Mark Brozel's Argumentative Essay

Superior Essays
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

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Universal Theme In Macbeth

    • 1090 Words
    • 5 Pages

    English Essay- Macbeth Rose Hillard 10A, Mr Zitser Universal themes are communicated to the audience in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth through the use of varying literary techniques and dramatic effects. This essay will look at the timeless nature of themes such as ambition and appearance versus reality in Macbeth, and how their transcendence of human nature contributes to the play’s relevance today.…

    • 1090 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Will Gibert Honors Genre Studies November 12th, 2015 Blood Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is a perfect example of theatrical tragedy. The viewer is instantly hooked with action as the play starts with battle in which Macbeth nearly slices his enemy's body in half to claim victory for his king. Macbeth starts at a high point, being a hero of war. Then play then takes a turn for the worse when Macbeth is given a prophecy from three witches stating that he would become king, and that his comrade, Banquo`s line would eventually seize the throne. From this moment on, murders are committed, tyranny rules over the land, and combat is inflicted; Macbeth rapidly declines from a noble man into a ruthless killer.…

    • 1276 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the April of 1992, Chris McCandless set out from South Dakota to Fairbanks Alaska. Five months later, McCandless's body was found rotting inside an abandoned bus. Chris McCandless had run away from his family and had hoped to survive in the wild with only the bare necessities. McCandless was a fool for what he did, he was a hard working, and vigilant man, yet he embarked without a backup plan, nor the proper supplies to survive out in the wild.…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Individuals who are deceptive or are deceived will consequently be a catalyst for disaster and chaos. William Shakespeare conveys the theme of deception in his tragic play ‘Macbeth’ through the protagonists; the witches, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. In Shakespeare’s era, the notion of being disloyal to the King will cause destruction to the chain of beings as well as cause insanity in themselves. The use of innumerable literary techniques and recurring motifs of nature and the contrast between light and dark aid in accentuating the theme.…

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Deception is usually considered immoral. Yet most people tend to deceive someone regularly. They might not realize it, but their act of deception can cause an extreme deal of trouble for others – even if it is something significantly unimportant. The same concept occurred during Shakespeare’s Othello. Deception is commonly viewed in a negative manner but this is not exclusively the case in Shakespeare’s Othello.…

    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth Gender Roles Essay

    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Gender roles in historic literature are aspects that are often talked about, but very rarely argued, particularly in conversation–but also in academic articles and scholarly discussions. Too often we see injustice concerning women in plays and novels, but instead of criticizing those stereotypes, the majority of readers tend to simply dismiss them as results of another time. In Macbeth, it is easy to see why the woman do not hold positions of power and have many negative associations, mostly due to women being confined to the role of homemaker in the seventeenth century, but the more interesting thing to do is argue those stereotypes. While some may see Macbeth as a fairly equal play in the sense that there are several female roles, some even…

    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chris Mintz, a 30 year old military veteran, was shot 7 times by a shooter in Oregon’s Umpqua Community College on October 1, 2015. He is known as an American hero for stepping up and thinking of others rather than himself. He had a six year old son, whose birthday happened to be on that same day, and he decided to try and stop a shooter and risk his own life to save the lives of others. If a shooter were to come into Franklin High School, three different people, id, ego, and superego, each would have different views on what they would do in a school shooting.…

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Deception is a tool that has been used throughout history to achieve power and political goals. It is used daily by people who desire to alter a situation in their favor, whether it be for good or bad. William Shakespeare wrote the play Much Ado About Nothing in 1599 for Queen Elizabeth I, someone who often interfered in the relationships among her courtiers and attendants. Shakespeare uses this play to comment on deception and how one may go about deceiving someone, by comparing Don Pedro and the Friar’s use of deception with Don John’s, it is clear that he believes deception has a place in society– but only if it is used for a good purpose. Through the contrast of Don Pedro, the Friar, and Leonato’s good intentions and his brother’s machinations…

    • 1895 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Masculine Mannerisms Gender roles have ruled society and normalities for both women and men for centuries. Men are expected to be dominant and willing to be violent, while women are supposed to be submissive and innocent. The expectations for both are very different, and straying from the norm has always seemed bizarre. Literature has become a way to stress the importance that gender roles have on society, as well as a way to show the alternation of characteristics between women and men. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the stark difference between womanly and manly qualities is an important theme.…

    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Although she might seem like a one-sided and uninfluential character in the relatively short portion of Macbeth that she appears in, Lady Macbeth is one of the most captivating and influential characters within the play. Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare in the early 17th Century, mainly consists of the plot by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to murder the King of Scotland in order to take power for themselves. Lady Macbeth plays a key role as the instigator of this plot and intervenes in key events several times in order to maintain the plot’s success. Lady Macbeth’s status as a woman combined with her significant ambition provides enormous complexity to her character and makes her extremely interesting. The substantial change in character…

    • 1107 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In William Shakespeare’s, Macbeth, readers are given a twizzler of a tale that deals with masculinity and violence; written in approximately the year 1606. The questioning of gender roles, and what they are, have never hit a higher peak than that of in 2016. However, about 400 years ago, Shakespeare managed to capture the ambiguity of it all in one seamless sweep. Readers are introduced to some interesting characters in Macbeth who are known as the three weird sisters, who look neither man nor women.…

    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    William Shakespeare is known for his use of illusions that distort reality to show how characters perceive situations, and how those perceptions can determine fate. Shakespeare is able to employ this theme in his characters’ thoughts, words, and actions. Deciding and acting on what is real and what is not can make or break a character. This is apparent throughout Macbeth, a play that thoroughly exemplifies the theme of illusion vs. reality.…

    • 974 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The play ‘Macbeth’ predates the concept of feminism and therefore equality between the sexes both in the political and personal spheres was unheard of. As a result the women within the narrative are often marginalised and void of any power. In the cases where women do have influence they are either criticised and isolated or treated as strange, supernatural creatures. However, this would have conformed to the original audience’s expectations as women were seen as subordinate to men. Their responsibilities included managing the household, raising children and obeying their husbands; these were their only real roles in society, as a wife and a mother, and were inextricably associated with ideals of femininity.…

    • 1568 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    William Shakespeare’s 1606 tragedy, Macbeth, is a drama depicting the destructive unbridled ambition and downfall of the tragic hero, a recognisable human flaw that contributes to the enduring value of the play. Along with the political context, Macbeth highlights that excessive and disproportionate hubris will have terrible, tragic consequences. In the beginning, Macbeth’s ambition has been fuelled by devious characters such as Lady Macbeth and the three witches; this reveals the hamartia of the protagonist and the irreversible perversion of his moral compass. Shakespeare’s intent in this play is to convey the psychological and character impact that comes with excessive power and its abuse, obsession and particularly, ambition. The reader…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth tells the fictionalized story of Macbeth’s rise to the throne. His ambition is spurred by Lady Macbeth who feels that Macbeth will not be strong enough to undertake the necessary requirements, in their minds, to gain the titles of King and Queen. The characterizations of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth undergo complete reversals, and the characters who readers are introduced to at the beginning of the drama barely resemble the people whom they were. The beginning of Macbeth introduces Macbeth as submissive and hesitant, yet extremely dedicated. Macbeth may be Thane of Glamis which holds a position of power, but he is very submissive in his relationship with Lady Macbeth.…

    • 1261 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics