The Globe Theatre is probably the most important structure in Shakespeare's dramatic career.
The Globe Theatre is probably the most important structure in Shakespeare's dramatic career. The Chamberlain's Company built it in 1599, and it stood on the Southern shore of the Thames River in London. At this time Shakespeare was a member of the Chamberlain's Company, and therefore he became a shareholder in the theatre. The profits actors made off of their shares were their main means of support, as it was for Shakespeare. The Globe was just one of many theatres built in London around this time. The residents of London were in mood for entertainment, and in response many theatres for acting, bear baiting, and bull baiting were built throughout the countryside. Wealthy individuals were often patrons of the performances, and would therefore purchase a theatre of their own, or in some cases an acting company would purchase a theatre and play only for selected groups. Some of these theatres located in London were The Black friars I and II, St. Paul's, The White friars, Salisbury Court, The Cockpit, and Drury Lane. The Chamberlain's Company, who built the Globe, formed in 1594. At the time, it was one of only two licensed acting companies in London. Among the eight actors in the group were Shakespeare and Richard Burgage, (who was another notable English actor). Of the eight, only six donated the funds used to build the theatre. The Chamberlain's Company later changed its
Study and compare two different film interpretations of Act 4 Scene 1 of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'. Discuss how you would replace some of the techniques the directors have chosen to use.
MEDIA COURSEWORK- 'MACBETH' Study and compare two different film interpretations of Act 4 Scene 1 of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'. Discuss how you would replace some of the techniques the directors have chosen to use. In this essay, I am going to compare two different interpretations of Act 4 Scene 1 of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth', to see how different directors interpret a text and use different techniques to support their ideas. The two film versions of 'Macbeth' that this essay will focus upon are 'Macbeth on the Estate' directed by Penny Woolcock and the Polanski version. Both adaptations were produced in different decades- Woolcock's being in 1997, whereas Polanski's was some twenty years beforehand. In Act 4 Scene 1, Macbeth returns to the witches and as they await his arrival, they prepare the ingredients for the spell and start chanting. Perhaps one of the most obvious differences between both films is the setting. The Polanski version is quite traditional and true to the actual play, as it is set deep in the wild moors- in a cave, unlike Woolcock's version which is very contemporary, set in a Birmingham council estate, where gang rivalry replaces monarchy. I think Polanski is quite traditional with his ideas as it agrees with the text. If I would direct this scene, I would be more original with my idea and set it in a deserted fairground, in the Hall of Mirrors. I would
Comparing MacBeth and living with lady Macbeth
In Drama I have been studying two plays. The first one is Macbeth, by far the shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies, which explores the nature of evil, witchcraft and ambition. Shakespeare examines jealousy, ambition, self doubt and passion- the feelings that we all have to some degree. The second piece is Living With Lady Macbeth by Rob John which we are performing as one of our assessments. In our play there are nine of us - eight girls and one boy. Everyone appears throughout the play. I play the part of one of the girls. Macbeth has several settings in this play. These include the battlefield, an open place upon a heath, inside Macbeth's castle and the English court. Living With Lady Macbeth also has several settings. These include Lily's house and the school. This modern play deals sympathetically and realistically with teenage bullying and examines the characteristics invested in the character of Lady Macbeth and to some extent, in the character of Lily. It is a 'play about a play' and traces Lily's efforts to be cast as her heroine in her school's performance of Macbeth. To succeed, she has to better Suzanne Porter, one of her peer group who has bullied her throughout her school days. Living With Lady Macbeth only has one act whereas Macbeth has five acts. These two plays were written in different times. Macbeth was written in 1606 and is set in
Screen Macbeths
Screen Macbeths In this piece of work I hope to compare three different screen versions of the witches scene on video. The first was the Royal Shakespeare Company's production directed by Trevor Nunn (1978), it was filmed from a stage production. The second was the film directed by Roman Polanski (1971) and was made for cinema. Last and by most means least was the Thames video collection version, directed by Charles Warren (1988) and was made for television. Macbeth: The Royal Shakespeare Company. The scene opens with a zoom in to the stage floor from directly above it. There is atmospheric music, played on a church organ with some flat sounding notes that, to me, indicates presence. Once the camera has stopped zooming, the characters appear from the outside of the stage casting strange shadows across the stage. The camera then pans across all the characters, after this lengthy process is over, the king comes out from the ring of actors and kneels on the floor and prays, then from the circle appear the 3 witches. One of the witches seems to be having some kind of fit and the other witches seem to be encouraging it, near the end of the fit the witch begins to give out information to the other two witches as though the fit gives her information, after each segment of spasmic knowledge the other two witches seem to be surprised. On the last line "Fair is foul and foul is
A Comparison of Roman Polanski's film version of Macbeth and the BBC Shakespeare production by Shaun Sutton
Macbeth Macbeth is a tragedy set in Scotland. There are themes of supernatural powers, betrayal, murder and self-destruction in this play. It shows how Macbeth kills to become king and how Lady Macbeth's passion and thrust for power drives him. In this assignment I intend to compare and contrast Roman Polanski's film version and the BBC Shakespeare production by Shaun Sutton. The Sutton production opens with a prominent red sky and then this quickly turns into a dull grey darkness. Roll of thunder overhead is raging. The witches are wearing old rages. It is overlooking what appears to be an ancient burial ground where tombstones are visible only as silhouettes. This is symbolic of the bloodshed that is about to come later in the play. The witches are sitting around a large stone, which looks like they are about to make a sacrifice. The witches are chanting in a menacing language and they are speaking in riddles. There is a constant drone of eerie music that adds the feeling of uneasiness, which is also reflected in their words and actions as they speak in time unison. The witches say, "Come graymalkin" as they look to the sky and this seems to represent the calling of some evil spirit. Sorcery is displayed when the three witches start joining hands that creates a very powerful image in the opening scene. The film version completely turns the story upside down.
Macbeth Act 3, Scene 4.
Macbeth Act 3, Scene 4 Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most dramatic plays as it is filled with emotion. Some of the themes in Macbeth include love, lust, deceit, betrayal, anxiety and murder. I will study two productions of Macbeth. One is by Roman Polanski which was made in 1971 and the other is a BBC version made by Shaun Sutton which was made in 1981. I will be analysing act 3, scene 4. It is also known as the banqueting scene. I will consider how Roman Polanski and Shaun Sutton present the play. I will analyse the two plays under a number of different headings. These headings include set, costume, actions, lighting, sound, camera angles, extra scene which is only in Polanski's version and other actors. Polanski's version opens with the bear-baiting scene. This then sets the tone of the scene as the lords cheer on. The blood of the bear is symbolic of Macbeth's murder of Duncan. In Polanski's version the set is sparsely decorated and the table is the main piece of furniture on screen. The table is in a central spot; it therefore plays a central role with regard to the scene. I think the director has chosen to set the play in medieval times, as the costumes would suggest. Macbeth wears similar clothes to the actors but has a lighter tunic. Lady Macbeth wears a cream/white robe that enhances her character. All the other costumes are dull black/grey/brown colours.
Macbeth Theatre Analysis
Evelina Pogoriler Reader's Theatre The show Macbeth that was written by William Shakespeare was presented in Washington Square Church by New Perspective Theatre Company. The director of that show was Melody Brooks. This show contained many elements of presentational theatre but it was representational performance. This play involved many actors, where some actors had more than one role to perform. Actors spoke sometimes directly to the audience. It was unusual setting because it took place in the church. The audience sat in alley. They were guests of the house. Most of the time action took place in the center, between the two rows where the audience sat. The spectacle elements were used but they were more suggestive then literalized. The set was designed by Meganne George. The two rows of chairs aligned on left and right. This was one of the types of reader's theatre staging. On the far end there is a table (used in religious ceremonies) that was used for feasts. A cross hanged on the wall next to a table. There were stare cases on left and right to the balcony. And the floor was wooden. This performance had no curtains and scenes did not change in darkness, in that it was presentational performance. The scenes were continued without intermission. The door was present. In the beginning the audience came through the door and later the same door was used
In this essay I will look at two different views on the production, "Macbeth," originally written by William Shakespeare and how two different directors have used their imagination to create suspense and excitement in the opening scenes of the play.
The opening scene to any production is probably the most important scene of the whole play. This may be for a film, book, or in this case a stage production. The opening scene will set out the genre for the play and the main characters. The opening scene has to create suspense, be intriguing and also capture the attention of the audience. This is very important because if the opening scene is not interesting then the audience may lose interest and may not continue watching. In this essay I will look at two different views on the production, "Macbeth," originally written by William Shakespeare and how two different directors have used their imagination to create suspense and excitement in the opening scenes of the play. This is often described as "bringing the page to the stage" I will look at the opening scene of Shakespeare's production and also Polanski's production of the same play, "Macbeth" From the start Polanski is at and advantage as he has the use of technology to help him create the desired effect but with Shakespeare, he didn't have such aids. AS a brief description of the opening scene, there are three witches who come together to cast a spell. The overall objective is to create suspense and a sinister atmosphere. For the stage notes from Shakespeare he wrote the opening scene should be set, "in an open place." Polanski has interpreted these directions
How does the representation of the witches in Roman Polanski's and The Royal Shakespeare Company's adaption of Macbeth differ and what effect does this have on the audience?
How does the representation of the witches in Roman Polanski's and The Royal Shakespeare Company's adaption of Macbeth differ and what effect does this have on the audience? The representation of the witches in Roman Polanski's and The Royal Shakespeare Company's adaption of Macbeth differ and have quite an effect on the audience. For the three witches, the directors have casted two old women and one young woman. They have not been conveyed as stereotypical witches with pointy hats, black cats and broom sticks, but as three women dressed in black with an element of evil about them. I feel that by doing this, it makes them seem more wicked and inhuman as they cannot be categorized as witches straight away. In both productions, the witches are dressed in dark rags and look quite unclean. Also, in The Royal Shakespeare Company's version, there is a stark contrast between good and bad, with the witches in dark colours and the priest in white. Their faces are all disfigured, weathered and unsmiling with old, grey skin and high, and weary voices. In Roman Polanski's version, the witches' movements say a lot about what they are doing. They all moved hunched up, with quick, shifty movements, not wanting to be seen and showing they are up to no good. The witches didn't interact very much, they didn't talk unless necessary, went about there business and said a few words at the end,
What part do the witches play in Shakespeare's Macbeth?
What part do the witches play in Shakespeare's Macbeth? I am illustrating my answer by outlining how I would produce a play, concentrating on the witches' scenes. Setting I would set my production of Macbeth in the time that it was written as, because in this age people strongly believed in witchcraft, I feel that the play would make more sense and mean a lot more. An important point to realise is that in Shakespeare's time witchcraft was a substantial issue, people believed in it and it was a serious offence to be a witch and old women with pets or living on their own where prime suspects. Therefore to the people of that period the witches were real and so I think that to present the play purely in psychological terms would not fit in with setting the production in Shakespeare's time. Scenes A1, S1 - I would start my first scene with loud thunder and lightening to grab the audience's attention, also this gives the audience a sense that bad things are about to happen. It is important that the witches interest the audience at the beginning of the play by making the scene dramatic but also realistic. Therefore the first lines in this scene should be said clearly, as they are our first introduction to the witches and Macbeth and after this we know a little about what is happening in the future. I think we meet the witches first in the play to show the evil that is going