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Macbeth and lady macbeth similarities and differences essay
Comparison of macbeth and lady macbeth
Comparison of macbeth and lady macbeth
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It is no argument that the BBC production of Macbeth is the superior to the modernized version.
The first sign of this is Lady Macbeth’s character, who in the modernized version is a cold blooded psychopath. For the BBC, however, she is portrayed in a more fearful way. This shows us a human quality of her and as a result, it makes her scenes more interesting to watch.
Likewise, the same could be said for Macbeth’s character. While he doesn’t have it all together in either version, he is completely broken in the BBC version. This shows how guilty Macbeth feels about committing these murders. His anxious way gives the overall story an eerie tone, and makes the story more impactful because of it.
In the modernized version, the witches are portrayed
However an observation made from the play version is that many of the murders are described later on and not directly at the times they were committed. This can be scene in the opening scene where the captain describes the blood of the battlefield to Macbeth, “Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valor's minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave; Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him”. This is similarly demonstrated at the start of the retold version of Macbeth in the scene where we see him brutally cut apart the head of a pig. We see this motif of violence appear throughout the story in the murders of Duncan, Banquo, Lady Macduff and Macduff’s son. A common factor between both mediums that Brozel kept is the presentation of these murders. While there process may have been altered, ultimately you did not see the murders and instead saw and heard the reactions of other characters. This is relevant to a modern audience as it is about the emotional response of the audience and characters. As we see in the following scene after Banquo’s murder, the dialogue of the play and television show are similar, “You are the best of the cutthroats. But whoever did the same to Fleance must also be good. If you cut both their throats, then you are the absolute best.” as opposed to “Did you get him?... His boy was with him?”, this is because it is relevant in both mediums as a style of adding some suspense for the audience. Some scenes are exaggerated in the remade version such as when Macbeth is cut with a knife, this is to prolong the intensity and extend the action as it fits better for a film-type
The quote, “Man is not truly one, but truly two.” can be analyzed from a behaviorally or mentally aspect. Physically, man is one, but if you delve deeper into the man, he can be separated into two parts which creates a whole man. In the play Macbeth and in the novel Lord of the Flies, some of the characters can be split into two conflicting parts. The characters are neither entirely good or entirely bad. In both the novel and the play, something happens to the characters that made them split into an evil side, thus creating two men.
...th allows for much more accessibility in understanding the movie due to its rich and detailed text. The two mediums of exchange share a lot of similar aspects, but many of them are better understood in the context of the movie with having read and understood the play. Although the movie stays true to many occurrences in the play, however small changes have been made. The words or phrases used in each are the greatest difference because of the separate time frames. Phrases that are brought up from one to the other are for the purpose of better understanding the text. For example, the witches refer to Macbeth’s presence as “something wicked this way comes” which is altered in the movie as “It’s wicked out there.” Even though they have different meanings, the word “wicked” ties them together. The overall action of the movie follows right along with that of the play.
Despite neither of the productions following the original physical characteristics of the witches, both modernistic interpretations allow for a new angle on the play. The young, attractive witches in both productions embody the central theme of Macbeth “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” Their deceivingly alluring looks only hide the real evil they are capable of. In the live production, the seductive, manipulative young witches draw Macbeth into their evil schemes, leaving him and his ambition to be his own downfall. Their ethereal, misty look makes them clearly supernatural creatures. Furthermore in the live play, the witches only appear when necessary – when Shakespeare intended for them to. By keeping a minimalistic, classic approach, the live play places only a portion of the responsibility on the witches, instead focusing on Macbeth.
A quote which really defines Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s ambition regarding power is “Power does not corrupt men; fools; however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power” George Bernard Shaw. Lady Macbeth is more ambitious in terms of gaining power then Macbeth is and that Lady Macbeth will do almost anything to gain power, even evil things that she normally wouldn’t do. This is shown when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth learn about the witches’ predictions, then roles in the plans to murder king Duncan in order to gain power and then finally after the murder, Macbeth doesn’t want to finish the plan making Lady Macbeth angry and causing a chance they might get caught and gain no power at all.
Although most of Shakespeare's play " Mac Beth " is not historically accurate, MacBeth's life is the subject of the tragedy. There are characters and events that are based on true events and real persons but, Shakespeare's "MacBeth " differs significantly from history's MacBeth. The first example of a difference between the Shakespeare "MacBeth" and historical Mac Beth is the death of Duncan I. In Shakespeare's " Mac Beth ", Duncan I was murdered by MacBeth.
Macbeth rejects conformation to traditional gender roles in its portrayal of Lady Macbeth’s relationship with her husband, her morals and their effect on her actions, and her hunger for power. Her regard for Macbeth is one of low respect and beratement, an uncommon and most likely socially unacceptable attitude for a wife to have towards her spouse at the time. She often ignores morality and acts for the benefit of her husband, and subsequently herself. She is also very power-hungry and lets nothing stand in the way of her success. Lady Macbeth was a character which challenged expectations of women and feminism when it was written in the seventeenth century.
As Macbeth becomes less dependent on his wife, she loses more control. She loses control of her husband, but mostly, of herself, proving her vacillating truth. Lady Macbeth’s character gradually disintegrates through a false portrayal of unyielding strength, an unsteady control of her husband and shifting involvement with supernatural powers.Throughout the duration of play Lady Macbeth’s truly decrepit and vulnerable nature is revealed. Lady Macbeth has been the iron fist and authority icon for Macbeth, yet deep down, she never carried such traits to begin with. This duality in Lady Macbeth’s character plays a huge role in planting the seed for Macbeth’s downfall and eventual demise.
Often times, directors take timeless works of literature and make them more relatable to modern audiences. Creating a good adaptation is very difficult, the new product must be different from the original to make it relatable, however still be similar enough to recognize as the first edition. Due to changing times, many of Shakespeare’s plays have been adapted into movies. One of the most adapted plays by Shakespeare is Macbeth. This classic sets a high standard to live up to, however the film Scotland, PA comes close.
Prior to deciding whether or not conflict is central to the dramatic development of MACBETH, one must consider all the dramatic factors that contribute to the Shakespearean play. The gradual decline of the protagonist , the role portrayed by characters and the order in which the events occur, greatly influence the direction in which the development of the play takes place. After reading the text MACBETH, by Shakespeare and viewing the film version, directed by Roman Polanski, it is logical to see that ambition and the deceptive appearances of what really is, is central to the dramatic development of MACBETH.
There was a common saying, “Behind every great man there's a great woman”. The men, Macbeth and Winston Smith in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and George Orwell’s 1984 may not be considered as the “great man” however, both Lady Macbeth and Julia are good examples that can be presented as the “great woman” behind the men. Both Lady Macbeth and Julia do an excellent job of pretending to be someone who they are not, they are not only affecting the men in their lives to rethink their previous position but also have a bad ending accompanied with physical and psychological issues.
...play, and are apparent through textual evidence. Lady Macbeth starting out as a womanly brute, changes to a more guilt filled person. Macbeth transforms from a valiant noble to a crazed maniac. Macbeth’s “open book face” changes into a closed book, once Lady Macbeth tells him to act like an innocent flower, yet be the serpent under it.
As a virgin to The Shakespeare Theatre, I was pleasantly surprised when my recent encounter with Macbeth was a stimulating and enjoyable excursion. The two and a half hours I had predicted to be less than enchanting were filled with symbolism, and an overall attitude towards the Shakespeare classic that I had never contemplated before.
Even though Macbeth and Shylock differ in their self destruction and tragic flaw they are