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

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 starts off, but instead Nunn starts his production by shining a white spotlight on a circle from above and then all the characters of the play move in around and towards the circle, which creates a really good effect, as it shows shadows closing and covering the circle as the characters movie in.

Then the characters sit down and a close up of each individual character is shown while the camera pans around. This gives an impression to the audience of how each of the characters looks, which is a good technique as the audience can become familiar with the characters. Whilst the characters are being shown, church music is played which portrays music in the time Macbeth was set which helps build a sense of atmosphere.

After the characters are portrayed, the three witches move of their sitting positions, they are not very old and they where normal and modern clothes, they touch the floor and start screaming and then animal sounds are heard, these sounds show that the witches are calling their evil spirits as the sounds are very strong and loud.

Polanski starts his production off where the book does which starts off with the meeting of the three witches on a beach. The witches in Polanski’s version are very old compared to Nunn’s production; one of the witches is blind. The old and blind blend in together to portray to the audience that witches were not normal and young people in the past. After the witches speak about there meeting with Macbeth the witches are shown from behind, walking away on the beach and slowly disappearing into distance and then slowly fog and mist appears on the screen. The ...

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At the start of act I scene II, in Nunn’s production, Duncan is shown to be praying to god. Duncan is wearing all white modern clothes and he is old looking, Nunn uses a good technique of using white for Duncan as white is said to be a good image of symbolism. This shows the theme of good in Nunn’s production.

While Duncan is praying, a wounded soldier, who is shown with a close up shot with blood on his face, reports to Duncan about the fighting. Nunn shows the wounded soldier very well, as he doesn’t speak properly and he has blood on his face. This is a good technique as it tells the audience (who aren’t familiar with the Macbeth text) that the soldier came back from fighting before he speaks.

The Polanski production of act I scene II has a different beginning compared to Nunn’s and compared to the text from the book, because it carries on from the fog on the screen and the fighting can be heard but not seen. Polanski uses sound effects of swords clashing, horses roaring and the sound of gunfire without viewing the actual fighting. This is a very good technique used by Polanski as he makes a third use of the fog and he also avoids showing violent scenes of battle and fighting.

After the sound effects, the after battle scene is shown in the battlefield, which is littered with people lying dead on the floor. This is a technique that is good because Polanski shows at least the aftermath of the fighting so the audience get a good image of what happened in the battle, but they don’t see the actual fighting.

There is one criticism during the showing of the battlefield after the fighting, because Polanski uses unnecessary violence by showing a man being killed by another man after faking that he was dead on the ground.

In Polanski’s production Duncan is not that old but is at least fifty years of age and the clothes he wears shows a very good impression to the audience of what kings used to wear in the past as he is not wearing modern costume.

The wounded captain is also wearing clothes that are not modern so this also gives another impression to the audience of clothes in the past.

In act 1 scene 3, in Nunn’s production, Macbeth and Banquo are shown walking around. The portrayal and description of Macbeth is that he is middle-aged, open when he speaks and he is friendly. Banquo is about the same age as Macbeth.

The witches then just become visible and Macbeth and Banquo are shown close up as they turn immediately around pointing their weapon at the witches. Polanski uses a good technique in doing this because he creates atmosphere by showing Macbeth and Banquo to be very alert and aware of the surroundings and they also have an immediate reaction.

Each of the witches tells Macbeth about the three prophesises, and also tells Banquo about a prophesise. When Macbeth tries to question them further the witches disappear. Nunn uses a good way of making the witches go away, because they don’t just run away, but they disappear, which is more dramatic and effective.

Ross and Angus then appear and tell Macbeth about him being grant the title Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth then shifts away from Ross, Angus and Banquo and a close up of Macbeth is shown and he shares his thoughts by talking to the audience. These thoughts are hidden from the rest of the cast so it is like a voiceover. This is an effective technique as the audience get to know what Macbeth’s thoughts are by him speaking, but the other characters don’t know what he is thoughts are.

In Polanski’s production of act 1 scene 3, Macbeth and Banquo are shown moving slowly on their horses in dull weather with rain. This is different in comparison to Nunn’s production as there is just a black background and so the sky cannot be seen and so the weather cannot be portrayed very well in Nunn’s production.

Macbeth is very young, about 25, and he is not that much open but he is friendly. Banquo in comparison is a bit older and is open and friendly.

While Macbeth and Banquo are moving slowly on their horses they hear voices and so they go and follow it and they find the three witches sitting down and the witches tell Macbeth and Banquo about the prophesises and then when Macbeth ask more questions, they run away to a door and open it and go inside and then they close it.

In comparison to Nunn’s production, Polanski’s is very different, because in Nunn’s version, the witches just appear in a certain place and they also just disappear, which is more dramatic to the audience.

But in Polanski’s version, the witches don’t just appear from nowhere but they are sitting there in a place. They also don’t just disappear, but they run away to a certain place, which is less dramatic and effective than Nunn’s technique.

Macbeth and Banquo then go to a place where they are going to sleep in tents, and Ross and Angus tell Macbeth about him being grant the title of

Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is then given a necklace to show that he is the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth then goes into his tent and a voiceover is used to share his thoughts with the audience. This is a good technique because if he just talks using his mouth, then the audience would think that he is just talking to himself, but the use of voiceover is what he is thinking in his mind.

In act 1 scene 4, in Polanski’s production, the king’s palace is shown and there are lots of people in there as well as the king, who are shown using an extreme long shot from above. This creates atmosphere as there are people wearing clothes from the past and the whole palace is set up like in the past days of Shakespeare, which is a very good technique to create a sense of atmospheric view of the king’s palace. The Thane of Cawdor is then showed with chains strapped to his wrist that are attached to the ground and then he is taken away. Malcolm then reports in front of everyone that the Thane of Cawdor has been repented and executed.

This is a good technique used to show the Thane of Cawdor because he is shown before he is executed and not shown being executed to avoid showing unnecessary violent scenes.

Then in front of all the people, king Duncan names his son Malcolm to succeed as king.

There is then a voiceover of Macbeth as he expresses his thoughts on Malcolm being another obstacle to overcome his goal to succeed Duncan as king. This is a good creation of atmosphere as the audience get to know what his thoughts but the other characters don’t.

In Nunn’s production of act 1 scene 4 only a few people are shown with Duncan in his palace. Malcolm then reports that the Thane of Cawdor will be executed and the Thane of Cawdor is shown before he is executed. Then Duncan names his son Malcolm to succeed as king.

Macbeth then moves aside and he views his thoughts by speaking about Malcolm being king and what he has to do succeed as king.

The Nunn production of act 1 scene 4 is not very effective than Polanski’s production, this is because in Polanski’s there are more people and the atmosphere is noisy. Also the setting of the king’s palace is actually in a real palace and the people are not wearing modern clothes.

But in Nunn’s production the atmosphere is quiet and there are less people and the setting is just in a black background. This creates less impact and atmosphere to the audience.

Overall, I conclude that both productions of Macbeth had an impact on me. But Polanski’s production had the most impact on me, mainly because his production was set in an actual place or city that is more lively and atmospheric to the audience then Nunn’s production, which was set on stage. Although Nunn’s production did a have a little impact on me because of the viewing of each character at the start of the play which gives the audience a picture in their mind of each character and so this was a technique used by Nunn which had a lot of impact on me.

Only two scenes in Polanski and Nunn’s production were edited:

In Polanski’s, in act 1 scene 2, it was started of from the sounds of the fighting and the showing of the aftermath of the fighting.

In Nunn’s, in act scene 1, it was started of by showing all the characters individually.

The use of original language was changed a few times in both productions but mostly throughout the productions original language was used.

In Nunn’s production, the theme of good and evil was portrayed very well because Duncan and Macbeth at the beginning of the play were shown to be good people, especially Duncan who was shown to be religious. But as the play progressed further Macbeth dramatically changed into being evil because of what the witches tell him.

The same scenario takes place in Polanski’s version but the difference is that the king is not more good and religious and Macbeth is more evil after because of how young he is and how greedy he is to fulfil the three prophesies.