The darkness present in this video has an a frightening effect and may suggest that Lady Macbeth's soul is filled with evil, as darkness is usually associated with evil and cruelty. The glimpse of light coming from the candles may represent the conscience and morality in her character, which have almost entirely disappeared. Therefore, the contrast between the light coming from the candles and the pitch darkness may represent the conflict that Lady Macbeth is now facing between moral and ambition. We clearly see that ambition overshadows her morality, as the darkness in this scene is much more prominent than the lights coming from the candles. Moreover, the fact that the three characters are dressed in simplistic black outfits sets the mood for the scene. It also allows the audience to focus entirely on Lady Macbeth's panicked state of mind. All of the background elements (lighting, costumes and Lady Macbeth's ghostly appearance) accentuate and emphasize her uneasiness and guilt. Her imperative tone illustrates how, throughout the play, Lady Macbeth has felt so constrained in her stereotypical mold of a woman that now she still trying to cling to her overbearing manliness. When the gentlewoman states that her eyes' senses "are shut", it shows that she is in a state of semi-conscience and that her deepest thoughts are now coming alive as she is sleepwalking. The fact that her rambling thoughts are unstructured and all over the place shows that she is no longer within a world of reason: she has crossed the boundary and is now in a dangerous place. This is further demonstrated when the doctor states that her disease is "beyond his practice": she unstable and no longer part of the realm of understanding. The way she constantly tries to wash her hands as she recounts all of the crimes she has participated in shows that she feels remorse and guilt for all of them. She smells blood and sees the "damned spot" which shows how multiple senses of hers are being associated with the blood (guilt). This emphasizes how her guilt is truly overbearring and cannot be controlled or washed away.This is confirmed when she states "what's done cannot be undone", meaning that remorse will follow her eternally. She seems possessed and has become a slave to guilt, because she has put it aside for so long. Though by reading the text, we would think that Lady Macbeth is adopting a robotic tone, when we watch the scene being acted out, we see that she is much more in a state of desperation and guilt than we had expected. The fact that she is weeping shows that she regrets what she as done. The gentlewoman and doctor are similar to the Chorus in Oedipus. Both are not directly involved in the action, and are watching from the sidelines. The doctor and gentlewoman could also by a parallel to the witches, though she and doctor are morally good whereas the witches are morally bad.
I think that the tone on which Lady Macbeth speaks in this passage is the choice of the play director, since Shakespeare didn't put any directions himsef. The interpretation of this passage is personal, just like the presence of the ghost. Lady Macbeth can either be robotic and lifeless, or passionate, at the verge of desesperation. I like both fit the rest of the play, though the passionate tone plays more to Lady Macbeth's feminity --she is hysteric, which is tipically female--, whereas the robotic tone puts more of an accent on the sensitivity and guilt. Both are linked -- especially for Lady Macbeth -- but present sublte differences. I think the robotic tone would almost be a more far-fetched, freudian way of seeing things, since it would imply that Lady Macbeth it at a much higher level of shock than simple hysterics --which would fit the tragic theme. I suppose Shakespeare's actual live version ressembled this one. Yet, if he was capable of writting this part it is not entirely impossible that he had such an insite in the human mind that he could have imagined this kind of respond. Just like Mrs Reilly says, this why we study Shakespeare !
The darkness present in this video has an a frightening effect and may suggest that Lady Macbeth's soul is filled with evil, as darkness is usually associated with evil and cruelty. The glimpse of light coming from the candles may represent the conscience and morality in her character, which have almost entirely disappeared. Therefore, the contrast between the light coming from the candles and the pitch darkness may represent the conflict that Lady Macbeth is now facing between moral and ambition. We clearly see that ambition overshadows her morality, as the darkness in this scene is much more prominent than the lights coming from the candles. Moreover, the fact that the three characters are dressed in simplistic black outfits sets the mood for the scene. It also allows the audience to focus entirely on Lady Macbeth's panicked state of mind. All of the background elements (lighting, costumes and Lady Macbeth's ghostly appearance) accentuate and emphasize her uneasiness and guilt.
ReplyDeleteHer imperative tone illustrates how, throughout the play, Lady Macbeth has felt so constrained in her stereotypical mold of a woman that now she still trying to cling to her overbearing manliness. When the gentlewoman states that her eyes' senses "are shut", it shows that she is in a state of semi-conscience and that her deepest thoughts are now coming alive as she is sleepwalking. The fact that her rambling thoughts are unstructured and all over the place shows that she is no longer within a world of reason: she has crossed the boundary and is now in a dangerous place. This is further demonstrated when the doctor states that her disease is "beyond his practice": she unstable and no longer part of the realm of understanding.
The way she constantly tries to wash her hands as she recounts all of the crimes she has participated in shows that she feels remorse and guilt for all of them. She smells blood and sees the "damned spot" which shows how multiple senses of hers are being associated with the blood (guilt). This emphasizes how her guilt is truly overbearring and cannot be controlled or washed away.This is confirmed when she states "what's done cannot be undone", meaning that remorse will follow her eternally. She seems possessed and has become a slave to guilt, because she has put it aside for so long.
Though by reading the text, we would think that Lady Macbeth is adopting a robotic tone, when we watch the scene being acted out, we see that she is much more in a state of desperation and guilt than we had expected. The fact that she is weeping shows that she regrets what she as done.
The gentlewoman and doctor are similar to the Chorus in Oedipus. Both are not directly involved in the action, and are watching from the sidelines. The doctor and gentlewoman could also by a parallel to the witches, though she and doctor are morally good whereas the witches are morally bad.
I think that the tone on which Lady Macbeth speaks in this passage is the choice of the play director, since Shakespeare didn't put any directions himsef. The interpretation of this passage is personal, just like the presence of the ghost. Lady Macbeth can either be robotic and lifeless, or passionate, at the verge of desesperation. I like both fit the rest of the play, though the passionate tone plays more to Lady Macbeth's feminity --she is hysteric, which is tipically female--, whereas the robotic tone puts more of an accent on the sensitivity and guilt. Both are linked -- especially for Lady Macbeth -- but present sublte differences. I think the robotic tone would almost be a more far-fetched, freudian way of seeing things, since it would imply that Lady Macbeth it at a much higher level of shock than simple hysterics --which would fit the tragic theme. I suppose Shakespeare's actual live version ressembled this one. Yet, if he was capable of writting this part it is not entirely impossible that he had such an insite in the human mind that he could have imagined this kind of respond. Just like Mrs Reilly says, this why we study Shakespeare !
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