Blog Entry 3.2: Macbeth Video

          This short clip is from a 30 minutes animated version of Macbeth commissioned by BBC in the early 1990s. Although this animation may look like a "cartoon", it follows the original play and it includes the Shakespearean language and tragedy. There are many scenes in this version that could be scary for younger viewers. Animation is a relatively new medium and it is used in a very impressive way here to portray the archetypes and personalities of the characters.
           The video begins with the brief appearance of three witches and then moves to a military camp, where the Scottish King Duncan hears the news that his generals, Macbeth and Banquo, have defeated two separate invading armies, one from Ireland and one from Norway. After their victorious battle with these enemy forces, Macbeth and Banquo have an encounter with the witches. The witches tell Macbeth that he will be made thane (a rank of Scottish nobility) of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland. They also predict that Banquo's sons will become Scottish kings, although Banquo will never be king himself. The witches vanish, and Macbeth and Banquo are skeptical and joke about their prophecies. Then some of King Duncan’s men come to thank the two generals for their victories in battle and to tell Macbeth that he has been named thane of Cawdor. The previous thane betrayed Scotland by fighting for the Norwegians and Duncan has condemned him to death. Macbeth is intrigued by the possibility that he will be crowned king, but he is uncertain what to expect. He visits King Duncan, and they plan to dine together at Inverness, Macbeth’s castle, that night. Macbeth writes ahead to his wife, Lady Macbeth, telling her about everything, including the witches. Lady Macbeth is not sa uncertain as he is. She wants him to become king and to murder Duncan in order to obtain it. When Macbeth arrives at Inverness, she convinces him to kill the king. The video ends with Macbeth's vision of a bloody dagger.
            The animation style and scary background music help emphasize the overall eerie, dark atmosphere of the play. The witches are depicted very distorted and they keep transforming, symbolizing supernatural force; this visual, continuous transformation of the witches is something that could not be achieved with the same effect on a stage, in a theater. They are forming a circle when they are dancing and casting the spells. The circle is a clear symbol of infinity, in this case, continuity for their spells. Macbeth's eyes are very dark in this animation. The eyes are considered in many cultures as the windows to the soul, therefore his soul is very dark and evil. He is like a soulless ghoul, driven by desire for power. Macbeth is influenced by his ambitious wife and the prophecy of the witches and becomes a ruthless killer, rather than the hero he is in the beginning of the play. Lady Macbeth's features are also very exaggerated and drawn out of proportion, showing that she is evil and dark herself. All of the scenes where Macbeth, his wife and the weird sisters appear, are visually very dark and scary. 

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC9G_CZVAL8

Blog Entry 3.1: Macbeth

        Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's darkest play."The Scottish Play" is filled with brutality and savagery. And this still image evokes just that. This is a photograph from a modern adaptation by Rupert Goold, in which the actors are wearing soviet-style uniforms and machine guns to establish a 1950s Stalin-era mood as Macbeth tries to eliminate his rivals to the throne.  The main reason for choosing this photograph, aside from being a fan of the amazing Patrick Stewart, is that it is such a brilliant narrative photograph. It is just the perfect example to show that a photograph is indeed worth one thousand words. This image shows the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, which is obsession; obsession for power and beauty, for everything. Macbeth has completely sold his soul to her, in all of its evil.
       Macbeth and his wife are standing in a strange basement setting with a cold, metal table and white brick walls in the dark background and a sink in the foreground; all of these elements of the setting serve to provide a dark feeling to the play. Both of them get blood on their hands in order to become rulers. The red color of the blood is a significant element in this image, but just as important are the the looks in the actors' eyes and their postures. Lady Macbeth is looking at her hands and looks horrified and regretful and is standing in front of the sink, like she is about to get the blood of her hands. At the same time, Macbeth is not as close as her to the camera lens and seems to be looking at her and realize that she was the one who pushed him to murder. But is he really doing that? His gaze is mysterious, almost magical.
       In "Macbeth", symbolism is used abundantly to exemplify the overall theme of murder. There are several obvious forms of this throughout the play. The contrast of light and dark represents good and evil. Blood symbolizes murder and  their guilt and shame about the horrific crime.The archetypes of the ruler and warrior, which are present throughout the play for Macbeth, are not evident in this image. Lady Macbeth here seems the archetypal negative mother influencing him in a destructive way. From Macbeth, we can learn that there is a spiritual battle between good and evil inside everybody.


 Works cited:  "Patrick Stewart gives Macbeth new life." UK Reuters. Web.26 Oct. 2010. <http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKN0124949720071001>.
  Image link: http://novaclutch.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/04/30/mac2650.jpg

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