The unsettling sound of a heart rate monitor introduces three nurses surrounding three dead bodies in a morgue - nurses being an obvious contrast to the setting; it is unnatural, just as the three disguised witches are. Ominous music begins as the witches chant an eerie spell, brewing a poisonous potion. In the film, Macbeth, directed by Rupert Goold, and in the play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, act 4, scene 1, is a reflection of the first scene where Macbeth and Banquo encounter the Weird Sisters. Once again, the witches equivocate three prophecies to Macbeth, leading him to challenge Fate. The use of poetry accurately portrays - both on the page and the screen - the emotions felt by Macbeth, and combined with the action makes for an
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These puppet-like gestures cultivate a scene made to unsettle audiences with its uncanny supernatural element. The witches are beings of chaos and the actions present in this scene are a direct representation of their characterization. The second witch introduces Macbeth “by the pricking of [her] thumbs” because “something wicked this way comes” (IV. i. 44, 45). The pricking of thumbs can be associated with pins and needles which are used to indicate an upcoming event. The witches use venomous animals and generally gruesome ingredients in their potion - the potion for a monster, one might say. The indication that Macbeth might not be entirely human is only reinforced by the second witch’s ominous words. By this time in the play, Macbeth and the witches are alike - wicked and unnatural in their deeds. Another fleeting moment of action that holds great significance is when Banquo’s eighth son “bears a glass / Which shows me many more...Horrible sight! Now I see ‘tis true / For the blood-bolter’d Banquo smiles upon me / And points at them for his” (IV. i. 119 - 123). The juxtaposition of the blood spilled by Macbeth’s hands to children (who represent innocence) makes this scene truly haunting and - just as with the other actions within this scene - serve to foreshadow Macbeth’s fate as he attempts to challenge
These puppet-like gestures cultivate a scene made to unsettle audiences with its uncanny supernatural element. The witches are beings of chaos and the actions present in this scene are a direct representation of their characterization. The second witch introduces Macbeth “by the pricking of [her] thumbs” because “something wicked this way comes” (IV. i. 44, 45). The pricking of thumbs can be associated with pins and needles which are used to indicate an upcoming event. The witches use venomous animals and generally gruesome ingredients in their potion - the potion for a monster, one might say. The indication that Macbeth might not be entirely human is only reinforced by the second witch’s ominous words. By this time in the play, Macbeth and the witches are alike - wicked and unnatural in their deeds. Another fleeting moment of action that holds great significance is when Banquo’s eighth son “bears a glass / Which shows me many more...Horrible sight! Now I see ‘tis true / For the blood-bolter’d Banquo smiles upon me / And points at them for his” (IV. i. 119 - 123). The juxtaposition of the blood spilled by Macbeth’s hands to children (who represent innocence) makes this scene truly haunting and - just as with the other actions within this scene - serve to foreshadow Macbeth’s fate as he attempts to challenge