Year 10 had the privilege of attending the Bell Shakespeare production of ‘Macbeth’ at the Sydney Opera House, after completing our study of, ‘All Hail Macbeth’ in English. Due to our prior knowledge of the play, it gave us a greater appreciation of one Shakespeare’s dark tragedies and further challenged our preconceived perceptions of the play. The Bell Shakespeare Company put a contemporary spin on the traditional play, through their inclusion of modern technology such as iPhones, pop music and stylish clothing allowing the play to resonate with a modern audience. For example, in the scene where Macbeth’s hired murderers kill Banquo, Macbeth watches the murder from the comfort of his own home as one of the murderers ‘Face Times’ him whilst he is killing Banquo. This allows for modern audiences to connect with the play, as they are familiar with the app ‘Face Time’, whilst also reinforcing the sentiment that Macbeth is a ruthless character who has the audacity to watch the murder of his friend from his iPad. However despite the modernized twist, Shakespearean language was used throughout the course of the play, which kept the essence of the play alive, correlating with its traditional roots. The production clarified the focus of the play’s vision through portraying how the power of our own minds can delude us, and projects our darkest fears and deepest desires into the waking world.
The character of Macbeth captivated us due to the complexity of his nature as he is manipulated and persuaded to commit evil crimes leading to delinquent outcomes, and yet exhibit feelings of extreme remorse. ‘Macbeth’ also examines moral values, superstition, betrayal, and how ambition can be lethal. The different interpretation of ‘Macbeth’ by the Bell Shakespeare Company gave us a greater insight into the play, and challenged us to reinterpret our view of the play. Initially we thought that Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ was one of Shakespeare’s greatest works filled with betrayal and murder, but after attending the Bell Shakespeare Company’s production of ‘Macbeth’ we have come to the realization that the many ideas explored by Shakespeare throughout the play, still affect our daily lives today, made clearer by the director’s contemporary influences in the play. We discovered that through the modern twist there were a lot more interesting aspects to the play and the adaptation challenged our initial perceptions of the play, whilst also clarifying core focuses of Shakespeare’s work. The concept of imagining a future by overriding all moral values for instant gratification of your desires is a significant concept explored in ‘Macbeth’, and still continues to resonate with modern audiences today.
Courtney Ferguson and Isabella Boulos Year 10
