Comparing the Opening and Witches Scenes in Macbeth
We watched two different versions of Macbeth. One was the BBC
Shakespeare and the other one was a production called Middle English!
While both productions told the story of the original play by William
Shakespeare they were different in a number of ways.
The BBC Shakespeare presents a traditional version of Macbeth. The
director starts with a long shot of a bleak, empty landscape. As the
camera zooms in it starts to focus on a granite platform with three
objects lying on top. The rock-like platform is bathed in swirling
mists and there is a greyish lighting used with occasional flashes of
light to represent lighting. There are also loud percussion noises to
represent thunder. This is because in Shakespeare's play the opening
scene has stage directions for a storm and the first lines spoken by
the witches also support this idea "When shall we three meet again in
thunder, lighting, or in rain. As the camera goes in for a close up
the mysterious shapes begin to move. Along with their slow movements
they start to unfold and to rise and the music increases in volume and
pitch as if reflecting the movement of the shapes.
It soon becomes clear that these bundles of rags are in fact women.
They are the weird sisters or witches in the play and they are shown
in this version as old and ugly. The director has chosen to present
them as unattractive and menacing and everything about this scene is
threatening and ugly and makes the audience feel uncomfortable impact
on the audience. The music is like funeral music loud and sad. The
witches are old and ugly and dressed from head and faces are...
... middle of paper ...
...ly as the ones in the other version
there is something unpleasant about them. They speak to each other
using an edited version of the original text.
The music used is fast paced. The lighting is bright. The scene is
colourful and the overall effect of this opening is different from the
BBC one. There is a sense of excitement and urgency achieved by the
rapid delivery of their lines -their quick movements as they pack up
and prepares for Macbeth's arrival and the fast music and drum beat
that is part of this scene. Therefore while the BBC Shakespeare is
slow dark and solemn suggesting the play is a tragedy, The Middle
English Programme suggests a frantic excited play of action and pace.
I preferred the more modem filmed version because it was easier to
understand because they where acting it out in a more modem way.
destruction seen in the film into their own lives, by using familiar, mundane sounds that make a
start, but in real life he was apparently not as good a king as is
The Dramatic Impact of Witches on William Shakespeare's Macbeth The inclusion of witches in Macbeth heightens the dramatic impact of the play because in the time William Shakespeare wrote Macbeth many of the general public did not know to much about witches, so when witches were included in Macbeth many people were shocked which made the play more dramatic because many people did not expect witches to be included in the play. Also witches in Shakespeare's time were treated very poorly In some cases witches were pricked with a special needle to see if they were immune from pain so these type of cases heighten the dramatic impact of the play because the general public knew how witches were treated and how powerful they were. The introduction of witches at this time was particularly dramatic because people knew how vicious they were because at that time pamphlets were put on sale describing the lurid details of witchcraft trials, so people knew how vile witches were. This made it particularly dramatic because witches were really the centre of attention at that time as convicted witches were being executed so putting witches in a play would have been very dramatic.
`Act 1- The three weird witches meet and they are planning on when they are going to meet again to talk to Macbeth. In the next scene King Duncan talks to the injured captain about the battle against the invaders, who are under the command of Macdonwald. The captain tell King Duncan how he saved Malcolm and Macbeth was very violent and fought with great force. Then the Captain is taken away by the servants then Ross enters and he tells Duncan that Cawdor has been beaten and the Norway army retreated. Then King Duncan comes to the decision to kill Cawdor and then Macbeth will "become Cawdor". Then Duncan sends out Ross to go tell Macbeth about what had happened at this time. In scene three the witches approach Banquo and Macbeth when they were on their way to Forres. The witches inform Macbeth and Banquo about what had happened in the kings court and they tell him he is the Thane of Cawdor and Glamis and that Macbeth will eventually become king. Then Banquo is told riddles that his children will be royal and he will not. After the witches disappear then Ross and Angus come up to them and Ross informs Macbeth the news which he just heard. Then Macbeth contemplates whether he will have to spill blood to become king, then when he is done they all continue to Forres. Then Duncan finds out that Cawdor dies because his son killed him. Then Ross, Angus, Banquo and Macbeth arrive. Then Malcolm becomes the heir to Duncans throne and Macbeth has Duncan dine at his castle that night so he rides to tell his wife. When Macbeth gets home he tells his wife the news and she starts to plot the murder of Duncan and Macbeth fallows. Then Duncan and the Scottish lords arrive and they are tak...
Film Adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. “When we ask students about films they have seen and films they like. they almost invariably talk about the narrative or action, with little sense of how the visual composition conveys the story. In teaching them to ‘read’ the film, we have to draw their attention to the various. elements of film language.
William Shakespeare, one of the greatest English play writers, has had a profound influence upon different societies globally since the fifteenth century, for his plays inspire many contemporary artists to present new scopes reflecting their societies. Considered as one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, Macbeth has a completely disparate interpretation of the movie Scotland, PA, which translates the original play into a black comedy. A Scottish royal and general, Macbeth the protagonist undergoes a demonic transformation in personality, in which he unethically takes the crown by murdering numerous characters. The director of the movie alters the plot while maintaining the basic semblance of power, ambition, and masculinity from Shakespeare’s work. In the movie, the alteration of the process Macbeth usurps the power of Duncan, including his internal and external incentives, gives the audience a fresh perspective on one of the English classical plays.
The sound used in this scene are all diegetic, the sounds of gunfire and explosions show that the characters in this scene are in very real danger of being shot or blown up, this helps the viewer develop a more personal connection with the characters since the scene is towards the end of the film, the viewer has developed a personal connection with the characters and do not want them to die. The diegetic sounds of military personnel can be heard, this is used to show the urgency that the military personnel have to get The Sapphires and Dave out of the dangerous situation. This scene is used to emphasise the danger that Dave and The Sapphires are in very real and very lethal danger, the mixture of sinister camera angles to emphasise the visual danger that the characters are in to the inhospitable sounds portrayed by the scene to highlight the explosive danger that the characters are in. The lighting used features the darkness and the difficulty to see due to the night sky.
going to play a major role in the play by opening it with them. It is
Shakespeare’s tragedies have been studied and recreated time after time in the 400 years since his career. However, through this time, it has become increasingly difficult to keep students engaged with interpretations of decent relevance and relatability. Magnus Cross discusses the magnificent adaptation of Macbeth by Mark Brozel and its importance in today’s English education. In 2005, Mark Brozel directed the second episode of the 4-part television series Shakespeare-told. Along with actors James McAvoy and Keeley Hawes, he created the episode creatively titled Macbeth.
In the first nonrational scene three old dirty hags (witches) are discussing where they should meet Macbeth to persuade him into thinking he should be the nest king. When Macbeth finally meets the three witches on the heath like they had planed, him and his best friend Banquo are there. The witches kno...
The first category of sounds used are that of nature, which symbolize evil deeds and death. Animal sounds most prevalent throughout the play are those of birds, specifically those of owls and ravens. Traditionally, owls symbolize death and to hear the call of one is considered ill omened. In Act II, Lady Macbeth - a creature of evil herself- comments, "Hark! Peace! / It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman, / which gives the stern'st goodnight" (II, ii, 3-5). The goodnight referred to, somewhat ironically, is that of eternal sleep, as she knows King Duncan has just been murdered, perhaps at the very moment the owl called. This omen could have been interpreted as either good or ill by her, since her designs were evil and the owl could have represented the Darkness' acceptance of her, or as a foreshadowing of her own sinking into darkne...
As an audience we are manipulated from the moment a film begins. In this essay I wish to explore how The Conversation’s use of sound design has directly controlled our perceptions and emotional responses as well as how it can change the meaning of the image. I would also like to discover how the soundtrack guides the audience’s attention with the use of diegetic and nondiegetic sounds.
William Shakespeare’s usage of stage techniques and language effects in Macbeth are extraordinarily used in creating gradual tension from the moment King Duncan is killed by Macbeth, followed by a short relaxation period and then increasing it again until the climax point of the act of regicide. The reader and the audience are kept in suspense right from the beginning of the play until the final scene.
Although admittedly some scenes have a comical side to them, Besson's fast paced action and gruesome images hold the tension and suspense brilliantly. His use of close-ups and camera movements, especially the subjective stance used by the victim, convey the feelings felt by the characters and the way in which they behave. Sound plays a crucial role in the opening sequence because, in my view, it is used to control the level of suspense and intrigue.
and his wife later on the play. Macbeth did not enjoy one day that he