MACBETHBevington, Chapter 18

The Scottish PlaySpiritual Evil and the Drama of Conscience

• Always been among Shakespeare’s most popular

• Highly theatrical• A vivid investigation of horror• Although he commits heinous deeds,

Macbeth does not represent consummate evil; rather he is unforgettable because he is human.

• First public performance at the Globe in 1611

• Performed at Hampton Court for King James and the Danish King in 1606. (James had married the King’s sister in 1589)

A Scottish King and the English throne

• Powerful factions coveted the throne in 1603 since Elizabeth had not left an heir...James was related to Elizabeth through Henry VII

• The play explores regicide• King James could trace his

ancestry to Banquo

Glamis Castle from a tourist brochure.

The Gunpowder Plot

• Catholic sympathizers tried to blow up Parliament in November 1605. It is celebrated today as Guy Fawkes day.

• The play makes a specific reference to the event (2.3) Porter’s speech

• As Shakespeare himself used to play to comment on contemporary politics, subsequent stage productions and films have, as well

• At barely 2000 lines, it is among his shortest plays

• A cinematic quality to the play as many of the scenes unfold in two-character scenes

A print of thereal Macbeth.

CHARACTERS• Most of the characters based upon historical

models from Holinshed• Macbeth and Lady Macbeth among his most

fully etched psychological portraits in tragedy• Films structure and events lend it to

expressionistic staging• Macbeth exercises free will, knowing with

certainty what will befall him...bloodshed begets more bloodshed...as he admits

• The only time she seems human is when she cannot bring herselfto kill the King because of his resemblance to her father

Moral Character

• Banquo is a co-consipirator in the murder of Duncan in Holinshed

• Macduff is viewed as an avenging angel• Several named Thanes (Lennox,

Seward, Ross) are prominent• The third murderer...who is he? (Ross,

Seward, a 3rd hired killer?)• One of the most famous minor

characters is the Porter• Duncan is a loved King whose death is

pathetic because of his goodness

Sources and Inspirations

• HOLINSHED’S Chronicles (1587)• On the Origins of the Scottish People

(1578)• James I was a prolific essayist who

sponsored the 1604 edition of the Bible (KING JAMES VERSION)• He wrote a long tract against the use

of tobacco• Fascinated by the occult he wrote

DAEMONOLOGIE (1597) which may have inspired some of the occult elements of the play

LANGUAGE• Shakespeare uses language to chart Macbeth’s groing adaptation to

his role as a ruthless monarch and murderer• It also traces Lady Macbeth’s descent into despair...as the play

progresses, her speech becomes more irregular; by contrast, his speech becomes more composed

• Two images dominate: blood and ambition• As with the fairies in MND, the Weird Sisters create an otherworldly

aura• Some sections from Middleton’s THE WITCH (1612) seem to have been

interpolated into the play by those who edited the play for the first folio

…signifying nothingAct Five, Scene 5

MACBETH [Re-enter Seyton.] Wherefore was that cry?

SEYTON The queen, my lord, is dead.

MACBETH She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word.

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,

To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!

Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,

And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

Themes and issuesTHE PERILS OF PRIDE AND VAULTING AMBITION

• Macbeth aspires to be King but he rarely leads• Yet, he knows the moral implications of his

choices• He is human in is deliberations, inhumane in his

actions

Staging challenges• The setting• The witches• Bloody Deeds• Banquo’s Ghost• The Final Fight

Macbeth onstageThe Scottish Play

Elizabethan EraFirst documented performance at the Globe on April 20, 1611. Simon Forman, an astrologer, saw the play and wrote about it in his diary. Evidence suggests that it was successfully performed at both homes of the King’s Men – Blackfriars and the Globe. Both spaces had machinery to fly and the floors were trapped.

The RestorationIn 1663 William Davenant revised the original text to bring it more in line with neo-classical tastes. He revised the ending and interpolated a scene between Ladies Macbeth and Macduff. Some of the gory moments were deleted. Samuel Pepys saw the Davenant version eight times.

David Garrick restored much ofShakespeare’s text in 1714. His versionwas highly popular well into the 19th

century.

18th centuryCharles Macklin actually attempted a characteristically Scottish costume as early as 1773.

Sarah Siddons became noted for her portrayal of Lady Macbeth.

19th century - Gothic

In the 19th century, William Charles Macready triumphed in the title role in England and America. His performance in the role sparked the Astor Place Place riots in NYC (1849).

Forrest

Macready

Friedrich Mitterwurzer

Mitterwurzer was a German actorwho was heralded for his portrayalof Macbeth. He revolutionized therole as he added even more psych-ological depth to the role.

In the photo at right, he is picturedwith the German actor MaxStaegemann.

Irving and terryOne of the most famous producitonsof the late-19th century starred HenryIrving and Ellen Terry.

20th century – freudian shakespeare and others

Notable performances at Stratford included Laurence Olivier (1955), Ian McKellan (1976) and Antony Sher (1999).

Orson wellesORSON WELLES version wasfirst staged in Harlem in 1936for the Federal Theatre Project.

His 1948 film (pictured) used“voodoo” aspects of that earlyproduction.

KENNETH BRANAGH

Manchester International Festival’s electrifying production features Kenneth Branagh with Alex Kingston as Lady Macbeth. It is directed by Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh. Originally staged in 2013, the production plays in New York in the summer of 2014.

Lincoln Center 2013

Act One, Scene 2

The witches were played by men

FILM AND VIDEOMacbeth

1948 – Orson Welles

1960 – Maurice evans

1971 - Polanski

Polanski’s version was producedby PLAYBOY and featured a lotof nudity.

1979 – Ian Mckellan

Directed by Trevor Nunnfor Thames Television. Thisproduction starred IanMcKellan and Judi Dench.It was originally stagedby the RSC.

1983 – Jack Gold

NICOL WILLIAMSON, aScottish actor, played the titlerole in the BBC version.

Patrick stewart (2009)

adaptations• 1957 – Throne of Blood (Kurosawa)

Australia - 2006Sam Worthington as Macbeth in a modern dress adaptation.

Verdi’s MACBETH (1865)

“Till Birnam Wood do come towardDunsinane” from a MetropolitanOpera production.

2002Rock-opera by Dan SchaafTHE BLOODY DEAD IS DONE

SPIN-OFFS• 1917 (Italy)

The Lady from Minsk

• 1955 (film noir) Joe Macbeth

• 1961 (Poland) Siberian Lady Macbeth

• 1991 (William Reilly) Men of Respect

• 2002 (Billy Morrissette) Scotland, PA

Scotland, PA (2002)

Shakespeare RetoldMacbeth (2005) (BBC-TV)Director - Mark BrozelWriters - Peter MoffatJoe Macbeth (James McAvoy) is the hard-working head chef of a high-class restaurant in Glasgow. The restaurant is owned by famous television chef Duncan Docherty (Vincent Regan), who gets all the fame for Joe's hard work. Working with Joe at the restaurant are his wife and maitre d' Ella (Keeley Hawes), his friend and fellow cook Billy (Joeseph Milson), Duncan's son, working as a waiter, Malcolm (Toby Kebbell) and head waiter Peter Macduff (Richard Armitage).

1896 – UBU ROI

Alfred Jarry’s “absurdist”play premiered in Paris in 198. It is about a stupidand cowardly Polish king who maintains powerby killing and maimingall who oppose him. The title translates to “King Turd.”

1967• Macbird! by Barbara Garson

1977

Cahoots MACBETH by Tom StoppardThe play is usually performed withDogg’s Hamlet. It shows a shortenedperformance of the play carried out under the eyes of a secret police officerwho suspects the actors of subversionagainst the state. It is dedicated to theCzech playwright Pavel Kohout whomStoppard met in Prague in 1977 manyyears prior to the Velvet Revolution.

Alan Cummings on Broadway 2013