Ahmed's+Macbeth+1st+Draft

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The play of //Macbeth// was a tragedy written by the great British poet and playwright William Shakespeare during the reign of King James I. This play was written as far back as the 17th Century, so there weren't many technological innovations back then, and they had to be done in one big flow of events, because they couldn't cut from scene to scene, like in a movie. Since they could't show all the events because it could be too time consuming, sometimes the actors described events instead of acting them out. Newer versions remade the play in movies, in the 20th and 21st Centuries, with much more action, more technology and also showing the three motifs of Blood and Violence, Weather and Darkness, and the Supernatural better. ======

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 T he stage play can't really show things like darkness as a theme, because the theaters were usually closed as in covered by roofs, unless if it was acted out during the night, and were open, but it's hard to distinguish when the theme appears. When Lady Macbeth says "**I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry.** " this symbolizes darkness, while the movies actually show the night changing from gray to black. This is especially apparent in Polanski's version. In the Japanese version in particular there is a lot of smog symbolizing something important drawing closer. ======

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In terms of violence which is deccribed indirectly, Macbeth just comes on stage and tells his wife " **Who's there? what, ho!**, **I have done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise?** " after killing Duncan, this can be seen in Japanese version of Washizu killing the king. But, in both the modern and Polanski's version the audience can see the bloody murder. Other places in the play where description is used to show events include when the Sergeant says to Duncan and his men ======

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 to describe the war and how Banquo and Macbeth bravely fought for Duncan's side. Also when Macbeth says " ** So foul and fair a day I have not seen." ** to describe the weather and war without showing it. ======

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All the productions of //Macbeth// had some sort of supernatural force in them. Both the play and Polanski's version had three witch sisters, the Japanese version had a old white soul sewing something, and in the modern version there are three school girls wearing dark Gothic clothes in the beginning. The purpose of these characters was to foreshadow and inform Macbeth and Banquo, in all versions bar the modern, about the pleasant or dreadful futures that lie ahead. In the modern version only Macbeth hears about his and Banquo's destiny. These creatures appear after the war at the start (which the audiences don't see, but only hear about), and also when Macbeth or Washizu feel curious about what lies ahead after the past predictions having come true. ======

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I personally feel that Polanski's version was the best of the remakes. The reason why I say this is because, had Shakespeare been alive during the 20th century, with the technological advances that were present then, and wanted to show all the motifs, Blood and Violence, Weather and Darkness, and the Supernatural in //Macbeth// into a movie. Then he would have made a movie similar to what Polanski created. In this movie the people had similar clothing to that of Shakespeare's time period, the location met the descriptions, and the plot wasn't changed. There were some canny additions made by Polanski which made the movie more interesting. The other versions also followed the plot, but the Japanese version was written more for an Asian audience. It had a lot of traditional Japanese things, like the way women acted, what types of special affects were used amongst few other things. Another concern that this version had, compared to the play was that even though the version was entirely in Japanese, the subtitles weren't exactly identical to that of the original. The modern version followed the plot and the script had a lot of technological advances compared to the others as a positive, but i think having young girls as evil witches wasn't exactly well executed. Other things that the movie made in 2006 differed from the original script included the way Macbeth dies. In this version Macbeth dies after he gets shot and lies next to the corpse of his wife. I personally like the chopping of the head and placing it on the bridge as in the original and felt it should have been kept. Another strange thing in the 2006 movie was bringing the wood from forest to Macbeth's house. In the other versions the wood was used as a tool to camouflage, which i thought the Japanese version executed best. In the 2006 version this scene was just there to match the plot. But, the director in fact didn't completely follow the plot, like when he makes Fleance return and kill the nurse, which i thought didn't make sense. ======

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Overall, Shakespeare wrote a great tragedy, more detailed than it would have been had it been written during a later time period. Directors tried to show this play in movie form to audience of different cultures, during different time periods, but not all were as successful as Roman Polanski's. Polanski might have made the scene of the forest moving towards Dunsinane more intriguing. He might have made a similar scene to that of the Japanese version amongst a few other minor concerns. But, looking at the movie, overall this was the best version of //Macbeth// in living memory. Hopefully a similar or even better version of this play will come in the future. ======

Quotes: 1. **I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry.** 2. **Who's there? what, ho!** 3. **I have done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise?** 4. **Doubtful it stood; As two spent swimmers, that do cling together And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald-- Worthy to be a rebel, for to that The multiplying villanies of nature Do swarm upon him--from the western isles Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied; And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling, Show'd like a rebel's whore: but all's too weak: For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name-- Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valour's minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave; Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps, And fix'd his head upon our battlements.** 5. ** So foul and fair a day I have not seen. **

Sources: "//Ma////cbeth// entire script,"<[]>", MIT Literature, 07/05/10 Wright, Geoffrey, dir. //Macbeth (2006 film).//Arclight Films, 2006 film, 07/05/10 Polanski, Roman, dir.//Macbeth (1971 film).//Columbia Pictures, 1971 film, 07/05/10 Korosawa, Akira, dir.//Throne of Blood.Toho,// 1957 film, 07/05/10 //"Macbeth." Wikipedia. 2010, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 07 May 2010 <[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbeth_(2006_film)]> "Macbeth." Wikipedia. 2010, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 07 May 2010 <[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbeth_(1971_film)]> "Thrown of Blood." Wikipedia. 2010, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 07 May 2010 <[]>//