Depiction of Violance in Polanski's Macbeth(1971)

Even though Polanski’s version has many differences such as interpretations of characters and scenes of play, it follows the same context with book Macbeth. Both versions uses same Shakespearian language however, using some contexts differ from each other in book version and the film version. Although film version helps audience to understand context easily with visual effects rather than just words on a paper, interpretation frequency of contexts are different. Main issues of Shakespeare’s play are tragedy, power and avarice but in Polanski, whereas interpretation of these issues is included in film, main themes of play are displayed behind violence.

Shocking things related to violence are in a sequence. Film begins with a battle scene. King Duncan, Thane of Cawdor is murdered in a bloody way (even though this is offstage). Then Banquo is killed with an ax from his spine and sooner his bloody disgusting ghost appears in dinner. If I were Polanski I did not interpret Banquo’s ghost as a dead man who came out his grave having white ski and vengeful face. I would depict him as flu figure which is common ghost presentation which is the first display of most people when they think about ghosts. From Macbeth’s speech towards Banquo’s qhost we can understand that Shakespeare also dreamed Banquo’s ghost in blood: “Thou canst not say I did it-never shake/Thy gory locks at me” (3.4, 49-50).Then Macduff’s son is murdered in very brutal way. And at the end after fighting many guys in scene and killing them, Macbeth’s head is cut from his body by Macduff and putted on a stick (which is also an offstage in original play of Shakespeare’s Macbeth).

Polanski emphasizes themes from Shakespeare’s play in a different manner. Despite his films main subject is relevance with original play, He portrays Lady Macbeth as cruel and violent wife rather than lover of her husband Macbeth. This can be also related that Polanski uses violence in order to interpret Shakespeare’s play to the audience. However in both versions we can see cruelty. For instance Lady Macbeth’s desire for being evil: “[...] Come, you spirits/That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, /And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full 
Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood./Stop up th' access and passage to remorse, /That no compunctious visitings of nature/Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between/Th' effect and it” (1.5.47-54). Although Lady Macbeth wants to become cruel, “human kindness” inside her is resulted her guilt then her death.

As a result, we can see violence in versions of Macbeth, the original play and Polanski’s film version. However, depiction scenes in Polanski’s version are in some kind is disturbing and bloody like children should not watch some scenes of film in order not to be affected from violence, blood and cruelty. Events flows in a violent manner audience encounter a bloody and gory death and then when that death is not completely digested by people who watch movie, another appears in a disgusting manner. To sum up, Polanski’s version is not similar to Shakespeare wanted to show audience when he was writing his play Macbeth, film version is far more different than original in aspect of violence.