Role of witches in macbeth essay
Drawing a plot for his "Scottish play" from "The Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland" by R.Holinshed, Shakespeare, following the biography of Macbeth set out in them, connected it with the episode of the murder of the Scottish king Duff by the feudal Donald, taken from a completely different part of "The Chronicles" . Shakespeare squeezed the time of development of events: the historical Macbeth reigned much longer. This concentration of action contributed to the enlargement of the hero's personality. Shakespeare, as always, far removed from the original source. However, if the image of M. still has at least a “factual basis”, then the character of his wife is entirely the fruit of Shakespeare's fantasy: in the Chronicles only the exorbitant ambition of the wife of King Macbeth is noted.
Unlike other Shakespearean "villains" (Iago, Edmund, Richard III), for M. atrocity is not a way to overcome its own "inferiority complex", its inferiority (Iago is a lieutenant in the service of the general Moor; Edmund is a bastard; Richard is physical freak). M. is a type of completely valuable and even almost harmonious personality, the embodiment of power, military talent, success in love. But M. is convinced (and rightly convinced) that he is capable of more. His desire to become a king stems from the knowledge that he deserves it. However, on his way to the throne is the old king Duncan. And because the first step - to the throne, but also to his own death, too, first moral, and then physical - the murder of Duncan, taking place in the house of M., at night, committed by himself. And then the crimes follow one after another: Banquo’s loyal friend, the wife and son of Macduff. And with each new crime in the soul of M. himself, something also dies off. In the final, he realizes that he has condemned himself to a terrible curse - loneliness. But confidence and power are inspired by the predictions of the witches: “Macbeth is for those who are born as a woman, // Invulnerable.” And therefore with such desperate determination he fights in the final, convinced of his invulnerability for the mere mortal. But it turns out that “that was cut out before the deadline // A knife from the womb of mother Macduff”. And because he manages to kill M.
The character of M. reflected not only the duality inherent in many Renaissance heroes - a strong, bright personality, forced to commit a crime for the sake of incarnation (many heroes of the tragedies of the Renaissance, such as K. Marlo), but also a higher dualism, truly existential. A person in the name of the incarnation of himself, in the name of fulfilling his life purpose, is forced to transgress laws, conscience, morality, law, humanity. Therefore, M. in Shakespeare is not just a bloody tyrant and usurper of the throne, who eventually receives a well-deserved reward, but in the full sense of a tragic character, torn by contradiction, constituting the very essence of his character, his human nature.
L.M. - the person is not less bright. First of all, in Shakespeare's tragedy it is repeatedly emphasized that she is very beautiful, captivatingly feminine, fascinatingly attractive. She and M. are a truly wonderful, each other a worthy couple. It is usually considered that it was LM's ambition that drove her husband to the first crime he committed - the murder of King Duncan, but this is not entirely true. In their ambition, they are also equal partners. But, unlike her husband, L. M. knows no doubt, no hesitation, knows no compassion: she is in the full sense of the word "iron lady." And therefore she is not able to comprehend with reason that the crimes she committed (or at her instigation) are a sin. Repentance is alien to her. She understands this, only losing her mind, in madness, when she sees bloody stains on her hands, which can not wash away anything. In the final, in the midst of the battle, M. receives the news of her death.
The first performer of the role of M. was Richard Burbage (1611). Later, this role was included in the repertoire of many famous tragedies: D. Garrick (1744, Lady Macbeth - Mrs Pritchard), T. Betterton (1745, Lady Macbeth - E. Barry), JF Campbell (1785, Lady Macbeth - Sarah Siddons - the best, according to contemporaries, the role of the most famous English actress of the late XVIII century); in the XIX century - E. Kina (1817), C. Macredi (1819), S. Phelps (1836), G. Irving (1888, Lady Macbeth — Z. Terry). The role of Lady Macbeth was part of the repertoire of Sarah Bernard (1884). Chet Macbeth was played by the famous Italian tragedians E.Rossi and A.Ristori. The role of Lady Macbeth was performed by the outstanding Polish actress H.Modzheevskaya. In the XX century, many prominent English actors played the role of Macbeth: L. Olivier, Lauton, J. Gilgud. A duet of French actors Jean Vilard and Maria Casares was performed in a play staged by J. Vilard (1954). On the Russian stage, Macbeth was first played in 1890, as a benefit performance of G.N. Fedotova (1890, Macbeth - A.I. Yuzhin). In 1896, M.N. Yermolova became a partner of Yuzhin in this performance.
The plot of the tragedy was embodied in the opera by D.Verdi (1847) and in the ballet by K.V. Molchanov (1980), staged by V.Vasilyev, who was also the performer of the main male role.
Drawing a plot for his "Scottish play" from "The Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland" by R.Holinshed, Shakespeare, following the biography of Macbeth set out in them, connected it with the episode of the murder of the Scottish king Duff by the feudal Donald, taken from a completely different part of "The Chronicles" . Shakespeare squeezed the time of development of events: the historical Macbeth reigned much longer. This concentration of action contributed to the enlargement of the hero's personality. Shakespeare, as always, far removed from the original source. However, if the image of M. still has at least a “factual basis”, then the character of his wife is entirely the fruit of Shakespeare's fantasy: in the Chronicles only the exorbitant ambition of the wife of King Macbeth is noted.
Unlike other Shakespearean "villains" (Iago, Edmund, Richard III), for M. atrocity is not a way to overcome its own "inferiority complex", its inferiority (Iago is a lieutenant in the service of the general Moor; Edmund is a bastard; Richard is physical freak). M. is a type of completely valuable and even almost harmonious personality, the embodiment of power, military talent, success in love. But M. is convinced (and rightly convinced) that he is capable of more. His desire to become a king stems from the knowledge that he deserves it. However, on his way to the throne is the old king Duncan. And because the first step - to the throne, but also to his own death, too, first moral, and then physical - the murder of Duncan, taking place in the house of M., at night, committed by himself. And then the crimes follow one after another: Banquo’s loyal friend, the wife and son of Macduff. And with each new crime in the soul of M. himself, something also dies off. In the final, he realizes that he has condemned himself to a terrible curse - loneliness. But confidence and power are inspired by the predictions of the witches: “Macbeth is for those who are born as a woman, // Invulnerable.” And therefore with such desperate determination he fights in the final, convinced of his invulnerability for the mere mortal. But it turns out that “that was cut out before the deadline // A knife from the womb of mother Macduff”. And because he manages to kill M.
The character of M. reflected not only the duality inherent in many Renaissance heroes - a strong, bright personality, forced to commit a crime for the sake of incarnation (many heroes of the tragedies of the Renaissance, such as K. Marlo), but also a higher dualism, truly existential. A person in the name of the incarnation of himself, in the name of fulfilling his life purpose, is forced to transgress laws, conscience, morality, law, humanity. Therefore, M. in Shakespeare is not just a bloody tyrant and usurper of the throne, who eventually receives a well-deserved reward, but in the full sense of a tragic character, torn by contradiction, constituting the very essence of his character, his human nature.
L.M. - the person is not less bright. First of all, in Shakespeare's tragedy it is repeatedly emphasized that she is very beautiful, captivatingly feminine, fascinatingly attractive. She and M. are a truly wonderful, each other a worthy couple. It is usually considered that it was LM's ambition that drove her husband to the first crime he committed - the murder of King Duncan, but this is not entirely true. In their ambition, they are also equal partners. But, unlike her husband, L. M. knows no doubt, no hesitation, knows no compassion: she is in the full sense of the word "iron lady." And therefore she is not able to comprehend with reason that the crimes she committed (or at her instigation) are a sin. Repentance is alien to her. She understands this, only losing her mind, in madness, when she sees bloody stains on her hands, which can not wash away anything. In the final, in the midst of the battle, M. receives the news of her death.
The first performer of the role of M. was Richard Burbage (1611). Later, this role was included in the repertoire of many famous tragedies: D. Garrick (1744, Lady Macbeth - Mrs Pritchard), T. Betterton (1745, Lady Macbeth - E. Barry), JF Campbell (1785, Lady Macbeth - Sarah Siddons - the best, according to contemporaries, the role of the most famous English actress of the late XVIII century); in the XIX century - E. Kina (1817), C. Macredi (1819), S. Phelps (1836), G. Irving (1888, Lady Macbeth — Z. Terry). The role of Lady Macbeth was part of the repertoire of Sarah Bernard (1884). Chet Macbeth was played by the famous Italian tragedians E.Rossi and A.Ristori. The role of Lady Macbeth was performed by the outstanding Polish actress H.Modzheevskaya. In the XX century, many prominent English actors played the role of Macbeth: L. Olivier, Lauton, J. Gilgud. A duet of French actors Jean Vilard and Maria Casares was performed in a play staged by J. Vilard (1954). On the Russian stage, Macbeth was first played in 1890, as a benefit performance of G.N. Fedotova (1890, Macbeth - A.I. Yuzhin). In 1896, M.N. Yermolova became a partner of Yuzhin in this performance.
The plot of the tragedy was embodied in the opera by D.Verdi (1847) and in the ballet by K.V. Molchanov (1980), staged by V.Vasilyev, who was also the performer of the main male role.
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