Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble
The Hindu
A look at the most famous adaptations of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and understanding its continuing fascination among filmmakers and audiences alike
This year has seen two film adaptations of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth—Dileesh Pothan’s Joji in April and Joel Coen’s (to be released) The Tragedy of Macbeth on December 25 (a definitely different sort of Christmas movie!)
The fatal flaws of Shakespeare’s tragic heroes, King Lear, Hamlet, Macbeth and Othello, do not seem devastating these days. Isn’t narcissism the default setting of our age? Hamlet with his angst and navel-gazing in Iambic pentameter speaks directly to our online selves. In a world that worships at the altar of success, Macbeth’s over-vaulting ambition would be perceived as admirable. For that matter Lear should not be punished for his vanity either. Only poor Othello with his jealousy for the fair Desdemona would not cut any ice as he would be urged to take a chill pill and move on.
Macbeth with its murder, madness and mayhem offers a cornucopia of themes to filmmakers from all genres. From the obvious gangster (Maqbool, Geoffrey Wright’s Macbeth set in the Melbourne underworld) and crime (Joji) setting to comic thrillers (Scotland, PA), there is something for everyone in the Scottish Play.