Not a tale told by an idiot
“Life… is a tale told by an idiot,” the title character laments in Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy, Macbeth. Not if Mark Brozel were the director, Tiffany Hales discovers; his 2005 adaptation of Macbeth an artful study of the human psyche that both Shakespeare aficionados and film buffs will love. When it came to translating Shakespeare’s bloodiest play into a modern context, Mark Brozel set himself a hard task. With some suspicious – and racist – witches, questionable beliefs about gender roles, and a whole lot of homicide, Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth does not exactly lend itself to becoming a modern adaptation. Surely a tale about regicide and ancient power struggles should stay in the 17th century?
However, with his …show more content…
The new representation also serves to bring one of the key themes of Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy – deception – to the 21st century viewer. Through Ella’s gradual descent into depression and insanity due to her constant lying and ‘covering up’, the audience is reminded why ‘honesty is the best policy’: deception will only ever cause chaos.
The portrayal of Joe and Ella’s relationship is also tweaked from the original; the murderous duo a much closer couple than the Bard would have ever dared to present – the existence of female actors certainly makes this easier to
“Life… is a tale told by an idiot,” the title character laments in Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy, Macbeth. Not if Mark Brozel were the director, Tiffany Hales discovers; his 2005 adaptation of Macbeth an artful study of the human psyche that both Shakespeare aficionados and film buffs will love. When it came to translating Shakespeare’s bloodiest play into a modern context, Mark Brozel set himself a hard task. With some suspicious – and racist – witches, questionable beliefs about gender roles, and a whole lot of homicide, Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth does not exactly lend itself to becoming a modern adaptation. Surely a tale about regicide and ancient power struggles should stay in the 17th century?
However, with his …show more content…
The new representation also serves to bring one of the key themes of Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy – deception – to the 21st century viewer. Through Ella’s gradual descent into depression and insanity due to her constant lying and ‘covering up’, the audience is reminded why ‘honesty is the best policy’: deception will only ever cause chaos.
The portrayal of Joe and Ella’s relationship is also tweaked from the original; the murderous duo a much closer couple than the Bard would have ever dared to present – the existence of female actors certainly makes this easier to