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Friday, March 11, 2016

Staging Problems for the Supernatural Elements in Macbeth

I believe that soliloquys and the supernatural are the two indispensable elements of Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Without the soliloquys, it would have been impossible for the audience to know the minds of the characters and to learn about the internal conflicts they are going through. Therefore, with soliloquys omitted, the play would not make sense as it does as Macbeth, for we could have not understood the motives or reasons behind the characters' deeds - many things would happen without a cause and could not have achieved the same effect.

As for the supernatural elements, I suggest that they are at least as much important as soliloquys are. The three witches, to begin with, do more than informing Macbeth and Banquo about their future, and adding mystery to the play. The same could have been done with a strange secret note they would find; but their appearance and disappearance add much more than this to the play. We can say the same for the dagger scene, as well. Although it is a hallucination that Macbeth sees, I still think the appearance of the dagger is a part of the supernatural elements. The way that Macbeth reacts to what he sees, gives us clues about his understanding of fate and free will, his future plans and foreshadows what Macbeth is going to do in the near future. As a result, it cannot be fully replaced with another element and create the same effect.

In conclusion, these supernatural elements play a super-important role for the play. If we are to stage the play or make a film version of Macbeth, we need to present the supernatural elements if we want to remain loyal to the the play. But, how can it be possible to stage the appearance and vanishing of the witches, or the appearance of the dagger in theatre, espeacially in the Elizabethan era, where the theatre halls we not as developed or became complicated as they are now?

I have tried to make some research concerning the possible staging problems of staging Macbeth, and  (if there were) the solutions that the producers of the play came up with in Shakespeare's times. I have found some solutions that could be used in filmmaking in the contemporary era, which you can access in the link HERE. But I would be glad if you share your own opinions and knowlegde about this issue of staging, too.

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