For Francesca Annis, playing the role of Lady Macbeth in Polanski’s movie meant portraying the role of a girl’s mind trapped in the body of a woman. Shakespeare’s classic woman of medieval times, one who could easily blend modesty with coquettishness is shown through her outwardly vulnerable, restless and feminine ways. Viewers though are forced to notice the devilish mind hidden behind this outward charm through the great stress laid upon the contrast of appearance and reality. Duncan’s offer for a dance is accepted with a convincing smile, veiling her true murderous nature. But, being the weak woman that she is, she is unable to bring herself to murder Duncan as he reminds her of her own father so starkly. The side of Lady Macbeth as a charming hostess portrayed by Shakespeare’s play is not shown here; instead she is shown as a scheming person conspiring with Macbeth to the last detail of how exactly they should commit the act.
Taking pleasure in getting her hair braided, running to Macbeth to fling her into his arms in girlish joyful abandon, and other such scenes bring out the childish streaks in Lady Macbeth in the movie. These acts are a sharp contrast to the cruel mantle she forcefully wears. It is this mismatch between what she is and what she wants to become that proves to be her undoing.
Right through the play and movie, Lady Macbeth’s language makes the audience strongly identify with witches and their peculiar habits / idiosyncrasies. Her action of washing her hands of blood that only her eyes could see was highlighted by the witches earlier – when the blind witch was washing the young witch’s back. The word “done” re-appears constantly (“What’s done is done”, “I’ll do, I’ll do, I’ll do), implying that the witches are clairvoyantly anticipating the entire story.
One of the movie’s starkest contrasts / comparisons is the assumed evilness of the witches as compared with the apparent innocence of Lady Macbeth. This is illustrated by the advice she gives Macbeth – “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it”: such advice of the witches being given by Lady Macbeth, who supposedly has a huge innocent and caring side to her personality, is one of the more haunting / disturbing themes of the movie.
In the play, as compared to the movie, Lady Macbeth’s character is much more evil; for example, in the play, it appears that she had no rational justification in plotting to kill King Duncan – her motivation being a crazy / erratic desire which also leads to her misfortune.
In one single bold stroke, Polanski’s movie makes two compelling points by portraying Lady Macbeth’s nakedness, – her weak , susceptible personality combined her desire to be cleansed of all her sins and failures on one hand; and her mind being brainwashed / captured by the witches, on the other.
Overall, Polanki’s expose of Lady Macbeth is more credible and complete, especially his illustrations of the contrast and contradictions of her innocence and sensitive character fusing with the evil, erratic character of the witches. Polanki’s Lady Macbeth is like a whiter shade of pale, neither heaven, nor hell – in the middle – confused, insecure, irrational – genuinely remorseful of her murderous action, with suicide being the only option of redeeming herself. Her literary character, in comparison, shows these traits in a much meeker, more diluted way: for example walking through the darkness with eyes open, yet “their sense being shut”. This signifies the huge guilt in her mind and her longing to cleanse herself from this.
In conclusion it is Polanski’s more real-world, nuanced, rendition of Lady Macbeth in the movie that brings about a strong immersive connect with the audience, as compared to the literary play.
