forever be performed as Drama evolves as people like McKellen, Welles and Lurhman will make sure Shakespeare’s work moves with time. This is easily done as changes in cinema have meant we can approach a 400-year-old play as if it were a new script.
