Comparing the Opening and Witches Scenes in Macbeth

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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.

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