How do the directors Trevor Nunn and Roman Polanski present Act I scenes I to IV of Macbeth to their audiences?
Zahir Choksi 10B English Media Coursework How do the directors Trevor Nunn and Roman Polanski present Act I scenes I to IV of Macbeth to their audiences? In this essay I am going write about how Trevor Nunn and Roman Polanski present Act 1 scenes I to IV of Macbeth to their audiences. They have a variety of different techniques that is used to direct this play written by William Shakespeare. I will explain how each techniques is used by each director to create atmosphere and a sense of good and evil with special attention to the portrayal by each director of the character if the witches, Macbeth and Duncan. The setting of the productions of Macbeth used by Polanski is very different to that used by Nunn. This is because Nunn's version is set on stage so white spotlights are used. Polanski's version is set in a place, so there is bright daylight. This in comparison makes a lot of difference to create a good atmosphere, as setting the play in an actual place is more realistic and modern than setting it on stage, because of this, it appeals more to the audience. The beginning (act I scene I) of both Nunn's and Polanski's version of Macbeth are very different. As both the directors use different techniques. Nunn doesn't start of where the book version of Macbeth
The Film Versions of Macbeth
Yoni Jay English Macbeth It is crucial to understand that in all Shakespeare's productions whether it be in music dance or theatre that ideas and meaning are subtly outlined so that everyone should take out their own interpretation from the text and tailor it to suit their understanding. It is also vital to understand that television is the most dominant sort of media there is to day and it is expanding rapidly. This is because television brings you action, drama and romance at any period of the day, it takes up little space in the house and you can watch in the comfort of your own home. Television is for mass audiences; millions of people around the globe are watching the very same programme and all in their own armchairs unlike theatre, which is directed to a small intimate group. Television is "packaged" for you, the directors allow you to watch what he wants you to watch. For example in the Royal Shakespeare production video to which I will be referring to throughout my coursework, displays a scene where the video just pictures Macbeth's eyes and ears in the foreground and people talking about him in the background. This is maybe because the director wanted to show you that Macbeth had spies everywhere and was listening to anything said in opposition to him. This idea at least keeps the viewer's mind in motion. Whereas in theatre you would
MacBeth - Examine a scene from Mac Beth - both film and text versions. Comment on how well you think the cast conveyed the subject matter and write down how you would direct the play of given the chance.
Name: Shaun Cinnamond Class: S2D School: Abbey Grammar School Title: MacBeth - Examine a scene from Mac Beth - both film and text versions. Comment on how well you think the cast conveyed the subject matter and write down how you would direct the play of given the chance. No. Of words: 1,660 Date of Submission: 09/02/04 Macbeth Assignment "A play, usually intended for performance by living actors on the stage for an exciting or distressing event". That is how the dictionary defines drama. However its origins are not clear. It is reckoned Drama has been around for hundreds of years and is believed to have started in Roman times as a source of entertainment for ceasers' and rulers. Back then though drama would have been performed in front of small crowds usually of great importance with little effort and props. Since then drama has changed greatly and has undergone many changes. It has become a main part in everyday life as a form of entertainment. One of the greatest dramatists ever is William Shakespeare. There is not a complete account on his life and has life is based around few facts. Shakespeare was born in 1564 to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. Shakespeare's father John was a glover and became Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare attended Grammar School in Stratford and learnt English, Greek, Latin and the Bible. After that however there is doubts to what
Study three dramatised interpretations of Macbeth
English Coursework Macbeth In this assignment I will study three dramatised interpretations of Macbeth and will analyse how successfully the directors were able to transfer script to stage. I will study the effectiveness of the witches and say if they are effective in today's modern society which isn't threatened by witchcraft. This first scene in "Macbeth" is crucial as it sets the atmosphere and the scene for the play. It introduces characters before we even get to meet them, for example Macbeth. It fascinates and astounds the audience also disturbing them as I discovered in Orson Welle's interpretation. The scene suggests things that occur later on in the play. It also suggests a presence of evil. Is Macbeth in charge of his destiny as he echoes the witches words, "fair and foul" later on in the play. Is everything as it seems? The three productions that I will study for this piece of coursework are: * Orson Welle's (film 1930s) * Roman Polanski (film 1971) and * BBC Shakespeare shorts (video production 1998) In the original text of Macbeth, Shakespeare opens his play in "an open place." We notice that in each of the different productions, each director picks a different location for this first scene e.g. cliff top, beach and a warehouse, but in each setting the locality is still an "open space". The directors tried to make the atmosphere and scenery as
Macbeth
Samantha Barker 11.4. Macbeth. At the beginning of this exam we read through the play entitled "Macbeth" so we had an idea of the plot of the play I think this helped us all as most of the class had not read this play before and this made us want to learn more of Macbeth. Response Phase. Using still images and narration after we had read the play helped me to understand the play better than when I read it as you had a visual aid and could see exactly what was going on and having narration in Modern English made it easier to understand as we are used to Modern English. In order to create three still images with narration successfully we had to think about the relationships between characters within the play to make sure that the way in which we performed was as accurate as possible as then it made it easier for the audience to understand. When we performed the three still images with narration I found that putting emotion in your voice for the narration and using conscious movement when changing images was hard and we needed some more work on that however I feel that showing who we were acting towards other characters was easy and the audience knew who we were trying to act as. In the exam we did an exercise called "the mirror exercise" in this we got into pairs and had to stand facing each other and we had to copy our partner's actions and movements to create an
Write about the transposition of Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, from live theatre to the medium of television.
Media Studies Write about the transposition of Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, from live theatre to the medium of television. There exist many forms of media, such as TV, newspapers, and radio. In my own personal opinion television is the most important form of media, as radio has the ability to make sounds, newspapers have the ability to show pictures but television has the ability to show moving pictures and sounds. In our modern society millions of people throughout the world could all watch the same film, in their living rooms, by themselves, whilst in Shakespeare's time in order to watch Macbeth, for example, you would have to go to the theatre, where the audience would be smaller but together. In the theatre the audience choose what they want to see, they are quite far from the actors and cannot see their faces very clearly, so the actors would have to show their emotions and expressions that would normally be conveyed through body language and facial expressions, using their language. They would also have to shout as in Shakespeare's time microphones were not yet invented. Seeing vas the language was so important in the theatre (as emotions could not be conveyed through facial expressions), Shakespeare was very careful with his choice of words. On television, however, the director decides what you see and how closely and clearly you see the actors. The actor's
Comparison of two different productions of Macbeth
English Coursework: Shakespeare and Media Shakespeare and many other writers of the Elizabethan time used soliloquies. The meaning of soliloquy is as follows, you share your thoughts, and thus giving the audience further insight into your characters and events. A soliloquy reveals a characters deepest thoughts and fears. Macbeth soliloquies enable us to understand Macbeth because a soliloquy indicates what a persons current thoughts are about a certain situation at that time, or what the person is thinking of doing at the minute. Throughout the three soliloquies we see the steady progression where Macbeth goes from a moral, good man to a murderous, evil man. I think that the RSC Production was far more traditional, I thought this was much more effective. Overall I thought the RSC put on a better production. Before Macbeth starts soliloquy one, Lady Macbeth greats Duncan at the gates of Macbeth Castle along with Malcolm, Donalbain and others. She welcomes him by giving the impression that everything has been done twice, and then done it again. That would say to someone that they respect Duncan greatly and that they want to make a good impression, when infact they are planning on killing him. In the Soliloquy we see a somewhat nervous Macbeth. As the soliloquy continues we can see Macbeth realising more and more that he is doing something wrong. You can also see quite clearly
What is Shakespeare's purpose for the witches in Macbeth?
What is Shakespeare's purpose for the witches in Macbeth? In 1606 Shakespeare had the difficulty of trying to catch the attention of the audience in the play Macbeth. In the play there are three witches, who are the main characters in the play. Shakespeare's purpose for the witches is to set the scene from the beginning with a menacing atmosphere. Witches were despised by the audience and they brought a sense of fear into the play. The witches were played by men because women weren't allowed to act in those days and by using men they would already have the witches characteristics. The witches were made to be ugly. They had "choppy fingers" , "skinny lips" and "beards", all abnormal for women. The convenience of the witches having 'beards' was that they did not need a razor which could be fatal and lead to death .They were "withered" and they had "wild clothing" which would make the audience even more tense. The Globe Theatre was round, which meant that the stage was in the centre of the theatre and the actors had people all around them. This meant that the actors had to keep on turning around so the crowd would not get bored or angry. If the actors didn't turn around then the crowd would throw things at them. In the Globe Theatre the performances started at 2pm. The pub, opposite the Globe Theatre opened at 9am. So, by the time the play started a lot of the people were
Macbeth - Polanski’s version and Bogdanov’s version
Macbeth Polanski's version and Bogdanov's version In Act our Scene 1 we are confronted with many of the themes of the play, which have already been introduced. The themes of the play are the supernatural, blood, good & evil, light & dark ambition, loyalty, love, kingship, corruption, justice and deception. The themes I am concentrating on are the supernatural element of the play and the portrayal of Macbeth himself. The theme of the supernatural occurs very prominently in Polanski's version but isn't as prominent in Bogdanov's version, and the element of Macbeth himself is presented in both versions of Macbeth, but they are presented differently as you will see. The theme of the supernatural in Polanski's interpretation gives more depth to the interpretation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. The setting of this scene is a major factor in giving the interpretation, which Shakespeare himself wanted to portray, because of the older props and the witches who look the way witches were expected to look like in the days of Shakespeare. In Polanski's version, the scene is set in a dark cave, positioned on a hillside. Darkness is a major theme in the whole of Macbeth, and it is again shown here in the jet-black skies of the night with the only light coming from the cave the witches inhabit. The musical soundtrack of the film sends an eerie feeling through the scene. The music is
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