Macbeth - To what extend is Roman Polanski's interpretation of the witches in keeping with Shakespeare's text?
To what extend is Roman Polanski's interpretation of the witches in keeping with Shakespeare's text? When comparing Roman Polanski's version of Macbeth with the original text written by William Shakespeare we can see that his work is in keeping with Shakespeare's to a an extent however Polanski adds innovations to show of the more natural side of the witches which is more realistic to the modern audience. Although William Shakespeare wrote the play circa 1603 (for king James) the play is set in the Dark Age Scotland. Polanski uses this and sets his film around this era unlike other directors who have set their films in Jacobean times when it was written, this makes Polanski's version more credible. The essential theme for Macbeth is tragedy. The importance of the witches is established in the opening scene. Even the first stage direction, ' Thunder and lightning. Enter three WITCHES' is appropriate as many people around Shakespeare's time blamed witches for the conjuring of storms, this is pathetic fallacy. Although in the text there is no stage directions suggesting where act 1 scene 1 should take place, Polanski has decided to innovate with this. Polanski sets Act 1 scene 1 on a deserted beach, with eerie sounds. In Polanski's version the lines are in different order from the play. The witches of the film cast a spell using vile ingredients like a severed arm etc. By
Macbeth - Look at how the witches are portrayed in the play and how they are represented through various different mediums.
Introduction: My essay is going to focus on the role of the witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth. I am going to look at how the witches are portrayed in the play and how they represented through various different mediums. In order to do this I will initially consider the written text and then I will compare this to the portrayal and influence of the witches through the video version. Introduction to Shakespeare: William Shakespeare was born in the year 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of eighteen (1582) he got married to Anne Hathaway. One year later he had his first child. It was a girl. After another two years he had another two children. They were twins. In 1588 he moved house to London, to act out his plays. In 1592 the theatres close in London due to the plaque. The theatres reopened two years later and Shakespeare could start acting his plays. Some of his most popular plays include Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and hamlet. In the year 1613 the globe theatre burned down. Three years later William Shakespeare died and he became more famous than what he was before. Introduction to Witchcraft: During the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st the public were increasingly preoccupied with witchcraft. A law came into force making murder by witchcraft punishable by death. It is estimated that in Scotland alone 8,000 witches were burned to death. An additional law was passed in
Towards the end of the play the chorus refers to Medea as "this pitiable bloody handed fiend of vengeance." Is this how you see Medea?
Medea presents a complex character! Towards the end of the play the chorus refers to Medea as "this pitiable bloody handed fiend of vengeance." Is this how you see Medea? Euripides central character, Medea, provides the audience with an intently complex individual. Having been used, rejected in love and deserted by her husband she is intent on revenge. While initially we are able to side with Medea and, in fact, feel sympathy for her, as the play progresses this character's true treachery is unveiled. Her cunning and calculating nature, although engage the audience, also strike fear into their hearts. It is ultimately the proposal and eventual act of infanticide that cannot be understood by the audience. Though this treachery is predominant throughout the play, at times we are shown glimpse of compassion and conscience from Medea, not to mention - at least in the eyes of the gods - a degree of heroism. Therefore it would be too simplistic to merely suggest that Medea can merely be described as a "bloody handed fiend of vengeance". Primarily in the early stages of the play we are able to sympathize with Medea. Her offstage monologue immediately portrays an enraged, wronged woman, overtaken with the grief of her husband's fundamental betrayal. "Oh how I hate living! I want to end my life, leave it all behind and die!" is a passionate cry from a woman who has been deeply
Omens in Macbeth and Throughout History
Omens in Macbeth and Throughout History "An omen is an observed phenomenon that is interpreted as signifying either good fortune or bad fortune." (1) Omens are numerous and varied. The concept of order was an extremely important one to William Shakespeare, and to Elizabethans in general. He saw the world as something planned and patterned. In the play, "Macbeth", Shakespeare cleverly uses omens as tools to help the audience predict the fate or outcome of key characters. Several of these omens used include the use of birds, weather patterns, blood and even sleep. In today's society, we still use omens, however, they occur mainly in works of literature. They signify a departure from our understanding of how the world really works. We may, perhaps, consider an omen as a sign of what will happen in the future. We mainly, however, see an omen as a source of entertainment. Birds have been considered an important omen in ancient times, as well as the present. There are several kinds of birds that have very different meanings. Each type of bird may be a forecaster of either a good fortune or a bad fortune. In Asia, the crane represents a long life. The dove symbolizes love and peace and to dream of dove's means that happiness will be in the future. However, a raven is said to predict death and pestilence. Folklore says that a raven's sense of smell is so acute that
Macbeth's Likely Suspects: the Practical, Psychological, and Mystical Utility of the Three Murderers
Macbeth's Likely Suspects: the Practical, Psychological, and Mystical Utility of the Three Murderers Erin Connelly English The series of slayings that characterize Macbeth incites an intricate sequence of suspicions and allegations, engendering a leitmotif of culpability. The play's only killers to be identified, unequivocally, as such, arrive in Act 3 scene 1. The Murderers of Macbeth are interlopers; in a cast of opinionated participants, these seemingly emotionless, poorly differentiated desperados are engaged to accomplish a specific, circumscribed task. The object of surprisingly limited recent critical attention, Macbeth's nameless consociates effect one of the play's pivotal actions, Banquo's murder, while serving as figures onto whom Macbeth displaces his own considerable anxieties. Arrival of an enigmatic Third Murderer enlists the three accomplices in the play's tradition of mystic, fate-endorsing trios, including the Weird Sisters and the three apparitions. Addressing the question of why Macbeth involves the three surrogate Murderers, this essay appraises the practical, psychological, and mystical utility of the Murderers vis-à-vis the greater system of murder and murderous accusations at work in the drama. In their Act 3 debut, the First and Second Murderers of Macbeth are presented as disenfranchised itinerants, alleging histories of insurmountable
Good and evil in Macbeth.
Good and evil in Macbeth. I think that Macbeth is a play concerned wholly with the battle between good and evil - throughout the play we continually see signs of a supernatural struggle between the two, with evil 'winning' over good when Macbeth murders the king, but then good finally defeating evil when Macbeth is slain. In fact, very the opening scene we see signs of supernatural happenings and evil - the witches: Fair is foul and foul is fair; Hover through the fog and filthy air Here we see that, to the witches, what is evil is good "foul is fair" and what is good they find repulsive ("fair is foul"). This seems to be their attitude to life, but it could also be a warning to the audience that things to follow are not what they might seem. In the following scene we hear of an honourable Macbeth, fighting valiantly for his king against enemies: Here there is a contrast between scenes I and II, with evil being shown in I and good being shown in II. However, it is in scene III that good and evil collide, when Macbeth meets with the witches. In this scene the witches prophesy Macbeth's future - one hails him with his current title, Thane of Glamis. Another greets him with the title 'Thane of Cawdor', a title he does not currently possess. The third witch hails him as 'King In Macbeth the theme of good vs evil as it is presented throughout Macbeth. MacBeth is an
With Close reference to the text discuss how you would direct Act 1 Scene 1 and Act 1 Scene 3 of Macbeth.
With Close reference to the text discuss how you would direct Act 1 Scene 1 and Act 1 Scene 3 In his plays, Shakespeare liked to please his audience and create as much tension as possible. When he wrote Macbeth Witches were feared greatly around England and were seen as evil. This is why Macbeth included witches in his play to give an evil and scary side to the play. The witches first arrive in the first scene, which would immediately scare the audience and cause them to dislike the witches right from the start. "In thunder, lightning or in rain," The witches are making out that the future is evil and ghastly. In Shakespeare's time this would anger the audience because of their hate for witches and the fact they were plotting a plan. In modern day it would still affect the audience, however not in the same way. The audience would not feel as scared or angry as so much as intrigue and excitement as to what the plan could be. "I'll drain him dry as hay," Here the witches are casting a spell and the audience would pick up on this and realise that it would be to cast upon a 'him'. "All hail to Macbeth to thee, Thane of Glamis. All hail to thee Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Cawdor. All hail Macbeth that shalt be King hereafter." The prophecies that the witches tell Macbeth give a clear insight into the plot and the future scenes of the play. This would scare the audience
Macbeth was first performed in 1606, three years after James I succeeded Elizabeth I on the English throne. - William Shakespeare
MACBETH Macbeth was first performed in 1606, three years after James I succeeded Elizabeth I on the English throne. By that time, William Shakespeare was the most popular playwright in England. You can see from the content of 'Macbeth' that Shakespeare was writing to please the new king. At the time James I was already James VI of Scotland, so a play like 'Macbeth' about Scottish history was a tribute to him. This play was especially flattering to James because he was of the Stuart line of kings, and supposedly the Stuarts were descended from Banquo, who appears in the play as a brave, noble, honest man, but in fact Banquo was more like MacBeth. Also, James wrote a book called, 'Demonology' and he would have been very interested in the scenes with the witches. It is not unusual that Shakespeare wrote the play to appease the newly appointed King. The play also acts as a warning by showing how easily the mind is influenced and shows how Macbeth, once a great warrior, becomes bloody murderer. One of his early plays, 'Titus Andronicus' was popular for the same reason certain movies sell a lot of tickets today, it is full of blood and gore. The witches and the battles of Macbeth, too, may have been there in part to appeal to the audience. I also think that the audiences in the 17th century and today in the 21st century are very alike when it comes to entertainment; we haven't
What dramatic methods does Wilde use to control what the audience thinks about Mrs Erlynne's Character?
Graham Jones What dramatic methods does Wilde use to control what the audience thinks about Mrs Erlynne's Character? Throughout the play the audience's responses to the character of Mrs. Erlynne change as the play progresses. Our feelings change from hate and disgust, at her supposed promiscuity, to understanding and mercy, when we realise who she really is, till the end of the play when her mothering instincts are shown making us admire and respect her. Wilde manipulates our feelings for Mrs. Erlynne by involving us in her and other people's private conversations and gossip. His methods are very effective as for the audience the play is full of judgements and opinions. Wilde's order of mastering our opinions of Mrs. Erlynne is not typical to most books or plays. Most story lines would follow the pattern of we meet her, we hate her and then we learn to appreciate or even love her. Wilde has done this differently. In this play we first hate her then meet her and the admire her. First we hear about Mrs. Erlynne from The Duchess of Berwick in her "report" to Lady Windermere about her husband's affair with the lady in question and this makes us hate her. We then meet her at the ball where amongst all the gossip and conversation she makes an entrance, which demands the attention of all the people in the room. Her daring and self-sacrifice to help Lady Windermere
GCSE Coursework Macbeth by William Shakespeare
GCSE Coursework Macbeth by William Shakespeare In drama the audience is informed of each character's personality by numerous ways, the most obvious being the character's own actions and deeds. The use of a "second party" account, and finally the effective use of dramatic irony, where the audience knows something which the character is unaware of and then the audience can see his/her reaction to the "news". The audience's first impression of Macbeth comes from another character's account. This character, a sergeant, whom had been injured in battle and had retreated to a camp, was asked by the king how Macbeth had fought in battle. The sergeant shows Macbeth in a courageous and noble light, "For brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name". Macbeth is seen in this way as he came against a merciless rebel in battle. Even when Macbeth's army were losing , he was brave enough to make his way through the opposition and slaughter every man in his way, until eventually getting to the rebel Macdonwald and killing him. It was very important to Macbeth that he'd made his King and country proud, his bravery reflected this and showed that he was loyal, "Like valour's minion carved out his passage.... Till he faced the slave.... And fixed his head upon our battlements". Joined with his friend, Banquo, the audience first sees Macbeth whilst he was on his way home from battle, when they came