Comparison of Productions of 'Macbeth'

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ENGLISH PREP-MACBETH COMPARISON In the BBC animated version of Macbeth, it is set in the 17th Century, where Shakespeare intended it to be. The story is extremely simplified without any real depth to the characters due to the length (for example, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as completely unfeeling at the beginning of the play, whereas in Trevor Nunn’s version she is far more apprehensive, despite her hunger for power). In this production, the witches bear no resemblance to human beings, let alone women-they are supernatural, mystic creatures that shift shape and speak in cackles and shrieks. Because of the animation, the darkness and true obscurity of the play is not accentuated in the way it is in Trevor Nunn’s or Rupert Goold’s interpretations. Rupert Goold’s interpretation of ‘Macbeth’ is very stylised; the set and costumes are key to creating the defined gothic horror of the production. The eerie set of a morgue, an old hospital and the Macbeth’s cold and unfeeling “home” and the dour colour palette (a mix of murky and grimy dark greens and browns) go hand in hand in creating the ghostly atmosphere of the film. Unlike the animation and Trevor Nunn’s production, Goold’s version is not set in the time period Shakespeare intended it to be; it has connotations of post-war Russia, although the exact setting is not mentioned. However, Macbeth’s transition from an accomplished war ‘hero’ to a Stalinesque dictator reinforces this idea. It also differs from the other two productions in the way the witches are portrayed. Illustrated as supernatural nurses/servants, the role of the witches is absolutely fundamental to creating the eerie ambience of Goold’s version. They glide uniformly as a unit, with one in front and the other two standing behind, equally distanced from each other with precision. Even in places where they have no speech, they craft tension in a way

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