Modernizing “The Tragedy of Macbeth”: Is Rupert Goold's Version (2010) a Misleading False Friend of Literature Students?

The tragedy Macbeth written by William Shakespeare is thought to have been first performed in 1606. Needless to say, the information about the date of it being written is not known, yet the date of publication is - 1623 in the First Folio. That, in turn, adds up to the common fact that plays are written primarily to be staged. Those choosing the expose themselves to the staged version of the play are choosing the right tactics of getting the full play’s appreciation above all. Particularly, these approach will also suit students seeking literature or philology degree that have to prepare for their literature classes and get the fullest impression possible, with their literary sensibility and sensitivity at hand. Choosing the paths of least resistance, the student might embark on the theatric or even screen productions that he can easily access in YouTube - as a free and open source of full version of stage productions. Yet, these productions tend to deviate from the original textual material, depending on the director decision on how to stage or shoot the adaptation, with the individual approach cutting scenes and directing the ways that the original textual creation can be distorted. Thus, the question arises: to what extent would it be detrimental for student to get the proper appreciation of Macbeth after watching one of the most popular Macbeth film adaption on YouTube, directed by Rupert Goold in 2010?

Open to any possible variation of being staged, William Shakespeare’s plays do not impose strictures, where-in the male characters can be played by female actress, and even multiple characters - by one actor only, as long as the original text is being preserved. The same pertains to the surroundings and the context of the stage production, leaving the production’s context creation up to the director’s imagination. In the Rupert Goold’s Macbeth film adaptation, the witches are received a modernized appearances of hospital nurses, and the settings of most scenes - in the proximity of a kitchen sink and refrigerator, yet the horrifying atmosphere of supernatural horror that was certainly present in the 17th century theatre productions - is also conveyed in the film adaptation. Yet, does it add up to the comprehension of tragedy or reverts it’s original meaning?



Modernized implementations did not appear without the influence on the original text. The most visible transformations comprise the replacements of the order of some scenes, namely, the ones at the beginning of the film. The witches’ scenes are in complete chaos, appearing inconsintetly and neglecting the prescribed by the plot original order - allowing themselves to be disappeared at the very beginning of the play, and to appear fragmentally before Bancoe and Macbeth scene, thus leaving out their conversation on potential victims of their witchcraft. 



Also, some parts of the text are omitted - namely, part of the Sergeant speech at the Scene 2 of Act 1 where-in he metaphorically depicts the characteristic of Macbeth's appearance and stance on the battle:


“…As whence the sun 'gins his reflection
Shipwrecking storms and direful thunders break,
So from that spring whence comfort seem'd to come.”

These lines are omitted in the film’s narrative - at the expense of the effect that the glorification of Macbeth creates on the reader and adds up to the comprehension of Macbeth's characterization and the way he is perceived. 


Moving back to the witches, the effect of their sinisterness at the beginning is dismissed as well, and is replaced by the new director’s solution - by their omnipresent role throughout the whole film. Not only does it violate the original text while disregarding their conversation in the whole scene, but also introduces new elements that are alien to the original script, misleading the ignorant student relying on the firsthand experience. Taking the advantage of having no dialogues between witches throughout the play, Goold implements this technique that does not violate the impression of the play overall, yet contains minor distortions that might mislead the student. All in all, though, this film is the most popular adaptation not without the reason - it retains the most accurate recount of original text of the play, compared to other film adaptations existing now, making it more or less self-sufficient in the appreciation of Shakespearean’s Macbeth.

Concerning the use of language, film adaptation preserves the original verse structure and does not deviate at any occurrences. Shakespearean’s flow of blank verse retains it’s original iambic pentameter structure and is recited naturally through the masterful actor’s play. Getting the Shakespearean’s verse via the emotionally suffused actor’s play is a genuine way to absorb the play to the fullest extent, as it is meant to be originally, thus the student employs the right tactics of getting the full impression of the play – by watching its accurate film version.

However modernized the setting of the film appears, the account of the play’s occurrences is preserved, leaving it a viable option when considering between watching the film adaptation or consuming the play in the written form. Considering the deviations of the plot and minor distortions of the character’s original speeches, watching it as a firsthand experience will not reveal the comprehensive picture of the play and might mislead the student in Macbeth’s appreciation. All the arguments considered, film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth directed by Rupert Goold might well work as a substitution of the original written play, yet would also perfectly complement the experience of the original text appreciation, that is perhaps best considered in tandem.

Works cited:

“‘Great Performances’ Macbeth (TV Episode 2010).” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt1570337/.

Shakespeare, William, and Henry Cuningham. Macbeth. Methuen, 1912.