Week 1: Shakespeare in Love (John Madden 1998)



Shakespeare in Love poster + movie trailer link

  

Director John Madden has taken the work of a writer, dead for centuries and seen widely as incomprehensible, and sculptured it into a movie that cleverly parleys a balance between past and present that my uneducated ignorance can not only enjoy, but can relate to. I was taken on the journey of Will Shakespeare, and the life he may have led, writing the best know romantic tragedy as a reflection of his own tragic love affair, and watched as the sights and sounds of the daily life of 16^th century England brilliantly end up as some of his best lines in the play (Boot & Burt, 2003).

Through the barriers and obstacles that hold Will and Viola back from happily ever after, we are reminded of the injustices of Elizabethan England. The valu of love in a time of arranged marriages in the course of Will and Viola's desirous and almost lustful love affair. Duty to family, the Church and the Queen through Viola's letter to Will stating her betrothal to Wessex as consented and commanded by the Queen, signed as 'a daughter's duty.' 
Gender inequality is demonstrated in the illegality of women playing women’s roles on stage. Illustrated by Viola’s irritated statement that 'stage love will never be true love while the law of the land has our heroines being played by pipsqueak boys in petticoats', and displayed ingeniously in a line from Queen Elizabeth regarding the inequality even in the highest class, 'I know something of a woman in a man’s profession. Yes by god I do know about that.'

Social structure is also an underlying theme, with the impossibility of a high born lady marrying a lowly playwrite. Viloa: 'What will you have me do? Marry you instead?' Will: 'To be the wife of a poor player? Can I wish that from lady Viola, except in my dreams?' 

These thems are delivered to us in a 16th century setting, however they are delivered in a contemporary context that we can relate to even today.

In conclusion, I had to remind myself that although I commend Madden on a modern day film about 16^th century life and the origins of Romeo & Juliette, the brilliant undertones and the relevance of injustices of class, sexuality and duty were already laid out for him to retell 400 years later by none other than William Shakespeare.

Discussion Question: Queen Elizabeth turns up on stage at the end of Shakespeare in Love and says, “I know something of being a woman in a man’s profession.” Yet, she makes no order for this to change nor does she more than mildly rebuke those who think that a woman on the stage is the ‘beginning of the end’. Bearing this comment in mind, explore the issues of gender as it is portrayed in the film.

Social structure is also an underlying theme, with the impossibility of a high born lady marrying a lowly playwright. Viola: ‘What will you have me do? Marry you instead?’ Will: ‘To be the wife of a poor player? Can I wish that from Lady Viola, except in my dreams?’

I think the gender inequality is demonstrated in the illegality of women playing women’s roles on stage. Illustrated by Viola’s irritated statement that ‘stage love will never be true love while the law of the land has our heroines being played by pipsqueak boys in petticoats’, and displayed ingeniously in a line from Queen Elizabeth regarding the inequality even in the highest class, ‘I know something of a woman in a man’s profession. Yes by god I do know about that.’

Week 2: Romeo & Juliet (Baz Luhrmann 1996)

Romeo + Juliet poster & movie trailer link

‘Rhetorical excess and violations of decorum are the elements of Shakespearean drama presumed to be indigestible for a contemporary audience.’ (Stone, Packer, Hoopes. pg. 62)
Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet discards these elements and unlocks the world of 16^th century Shakespeare by putting it into a modern day context. The script sticks to the original Elizabethan dialogue, but the language is clarified by supporting it with familiar 20^th century images and scenes. Said the director, Baz Luhrmann of the film; ‘Consequently it captures the spirit of Shakespeare's writing: to entertain any audience.’

Use of 20^th century imagery to identify with themes and characters:

·         Gun warfare rather than swordplay- Now, guns with holy pictures inlaid in the grips are branded as Rapier, Dagger,  Sword and Long Sword, and wielded expertly and fluidly (Mercucio’s ‘Flamingo Dance’ on Verona beach) as a parallel of the daggers carried then.

·         Queen Mab as a drug- the fairies’ midwife, is reinvented as a pill of LSD Mercucio gives Romeo before they go to the Capulet ball.

·         Rival houses are now competing corporations.

·         Neon crosses and Madonna lights- a parallel to the humble candle, though these are still seen in plenty. Religious devotion is still a major theme, however more as a contrast to the lives of murder, infidelity, drug use and hate that they are actually living.

·         Doublet and hose are now bullet proof vests, jeans and Hawaiian shirts.

·         The streets of Italian Verona are now the beach frontage of Verona Beach, USA.

·         The chorus is replaced by a news reporter- A television news presenter broadcasts the prologue on television, setting the scene of the play by illustrating the violence occurring between the two families, and the fate of the star crossed lovers. Our foreknowledge of how the story will end helps us maintain a degree of detachment from the lives of the characters, as we have become hardened to when watching the six o’clock news. The film ends with the image morphing into a television picture, and we see again the anchorwoman in her studio. She speaks to camera the final lines.

·         Costumes and behaviour- particularly at the Capulet party, illuminates important elements of the characters in a way that a 20^th century audience can relate to;

Romeo                 Night in shining armour, hero, rebel.
Juliet                     Angel, white & virginal, innocent, sheltered, craving independence.
Mercucio             Drag queen, confident, suggestive of his sexuality.
Tybalt                    Devil, the bad guy, perhaps having a sexual relationship with Mrs. Capulet.
Paris                      Astronaught, bachelor of the year. His actions here suggestive of gay tendencies.
Mr Capulet         Marc Antony, purple sequined toga suggestive of another male dressed in drag.
Mrs Capulet       Cleopatra, is seen kissing Tybalt.
Friar Lawrence  Tattoo clad, shot glass swindling herbalist.

Low comedy with High tragedy:Chris Palmer writes that ‘Tybalt’s first appearance borrows from the ‘spaghetti western’ genre.  The cliche scene of the ‘bad guy’ making his first appearance here is the four men fighting suddenly freeze while we hear the sound of a match striking. There is a close-up of the match as it falls to the ground beside a black cat-spurred boot. The camera cranes up to meet the dark cold eyes and feline smile of Tybalt, cigarette between teeth and gun-hand outstretched, the epitome of calm, menacing, cool control.’ The camera then follows an escalating confrontation that is comically undercut by the exaggeratedly performance of the Montague boys, obviously scared but trying not to show it. The gunfight is comically impossible: over-the-shoulder shooting, commando style rolls. The setting of Mercucio’s death marks the dramatic turn of events; the downward path of Romeo and Juliet’s fortunes begins here. This scene is fantastically supported by the ominous building of a thunder storm, symbolically adding to the disastrous chain of events that an enraged Romeo sets off. It is this clever mix, as Luhrmann himself says:  ‘We have not shied away from clashing low comedy with high tragedy, which is the style of the play, for it’s the low comedy that allows you to embrace the very high emotions of the tragedy.’

Discussion Question: Romeo and Juliet has frequently been described as a comedy that turns into a tragedy. In the first two acts there is an amusing street fight, a masked ball, a lover's meeting, a young man carrying courtly conventions to ridiculous extremes, parents interfering in the love-lives of their young. Suddenly Mercucio is slain, Romeo is banished, the friar falls on desperate measures, Juliet prepares for death, a message goes astray, and death follows quickly. Whilst these elements seem 'obvious', they do not account for the apparently timeless appeal of the play. Why does the story of Romeo and Juliet have 'timeless' appeal? What is meant by 'timeless appeal'?

R+J is a timeless story because it has many themes that resonate and are as relevant today as what they were in the 16th century. Themes such as religious devotion, family honour and duty, young love, old love and the institution of marriage, that speaks to us across time and culture. It focuses on humans being humans; falling in love, honour and loyalty to family and friends, and the tragic floors that we all have. In this case its Romeo's haste and Juliet's craving for independence from her sheltered world. 

Week 3: Much Ado About Nothing (Kenneth Branagh 1993)




Much Ado About Nothing poster & movie trailer link

 

A sunny and vibrant adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedy about the silliness of love through two very different romances; one being love at first sight and the other one of a well known acquaintance and unrealised love.

·         Kenneth Branagh has brought Shakespeare to life in this bright and funny movie. Almost mocking the notion of romantic love, he has his characters flippantly demonstrating many discourses toward the feeling that many hold so dear.

·         The young ‘love at first sight’ couple, Hero and Claudio, are so smitten and madly in love with each other it plays a fantastic contrast to the unfriendly relationship between Beatrice and Benedick.

·         Sharp tongued and fierce Beatrice is a woman who seems to refuse the idea of marriage and balks at the word ‘love’. She is quoted at stating ‘I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me’.
Benedick appears to be against women in general, appreciative and thankful that a woman conceived and raised him, but vows that he does not want love and is content to live a bachelor’s life. Both Beatrice and Benedick are so intent on having everyone around them believing in their independence, that they both have become their own obstacle to happiness.

·         Ursula and Antonio’s flirty banter at the party and the uncouth pinching of bottoms and other parts suggests the physical ‘it’s just sex’ side of love.

·         The tragic floor to which every character seems to inhibit is the need to love and be loved. All the dramatic misunderstandings and happenings are forgiven in the end, and love prevails.

·         Constable Dogberry is hysterical, with an air of Monty Python slapstick, while galloping around on invisible horses. This really does put an air of frivolity over the movie, and a feeling that everything will work out fine in the end, which matches the title and the nature of the movie perfectly.

Discussion Question: Why is it 'much to do about nothing'? The film’s interweaving plots and drama are built up and blown out of proportion with fuss, innuendo, gossip, misunderstandings and manipulating. Despite the beating and death wish that Hero receives from her father, who is quick to believe the word from anyone without even consulting his own daughter, all is forgiven in the end. Hero alos receives a very public lashing and questioning of her virtue from her betrothed on her wedding day, yet all is forgiven. Claudio is deceived by Hero, her father, the priest and his friend, by Hero’s fake death, and he forgives them all! Love prevails in the end, and everyone lives happily ever after. All this dram really does end up as much ado about nothing.

Week 4: Othello (Oliver Parker 1995)



Othello poster & movie trailer link



Othello, a Moor, is a highly revered Venetian general, who secretly marries the daughter of a senator. Jealous that he has not been promoted to Othello’s personal lieutenant, Iago ambitiously begins a malicious revenge crusade against Othello: manipulating his jealousy and planting a seed of doubt against his new wife Desdemona, and Cassio: painting him to be secretly courting Othello’s wife. Driven to madness, Othello is manipulated into a course of destruction.

This movie was very dark, and had a chilling ending. Iago is the essence of evil, is violent and has no feeling for others, and his fearless demeanour has everyone around him convinced of his well meaning, likability and honesty. I felt like I was a part of his wicked scheming through his direct dialogue to the camera, as if I was the only person who knew of his real character and dangerous plot. I felt uncomfortable with my forced involvement with him. This movie was brilliantly done, and I really empathised with Othello’s demise.

Racism:

The marriage between a black man and a white woman is certainly frowned upon: even though Othello is a respected and trusted military leader, it is suggested that the only way Desdemona could possibly love him was through some sort of trickery or magic.
Brabanzio, Dedsdemona’s father ‘O thou foul thief, where hast thou stowed my daughter? Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her’.

Iago's racism is evident through his references to Othello’s skin colour; ‘an old black ram is tupping your white ewe’, however I believe that jealousy and ambition are Iago’s primary motivations for his malicious plans against not only Othello, but also Cassio.

Ambition:

Cassio is as much involved in Iago’s plot as Othello. Iago plays with innocent Cassio, and uses him to get to Othello. With Cassio demoted, Iago believes he should be the next in line to take up position as lieutenant, which is what he is so angry about to start with; ‘Preferment goes by letter and affection, and not by old gradation, where each second stood heir to the first’.
Iago’s manipulation of Othello’s jealousy leads to the attempted murder of Cassio, and the murder of Desdemona. Othello admits to his murder, and his involvement in Cassio’s attempted murder, leaving Iago in the position to be raised to General. I believe that his ambition for greatness and his desire for power and control is the real reason that Iago wove such a net of lies and manipulated everyone around him. He used the people around him as a means to an end.

Jealousy:

·         Othello: murders Desdemona out of pointless jealousy (Fitzsimmons & McCallum, 2009).

·         Iago: we never really know what Iago wants out of his manipulation and deceit. He may be jealous of Othello’s power. He is jealous of Cassio’s promotion, believing that he is the better experience soldier and has recommendation from three ‘great ones’ of the city.

·         Bianca: jealously accuses Cassio of giving her a second hand gift meant for another lover.

Love:
I did not doubt the real love between Othello and Desdemona. Their mutual love is evident right till the end, as Desdemona dies caressing Othello’s face, and Othello’s last words capture his own admission that he is ‘One Who Loved Not Wisely, But Too Well.’
I think the message here is that love takes many forms, and is shared between many cultures and colours. Love is colour blind.

Discussion Question: Iago says: 'I am not what I am'. What is the significance of this comment?

Throughout the dialogue in the first scene, Iago reveals much about his true character. He states that there is nothing wrong with men who service their masters not for love and duty, but only to serve their own self interest. They pay well, and can be used for self promotion. He is admitting that this is exactly what he is doing, that he has no love for Othello, but that it is necessary to appear to as he waits for an opportunity to further his own self-interests. ‘In following him, I follow only myself.’

His official rank is that of Othello’s Ensign, the carrier of the distinguishing flag of his military unit. Although Iago hates Othello, ‘as I hate hell pains’, he still must show ‘a flag and sign of love, to preserve my present life’: he must do his duty and pretend to love his master and keep his position. Iago is very good at presenting himself as likable, honest and trustworthy. Othello claims him to be ‘a man he is of honesty and trust’, and Iago is consistently described and referred to by many as honest Iago. He is a charming liar and uses the trust others have in him to his advantage through manipulation. I believe that Iago, by stating that he is not what he is, is significant because he is admitting to his dangerous psychopathic character through covering up his true self through lies and manipulation.

Week 5: Taming the Shrew (Franko Zeffrelli 1967)



The Taming of the Shrew poster & movie trailer link


The Taming of the Shrew was originally written as a comedy, but as a modern day woman, I found the public humiliation of Kate disturbing to watch, and the resulting taming and submission a bit sad. Kate was spirited and intelligent, and had resisted the taming throughout the whole movie; even taking charge of the household was a fight back in the power battle between the newlyweds. Kate’s last speech is on husbands being thy lord, thy life, thy keeper, and that obedience to your husband is too little payment for the debt incurred of being cared for, for safety and security. She even finally kisses her husband, and passionately, proving that she has finally been tamed into submission as an obedient wife. Apparently in previous stage performances Kate gives the audience a little wink at this, suggesting that she has not truly been tamed, that her obedient demure is just a mask. I almost wish that this had been done in the movie, as it would have left my feminist heart unbroken and me cheering for Kate being true to herself in the end. However this brings me to the context of the movie. It was produced in 1967, right around the time of the women’s liberation movement, and I can only imagine the stir this movie would have caused among women who were fighting for women’s rights and gender equality. Zeffrelli promotes a feeling of empathy for Kate’s taming by presenting her as misunderstood and imprisoned for the greater good; looking out from behind windows and through metal bars. He focuses on themes of women as property, and the taming of a wife by a husband who does not want love, but obedience. I like to think that Zeffrelli’s purpose of making this film was to bring to the forefront, through Hollywood film and two of the biggest actors of the time, past issues in our society in a hope that we can learn from them. Perhaps there is a cautionary moral value to the play, the lesson being on how not to behave.

Women as property:

·         It is self interest that has made Petrucchio come to Padua for a wife, not love. He has inherited an estate and needs a woman to help manage it. He agrees to marry Kate, without even seeing her, for the attractive dowry that is offered.

·         After being warned of her temperament, he responds ‘Think you a little din can daunt mine ears? Have I not in my time heard lions roar, the sea, puffed up with winds, rage like an angry boar chafed with sweat? And do you tell me of a woman's tongue, that gives not half so great a blow to hear as will a chestnut in a farmer's fire? Tush, tush, fear boys with bugs.’

·         I believe he is taking up the challenge of taming Kate as added sport to his new found wealth. He even tells her so: ‘Thou must be married to no man but me. For I am he am born to tame you, Kate, and bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate, conformable as other household Kates.’

·         Also is evident in Petrucchio’s speech: ‘I will be master of what is mine own. She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house, my household stuff, my field, my barn, my horse, my ax, my ass, my anything.’

·         The wager which Petrucchio proposes is an example of the women are property theme. Whichever wife comes most obediently will win the wager for her husband. Kate is the only wife who obediently comes to her husband’s call, dragging the other wives with her.

The Taming:

·         Kate is publically humiliated repeatedly by Petrucchio. On their wedding day he arrives late and in filthy garb, he swears in the church, and kisses her with eagerness. He then publicly drags her away from the wedding feast to his country home. Through reverse psychology, Petrucchio finally tames Kate, who is too weary to resist his taunts anymore. He tells her how sweet she is, and that everyone must be wrong to have told him otherwise. He pretends that nothing is good enough for her.

·         The other men, and I think Petruchio himself, are surprised at how tamed Kate has become when she is the only wife to obediently come to her husband’s call.

Discussion Question: Kate's final speech is frequently played ironically, yet Elizabeth Taylor chose to play it straight in Zeffirelli's film. Explore the significance of the straight/ironic possibilities of the play (e.g. are we meant to take Kate's conversion seriously? Or is she 'playing along' to keep the peace/ dupe Petruchio?)

The Taming of the Shrew was originally written as a comedy, but as a modern day woman, I found the public humiliation of Kate disturbing to watch, and the resulting taming and submission a bit sad. Kate was spirited and intelligent, and had resisted the taming throughout the whole movie; even taking charge of the household was a fight back in the power battle between the newlyweds. Kate’s last speech is on husbands being thy lord, thy life, thy keeper, and that obedience to your husband is too little payment for the debt incurred of being cared for, for safety and security. She even finally kisses her husband, and passionately, proving that she has finally been tamed into submission as an obedient wife. Apparently in previous stage performances Kate gives the audience a little wink at this, suggesting that she has not truly been tamed, that her obedient demure is just a mask. I almost wish that this had been done in the movie, as it would have left my feminist heart unbroken and me cheering for Kate being true to herself in the end.

Week 6: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Michael Hoffman 1999)




A Midsummer Night's Dream poster & movie trailer link

 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (AMND) is a weird story that at first I did not enjoy as it was over the top, there seemed to be too many stories to keep a track of, and I could not gather what it was all about.  After watching it for a second time, this time critically, I enjoyed it more as I was able to understand it better. Of course we are dealing with the fairy king and queen, so the characters should be over the top and fantastical, and cinema is the perfect medium to create believable representations of reality. It left me confused though; is the midsummer night’s dream the story we are watching unfold? Is the dream a metaphor for a wish that people could marry for love? Or is the whole play/movie the dream, as Puck mischievously suggests at the end? Puck: ‘That you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, no more yielding but a dream.’

AMND has many recurring themes from other Shakespearean plays: duty, social hierarchies, authority, women as property, infatuation and love (true, unrequited, shared & lost). But the theme I found most prominent was Vanity.

Vanity:

Oberon: I believe hopes that Titania will love him more upon realising she has loved a vile thing, and that he hopes that they will reconcile.

Titania: is shocked that she had been dallying with the ass.

Feary Sentinal: is distracted by her own reflection in the mirror Oberon gives her, and lets him pass.

Nick Bottom: is constantly trying to be the centre of attention (male and female). He dresses up fancy, sings ballads in public, is visibly hurt when he is laughed at, believes he can be the best at all of the parts available in the play, catches his reflection in the wood, is so satisfied that such a beautiful woman could love him unconditionally that he ignores the initial fear he had and all the weird happenings going on around him.

Helena & Hermia: the fight they have in the wood. They insult one another about their looks.

Helena: believes that Demetrius does not love her because she is ugly.

Discussion Question: How is the supernatural portrayed in A Midsummer Night's Dream? How do you think the director wants us to read the relationship between the fairies and the 'real' characters?

The fairies are portrayed as supernatural and magical, however their quarrels and mistakes give them a human quality. Titania and Oberon’s marital quarrel has caused havoc in the human world. They seem to have power over the elements and nature, with their tempers causing famine and flood and the alteration of seasons. 'The green corn hath rotted ere his youth attained a beard, The fold stands empty in the drowned field, The crows are fatted with the murrain flock.' In the human world the fairies make childish sport with the humans. This is evident through the description one of the fairies gives of Puck, Oberon’s jester: ‘are not you he that frights the maidens of the villagery, and mislead night-wanderers, laughing at their harm?’ to which Puck replies, ‘Thou speaks aright; I am that merry wanderer of the night.’

Titania, Oberon, Puck, and the attendant fairies’ influence affect the bizarre adventures of the young lovers and actors in the wood. Oberon’s revenge on his disobedient wife, Titania, and Puck’s transfiguring magic affects Nick Bottom. Oberon’s desire to relieve the lovers from their problems using the love juice from the flower that has been hit by cupid's arrows, greatly adds to them through the mistake of his minister, Puck. Overall, the fairies seem to affect humans all the time, whether it’s for sport or out of genuine desire to help. The humans though seem all the time unaware of their presence or of their involvement, putting any assumed memories of interaction with the fairies down to a dream.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfk3IO7sn54&feature=related

Week 7: Hamlet (Michael Almereyda, 2000)



Hamlet poster & movie trailer link



Michael Almereyda has place Hamlet in a modern day corporate setting. The kingdom of Denmark is now an office tower, the slain king a CEO, and Hamlet records his diary entries and the world around him on digital video. Hamlets  video diaries were a clever way for the audience to experience his thoughts and ‘mind’s eye’, and also gave the audience some background information: his parent’s happiness before his father’s death and his relationship Ophelia. This also gave the audience an indication that Hamlet had been happy before, and gives strength to his families concern over his current brooding mood.

I enjoyed the recitation of the ‘to be or not to be’ speech by Hamlet while he was in the Action aisle in the video shop. It was as if the universe was sending him subliminal messages to get on with it. I saw Hamlets tragic floor as 1: his inaction, and 2: his inability to trust his nearest and dearest. It would have been a very different and much shorter story had he just trusted his mother to tell her of his visit from his dead father, or if he had taken one of the many opportunities to kill his uncle. Perhaps a message to us all of what not to do.

Instead of staging a play to catch out his murderous stepfather, Hamlet makes an amateur film called The Mousetrap which re-enacts the foul deed of his father’s death, and screens it for his family and friends. His stepfather’s reaction surely would have been enough to convince Hamlet of his father’s accusations, and to exercise justice, but he still takes the rest of the film to finally do it.

It was a very dark and tragic film, and Hamlet learns too late that if actions have consequences, inactions do as well. Everyone’s death is directly caused from his revenge campaign.

Discussion Question: Hamlet has been described as a compendium of some of the great world myths: fratricide, incest, seasonal rites and rituals, sexual initiation, the emergence of dark wisdom from riddles and apparent folly, a son's revenge for his dead father, and the cleansing of a polluted house. Choose one or more of these myths and explore their portrayal in some detail in the film.

Even before his father’s ghost appears to Hamlet, he is devastated and disgusted by his mother Gertrude's hasty marriage to his father's brother (Claudius). ‘That it should come to this! But two months dead: nay, not so much, not two.’ He is also sickened by the visibly physical and sensual nature of their marriage, particularly as he believed his mother to be so in love with his father: ‘Heaven and earth! Must I remember? why, she would hang on him, As if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on: and yet, within a month-- Let me not think on't--Frailty, thy name is woman!’

He believes that this hasty marriage is incestuous: ‘Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears Had left the flushing in her galled eyes, She married. O, most wicked speed, to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!’

Hamlet’s father’s ghost describes his murderous brother Claudius as an incestuous, adulterate beast. He tells Hamlet that he seduced the queen with wicked wit and gifts, and says ‘Let not the royal bed of Denmark be A couch for luxury and damned incest.’

Week 8: Macbeth (Geoffrey Write, 2006)



Macbeth poster & movie trailer link



An Australian adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It has a kicking soundtrack, and the use of wrestles camera work have given this film an aura of modern day, drug induced gang life. Set amongst a contemporary criminal underworld of warring Melbourne gangsters, of which Duncan is the leader, or king. It is brutal and violent. The Shakespearean language is used, but the wordiness has been left out. This is powerful though, and suits some of the scenes perfectly. Eg. The party at Macbeth’s castle. Lady Macbeth enters the room where Macbeth is alone, asking why he has left. Macbeth says. 'We will proceed no further in this business', and the couple stare each other down. The power is in what has not been said aloud between them.

I enjoyed the first shoot out scene, a drug deal gone wrong. It was so powerful and explosive, and really gave you the impression that the characters were powerful and corrupt, and not to be messed with. I felt that Macbeth being dressed like a rock star, complete with the sunnies, helped the audience better understand his own misled belief of being untouchable.

Power & Ambition: 
Lady Macbeth fuels his ambition by taunting his manhood, 'When you durst do it, then you were a man; and , to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man,' and his courage, 'But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we'll not fail.'

Macbeth is paranoid about the prophesy of the witches, claiming that Banquo would be the father of a line of kings. Banquo is a threat to Macbeth, 'There is none but he whose being I do fear: and, under him, my genius is rebuked; as, it is said, Mark Antony's was by Ceasar,' and so decides to kill hom too so that he does not gain power.

Murder: Macbeth is clearly rattled by his murder of Duncan, ‘I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on't again I dare not,' and his mind becomes increasingly tortured and wild throughout the film. This is fuelled also by the haunting of Banquo’s ghost at the feast. Macbeth says, 'better be with the dead, whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, than on the torture of the mind to lie in restless ecstasy.' He is slowly losing his mind.

Eventually Lady Macbeth loses her mind also, she becomes fearful of what Macbeth has become, and feels the guilt that the blood of many is on her hands. She commits suicide.

Revenge:

·         Banquo’s ghost gains revenge by driving Macbeth crazy with paranoia.

·         Macduff gets revenge for his slain wife and child by killing their murderers.

·         Malcolm exacts revenge on Macbeth for his father’s murder.

The Supernatural:
Wright deals with the theme of the supernatural creatively. The three teenage witches appear to be drug induced fantasy, and has left me wondering if they were real or a figment of Macbeth’s imagination, giving him a message that deep down he wanted to hear. They prophesise his rise to great power, and Macbeth laps it up, at first believing that perhaps the king will die without him having to do anything, 'If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir.' But killing the king, so that Macbeth can rise up, is what Lady Macbeth plots upon hearing the prophesy from her husband.

Discussion Question: In Jack Gold's Macbeth, it is implied that Lady Macbeth is the main force behind Macbeth, and that it is her ambition and sexual power over him that galvanises him into action. Discuss.

I watched the 2006 Geoffrey Wright Aussie movie and was very impressed. I believe that Lady Macbeth’s ambition was the force behind the murder of the King, it was almost as if she talked him into it. And it appeared from this filmic rendition that she used her sexual power over him, when Macbeth’s decision to kill the King wavered, Lady Macbeth taunts his manhood, ‘When you durst do it, then you were a man; And, to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man,’ and his courage, ‘But screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we'll not fail.’

Lady Macbeth had just lost a baby, a situation that she had no control over. I believe that she was seeking power and control, and the opportunity presented itself. I don’t believe that she was a malicious person though, as her monologue suggests that she must call upon evil spirits to ‘stop up th' access and passage to remorse’, otherwise she would not be able to go through with the murder. Also when she realises the death that now surrounds them, she goes mad from the guilt and the blood on her hands; while sleep walking, she is wringing her hands and asks, ‘what, will these hands ne're be clean?’

Week 9: Richard III (Laurence Olivier 1954)

 

Richar III poster & movie trailer link



The use of shadows and looking through windows was particularly effective. The shadows gave the feeling of eavesdropping, secrets, people watching and general sneakiness. Looking through windows had this effect too, but it gave the sense that the audience and Richard were always on the outside looking in. This is normal for an audience, but it gave me the feeling that Richard was not wholly accepted by his peers or was looked upon as a cripple and with unease.

Control:One of the first scenes of this dark tragedy is Richard revealing his jealousy and ambition through direct dialogue to the audience. Richard’s character is similar to that of Othello and Macbeth; he uses a well meaning mask to fool everyone around him.  The frequent direct dialogue at the beginning of the movie demonstrated Richard’s control of the plans he has set in motion, who eventually gains the power position of King by presenting himself as the modest and true heir to the throne. The power goes to his head though, and he progressively becomes irrational, paranoid and unpredictable. Towards the end of the movie, the direct dialogues are less frequent, suggesting his loss of control.

Richard is visited by the ghosts of his victims, all of whom tell him to despair and die! Richard is shaken by this, realizing that he has lost control, that everyone has turned against him, and that he has isolated himself.

The attraction to Evil:

·         Richard III: Molds himself to be evil in order to secure the crown for himself.'I am determined to prove a villian and hate the idle pleasure of these days'. He describes himself as subtle, false and treacherous. He never expresses regret or remorse.

·         Lady Anne: is allured by Richard’s evil demeanor: she knows that Richard killed her Father and her Husband because Richard admits it to her, stating that he killed them because he would make a better husband to her: ‘He that bereft thee, lady, of thy husband, did it to help thee to a better husband’, and that it was her beauty which haunted him that made him do it. She is won over by his manipulative sweet lies, believing him to be a penitent man, 'With all my heart; and much it joys me too, to see you are become so penitent.'

·         Buckingham: is lured into evil and into helping Richard become popular with the public by the promise of another title and more land and wealth. He does come around though when he refuses Richard’s request that he murders the infant princes.

Discussion Question: 'Ambition, madness, revenge. Richard III has it all. He loses in the end because his own class turns against him'. Discuss.

The insecurity of tyrants:Richard’s ambition for the throne is cast early. Youngest brother of three, Richard was in constant competition as to who would succeed the throne, and he soon realised that his clever attitude and his physical deformity were two of the many reasons why he would be kept from it. His insecurities lead to a deep hatred.

His running commentaries when he is out of earshot of others reveal his true evil character: ‘And thus I clothe my naked villainy with old odd ends stolen out of holy writ; and seem a saint, when most I play the devil. My conscience hath a thousand several tongues, and every tongue brings in a several tale, and every tale condemns me for a villain.’

Richard adopts a mask of innocence to deceive and to disguise the evil murderous plots he has put into action. His constant fear of vengeance from his subjects, and his anxiety gets worse as he gains the power he so desperately wanted, and eventually this leads his adversaries to see through his mask. Richard III is his own worst enemy.

Week 10: Henry V (Kenneth Branagh 1989)



Henry V poster & movie trailer link



The film at first glorifies war, then shows the viciousness and inhumanities of it.

Courage:

Canby (1989) says that the film is ‘splendid propaganda’, and King Henry V, although crowned at a young age, seemed to be the perfect English king, and one the country could be proud of. Seizing a battle with France to assert his hereditary claim, he ambitiously takes the opportunity to create for himself an image of a decisive, courageous and inspiring leader, triumphantly leading his army to victory in the battle at Agincourt even while foiling internal plots against him, and with time to woo the fair princess Katherine. All the while however, remaining human to the men around him and the audience: after victory on the battlefield he turns, bemused, to the French herald and asks which side has carried the day. He is dismayed at the numbers of the French dead, and shows mercy to the French even after they had murdered all the young squires.

The beauty of recreating Shakespeare on film is that there is no need for apologies to the audience for not being able to successfully portray a battlefield on stage. In the movie, the French battlefield’s skies are gray, the atmosphere is chill and rainy, and the ground is messy and muddy. This portrayal promotes a touching impact to the power of courage and Henry V’s inspiring speeches to his men in times of need.

·         Before the battle: ‘In peace there's nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility: but when the blast of war blows in our ears, then imitate the action of the tiger; stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage.’ Act 3, Scene 1.

·         After the battle: ‘We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.’ Act 4, Scene 3

Leadership leads to isolation:

Shakespeare’s portrayal of King Henry V’s character and actions suggests that having the power that the position of King comes with blurs the established lines between good and evil, right and wrong.

The story supports that to be a good ruler a King has a duty to make hard decisions. To be a great ruler, a King has a duty to act in ways that, to an ordinary person, may seem puzzling (such as betraying friends and putting other friends to death), all in the name of political necessity and strengthening the stability of the throne. His duty is to the security and strength of his whole realm. This duty causes the King to be a separate entity from all other people, and this leads to the King’s isolation, highlighted in the movie by the tight relationships between the people around him.

Discussion Question: 'Henry V is a play that celebrates war and masculinity.' Discuss. I think Henry V is a play that celebrates war. It is through declaring war that Henry creates a new image for himself, one of a courageous leader, and asserts himself as the true King of France through a hereditary claim. It is through war that England’s pride is regained after being mocked by France, through their victorious battle which leads to control of France. Also it is war that inspires the men to come together and die together for a common cause, evident in Henry’s Agincourt speech. ‘We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.’ Act 4, Scene 3. This speech brings to the fore Henry’s aspirations as king, as Rayment (2005) discusses, to be a leader of men and not just a tyrant troubled only with his own personal afflictions.

As there are few women within the script (with one female character’s lines being mostly in French), there is a masculine feel to the play, concentrating on the then manly honour of going to war, and the relationships between the men that surround the King. War and the waging of it were looked upon as masculine by the Elizabethan culture, with compromise and diplomacy considered a feminine trait. Also with Henry’s conquering of France, he also woos and conquers her Princess Katherine. Katherine, asking how she could ever love the enemy of France, is persuaded by Henry’s response, ‘No; it is not possible you should love the enemy of France, Kate: but, in loving me, you should love the friend of France; for I love France so well that I will not part with a village of it; I will have it all mine: and, Kate, when France is mine and I am yours, then yours is France and you are mine.’ Act 5, Scene 2.