“SEE THE GREAT DOOM’S IMAGE!”: CINEMATIC POETRY IN TWO FILM ADAPTATIONS OF SHAKESPEARE’S MACBETH

Abstract

Along with Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s plays that captivated the imagination of the most creative filmmakers all over the world, presenting almost endless alternatives for the exploration of the cinematic potential of its visceral poetry. To investigate the fascinating metamorphosis of the essentially theatrical, verbal, poetic substance of the play into the visual and acoustic poetry of cinema, this paper proposes to analyse two of the most successful big-screen adaptations of Macbeth, Roman Polanski’s controversial 1971 Macbeth and Justin Kurzel’s unsettling 2015 Macbeth. The visual and sound strategies of the respective directors and their crew are thoroughly explored by investigating the essential elements of their cinematic language: mise-en-scène, acting, cinematography and editing, sound design and music. Both Polanski’s and Kurzel’s films mould Shakespeare’s concentrated poetic language into authentic, skilfully designed works of art with a life of their own, re-shaping and re-contextualising the philosophical and psychological depths of the play against the larger backdrop of contemporary politics and mental health issues.