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MacBeth Versions Comparison Essay

analytical Essay
532 words
532 words
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MacBeth versions comparison essay

There are many differences between interpretations of William Shakespeare's MacBeth. This essay wall contrast Shakespeare's original version and a movie version by Roman Polanski produced in 1970. Three major differences will be discussed.

One difference between Shakespeare's and Polanski's version is the absence of the scene in England in Polanski's version. In the Original MacBeth, MacDuff goes to England to convince Malcolm to return and fight MacBeth. The scene of the longest of the play; it is very drawn out and lengthy. Polanski simply eliminates this scene and shows Malcolm back in Scotland. The reason I feel that Polanski did this is that the scene detracts from the continuity and action of the play. The play is equally effective without the scene, and more streamlined.

Another difference between the original and Polanski's version is the scene where MacBeth kills the king, Duncan. In the original, Shakespeare was not allowed to show the death of a divine right ruler, so he showed MacBeth coming out of the king's bedchamber after he had committed the murder. For Polanski's version, however, he had no such limitation, and could show anything that he chose, so he showed the actual murder of Duncan, where Duncan wakes up, and MacBeth cuts his throat after stabbing him. The reason that Polanski inserted this scene was to show how cold-blooded MacBeth was, and that he would do anything to achieve his goal of becoming king.

A th...

In this essay, the author

  • Compares the two versions of shakespeare's macbeth, stating that polanski eliminated the scene in england in the original version, which detracts from continuity.
  • Compares the original and polanski's versions of the scene where macbeth killed the king, duncan. shakespeare was not allowed to show the death of a divine right ruler.
  • Analyzes polanski's version of the letter that macbeth writes to his wife describing how he has become thane of cawdor and the witches' three predictions.
  • Analyzes how polanski's version shows the brutal treatment of traitors, the treatment that macbeth would get if he was caught in his plan.
  • Analyzes how the dreams sequence serves to show how haunted macbeth's dreams are, and how worried he is about losing the throne to fleance.
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