Macbeth Movie Vs Play

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is one of the most well-known pieces of literature to be seen in history. It contains many complex and deep themes and ideas, all while retaining an interesting plot and characters. It is only logical then, that many directors would attempt a film adaptation. Many different directors and actors, such as Orson Welles and Roman Polanski, have tried to capture the brilliance of the play within the constraints of a film. However, none have gotten as close to a perfect adaptation as the 2015 version of Macbeth. The film is a word for word time period appropriate retelling of Shakespeare's classic. The cinematography, shot direction, score, actors, and changes to the source material all culminate in an amazing piece of film,

While many reviewers and critics agree that the film is visually stunning, most also agree that the film is nowhere near as deep as the original play. However, that is an incorrect assumption. The 2015 version of Macbeth is just as deep as the original due to its better fitting dark tone through the character of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and the Witches.

The film’s interpretation of Macbeth is just as interesting as the play’s. In the original work by Shakespeare, Macbeth is a skilled general who serves under King Duncan. He is tempted towards betraying his King by his wife and spirals into madness as his life becomes only about staying in power. This is mostly true of the film’s Macbeth, played by Michael Fassbender. However, Michael’s Macbeth leans more heavily towards the notion that he was a deeply mentally scarred individual. The play alludes to this, with Lady Macbeth saying “Think of this, good peers, But as a thing of custom. ‘Tis no other” (Act 3 scene 4, 98) when Macbeth hallucinates Banquo. However, Shakespeare never makes it clear if this is true, or if Lady Macbeth is just trying to cover up the murder of Banquo. Contrarily, the film portrays Macbeth as suffering from some form of PTSD.

In the play, the witches are a supernatural force that has visible impacts on people. They interact with characters other than Macbeth, such as when they torture a man because his wife did not share food, saying “I’ll drain him dry as hay. Sleep shall neither night nor day” (Act 1, scene 3, 17). In the film, it is heavily implied that the witches are but a hallucination of Macbeth. The Economist agrees, saying They move in and out of the mist more like hallucinations than something occult.”. While Banquo also sees the witches, he is Macbeth's best friend and right-hand man, so it would stand to reason that he could also be hallucinating the witches. And although some may complain that the classic “Toil and Trouble” scene was omitted, it lends credibility to the notion that the witches are but hallucinations. There is only one scene in the film where the witches are not with Macbeth, unlike the play, and it is right after Macbeth loses his child. Furthermore, the witches in the play are all adults, while one of them is a child in the film. This is important, as Macbeth is seen burning his dead child right at the beginning of the film (Kurzel). Kurzel made an important decision to first the witches only after the funeral for Macbeth’s child. This implies not only that they are hallucinations, but that they could even be manifestations of Macbeth’s feelings of loss. For instance, Macbeth sees the