In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, he writes the original version of the iconic Witch Brew scene, where the three witches are pictured as “circl[ing] the cauldron”, creating a potion, while singing and dancing to “Black Spirits” (IIII.I.Stage Directions). Though, in Goold’s version, the witches are seen dancing around a morgue, not actually creating a potion, and chanting the recipe aloud. In Rupert Goold’s 2010 television interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, Macbeth, the director used the cinematic devices such as costumes, setting, and actor choices to further portray the witches as not being magical or having much control over Macbeth’s thoughts and actions, but being more human and having the power to influence Macbeth’s
…show more content…
The witches’ nurse costumes show how the director attempted to make the witches more human, depicting the witches as not having complete control over Macbeth’s mind and choices but being able to influence him and sway his well being. In line with the nurse elements of the costume, the Witch’s glasses contribute to a more human sense and show her to have the insight to see choices Macbeth makes.
The setting of the famous Witch Brew scene greatly affected the meaning of the scene in Goold’s interpretation. By setting the brew scene in a brightly lit morgue with each witch standing over a dead body instead of a barren wasteland, it further contributes to the idea that the witches are portrayed as being human. By setting the three witches in the morgue, they appear to be nurses simply doing their jobs and not creating a bubbling concoction that Shakespeare originally intended. The bright clouded lighting behind the witches, though, contrasts the idea that they appear to be human. The streaming white light covered by plastic strips gives an impression of a higher power showing that the witches truly do have control over Macbeth and simply trying to mask it. The seemingly …show more content…
In the witch brew scene, Goold's first change of having the witches not actually create a brew also contributes to the idea that the witches are not magical beings but humans who simply have further insight than Macbeth. Another of Goold’s executive decisions in his interpretation was to create the recipe into more of a song than a list of ingredients as Shakespeare wrote, emphasizing certain lyrics like “finger of a birth strangled babe” and the classic “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble,” (IIII.I.10-12 and 30). By bringing out these two specific lines, Goold showcases how gruesome the potion truly is and shows one of the book’s more famous lines. Finally, through the apparitions, the witches voice action and emotions conveyed Goold’s intentions. Goold decided to have three apparitions played by actors who for the first half of the scene appeared to be dead. Goold’s choice to the apparitions portrayed by actual people represented that the apparitions posed an actual threat to Macbeth and foreshadowed the idea that those who you don’t expect can hurt you the most. By having the witches speak in a voice other than their own shows that there is an underlying evil to what the witches do. When the first witch asks Macbeth to “Say, if th' hadst rather hear it from our mouths, Or from our masters',” and deepens her
The witches’ nurse costumes show how the director attempted to make the witches more human, depicting the witches as not having complete control over Macbeth’s mind and choices but being able to influence him and sway his well being. In line with the nurse elements of the costume, the Witch’s glasses contribute to a more human sense and show her to have the insight to see choices Macbeth makes.
The setting of the famous Witch Brew scene greatly affected the meaning of the scene in Goold’s interpretation. By setting the brew scene in a brightly lit morgue with each witch standing over a dead body instead of a barren wasteland, it further contributes to the idea that the witches are portrayed as being human. By setting the three witches in the morgue, they appear to be nurses simply doing their jobs and not creating a bubbling concoction that Shakespeare originally intended. The bright clouded lighting behind the witches, though, contrasts the idea that they appear to be human. The streaming white light covered by plastic strips gives an impression of a higher power showing that the witches truly do have control over Macbeth and simply trying to mask it. The seemingly …show more content…
In the witch brew scene, Goold's first change of having the witches not actually create a brew also contributes to the idea that the witches are not magical beings but humans who simply have further insight than Macbeth. Another of Goold’s executive decisions in his interpretation was to create the recipe into more of a song than a list of ingredients as Shakespeare wrote, emphasizing certain lyrics like “finger of a birth strangled babe” and the classic “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble,” (IIII.I.10-12 and 30). By bringing out these two specific lines, Goold showcases how gruesome the potion truly is and shows one of the book’s more famous lines. Finally, through the apparitions, the witches voice action and emotions conveyed Goold’s intentions. Goold decided to have three apparitions played by actors who for the first half of the scene appeared to be dead. Goold’s choice to the apparitions portrayed by actual people represented that the apparitions posed an actual threat to Macbeth and foreshadowed the idea that those who you don’t expect can hurt you the most. By having the witches speak in a voice other than their own shows that there is an underlying evil to what the witches do. When the first witch asks Macbeth to “Say, if th' hadst rather hear it from our mouths, Or from our masters',” and deepens her