Act 3 Scene 4 by Roman Polanski

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Act 3 Scene 4 By Roman Polanski In this essay I will be looking at the film interpretation of act 3 scene 4 of Shakespeare's Macbeth directed by Roman Polanski. In Act 3 Scene 4 Macbeth has ordered the killing of Banquo and his son Fleance. He has done this because the three witches said that Banquos' children would be a threat to the throne. He is told that Banquo is dead at the banquet celebrating that Macbeth is on the throne but Fleance had escaped. In this essay I will be looking at the film interpretation of act 3 scene 4 of Shakespeare's Macbeth directed by Roman Polanski. He sets the play in a stone medieval castle in the Scottish highlands because it is a traditional medieval setting, which Shakespeare used when he wrote the play. Also Polanski could have thought that the text would have lost some of its meaning if it was set in a more recent era. The scene starts with some bear baiting, a form of Elizabethan entertainment and most probably the same in medieval times. The bearbaiting shows violence, aggression and killing, which symbolises a main theme in the play. Macbeth murdering people close to him to get to the throne and doing this in a very bloody and brutal manner. It has a lot of guests at the banquet to make it a more lively and enjoyable. It gives it a more celebratory mood. The decoration is very basic in the Polanski version and the décor of the hall fits in with the era it is meant to be set in. He does this because he wants to make the entire set look authentic and make the experience of the audience more authentic. Macbeth is trying to impress and this adaptation is very basic and simple. Polanski makes his environment much more open and enjoyable for everyone. The lighting in Polanski's banquet room is light and airy. This helps Macbeth and guests to enjoy themselves. It also emphasises the dark contrast from light to darkness when
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