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Macbeth On Screen

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Date Issued:
2024
Abstract/Description:
It is the purpose of this thesis to analyze the fresh relevance of Shakespeare’s four-hundred-year-old tragedy Macbeth, as manifested in three contemporary films: Macbeth, directed by Rupert Goold, starring Patrick Stewart (2010); Macbeth, directed by Justin Kurzel, starring Michael Fassbender (2015); and The Tragedy of Macbeth, directed by Joel Coen, starring Denzel Washington (2021). The thesis examines the unique thematic ideas in each adaptation. The directors have distinct visions. Goold imagines Macbeth as a Stalinesque authoritarian. Kurzel’s Macbeth battles post-traumatic stress disorder. Coen’s older Macbeth is desperate to attain the status he is adamant he has earned, obsessed with the awareness that his time is limited to act. In these adaptations, underlying themes exploring the danger of the authoritarian personality, the heartbreaking futility of misplaced trust, the ravaging effects war may visit on the warrior’s psyche, and the dark places one may be led in the pursuit of ambition are presented to the audience for contemplation. The analysis draws from contemporary film criticism found in newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. It is further supported by interviews with the directors and key actors, as well as autobiographical testimony. The elements used in the artistic craft of cinematography are explored. Recognizable references taken from earlier productions used by Joel Coen in his experimentation with Macbeth as a film noir are identified. Research which supports the relevance of the comparison of Macbeth to the historical Stalin is offered. Physicians’ clarification of the condition of PTSD enlightens the understanding of Kurzel’s interpretation.
Title: Macbeth On Screen.
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Name(s): Oldfield, Pamela , author
Stockard, Emily , Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Department of English
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2024
Date Issued: 2024
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 70 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: It is the purpose of this thesis to analyze the fresh relevance of Shakespeare’s four-hundred-year-old tragedy Macbeth, as manifested in three contemporary films: Macbeth, directed by Rupert Goold, starring Patrick Stewart (2010); Macbeth, directed by Justin Kurzel, starring Michael Fassbender (2015); and The Tragedy of Macbeth, directed by Joel Coen, starring Denzel Washington (2021). The thesis examines the unique thematic ideas in each adaptation. The directors have distinct visions. Goold imagines Macbeth as a Stalinesque authoritarian. Kurzel’s Macbeth battles post-traumatic stress disorder. Coen’s older Macbeth is desperate to attain the status he is adamant he has earned, obsessed with the awareness that his time is limited to act. In these adaptations, underlying themes exploring the danger of the authoritarian personality, the heartbreaking futility of misplaced trust, the ravaging effects war may visit on the warrior’s psyche, and the dark places one may be led in the pursuit of ambition are presented to the audience for contemplation. The analysis draws from contemporary film criticism found in newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. It is further supported by interviews with the directors and key actors, as well as autobiographical testimony. The elements used in the artistic craft of cinematography are explored. Recognizable references taken from earlier productions used by Joel Coen in his experimentation with Macbeth as a film noir are identified. Research which supports the relevance of the comparison of Macbeth to the historical Stalin is offered. Physicians’ clarification of the condition of PTSD enlightens the understanding of Kurzel’s interpretation.
Identifier: FA00014481 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (MA)--Florida Atlantic University, 2024.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Macbeth
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Macbeth--Adaptations
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Macbeth--Criticism and interpretation
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014481
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Host Institution: FAU