Hello Readers ,
I am Nidhi Jethava and I am student of English Department MK Bhavnagar University. In this blog I am going to discuss play Macbeth by well- known Elizabethan dramatist William Shakespeare. I am just trying to give some knowledge about various films, which is based on this this marvelous drama MACBETH.
About the play MACBETH :
Title :- Macbeth
Genre :- Drama
Dramatist :- William Shakespeare
Setting :- Scotland
Theme :- Theme of Ambition
Protagonist :- Macbeth
Publishing Year :- In the first Folio of 1623
First performed :- On august 7, 1606 Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth' was performed for king James I and his brother-in-law, king Christian IV of Denmark. It is the first known performance and was staged in the Great Hall Court place.
BRIEF NOTES ABOUT PLAY ' MACBETH' :-
We all know the story of the Macbeth that he is the general pf the royal army of king Duncan and three witch ' s prophecies draw him toward murder of king Duncan. Lady Macbeth's character is also important because she also encourage her husband to do such a thing. Macbeth killed king Duncan and will become the king of kingdom Scotland. Macbeth also murdered his best friend Banque and become very arrogant, he killed so many innocent people. Again Macbeth go to meet witches and tricky witches make confident that no man of women born kill him. But at the end Macbeth is killed by Macduff and Malcom become the king. It this pretty good if we want to describe the story for little child, who is in class 4th or 5th.
In our SANSKRITA literature, their are three division for understanding of any kind of literature.
1. Kavyartha
2. Mukhyartha
3. Vyangyartha od Dhvani
Above story is just described the surface meaning of that particular work. It is very easy to understand the surface meaning of any literary work. Everybody can understand it through the summary.
If we go to the theory of Mukhyarth than we got the idea about the deeds and punishment. We can say if that Macbeth murdered king and so many people and that is why his end is tragic.
Now come to the theory of Dhvani or Vyangyartha we have to read the original text. Dhvani means the meaning which is beyond our thought. William Shakespeare is well-known dramatist and he was born in 1564 in England. We can see that so many movies are made on this play. So we have raised the question that what are the causes behind it that that in this era we still reading the play 'MACBETH' ? What quality the play has ? Why William Shakespeare known as the greatest dramatist ?
If we are questing such things than it is necessary to find out the Dhvani of the drama. Drama based on Medieval theory of sin and punishment. According to the medieval theory Macbeth tried to break the great chain of being. Lady Macbeth is also co-partner of her husband and that is why heaven is offend, whatever punishment he belonged it comes from heaven. Heaven is not happy with deeds of Macbeth. If we evaluate character of Macbeth as the concept of GREEK tragedy we can get the idea about his hamartia. Macbeth's hamartia is ambitiousness. So again the question is raised is ambition is harmful ? but the answer is the it is not bad, but cause is that Macbeth tried to break the rule of heaven. According to medieval theory kings were the person who were selected by the lord for ruling over the people.
In the play ' MACBETH ' we have find one porter scene. Porter's dialogue reflected the dreadful deeds of Macbeth. After murdered king, Macbeth's castle turned into castle of Hell. In nutshell Macbeth and lady Macbeth punished from heaven because both are the equal partner of sin. This great idea or theory the play ' Macbeth ' , we learn from this play.
FILM ADAPTATION :-
Now come to our main topic film adaptation.
we can find lots of movies and serials which are based on this very famous drama but in this blog I am going to give you some well-known films adaptation and specially whole description of film Maqbool by Vishal Bhardwaj.
Some of the well-known cinematic adaptation are :
I. Orson Welles's 'Macbeth' (1948)
II. Akira Kurosawa's 'Throne of Blood' (1957)
III. Roman Polanski's ' Macbeth' (1971)
IV. Vishal Bhardwaj's ' Maqbool' (2003)
V. Geoffrey Wright's ' Maqbool' (2006)
VI. Justin Kurzel's ' Macbeth' (2015)
All mentioned films are very well-known but I would like to mention that expected 'Maqbool' every director use the first act, scene ones lines of play 'Macbeth'.
In this video we can see the compare and contrast among the first scene. It is necessary to understand how director included the three witches. Here I put lines which are spoken by witches.
First witch: When shall we three meet again in thunder lighting, or in rain ?
Second Witch : When the huryburly's done, When the battle's lost and won.
Third Witch : That will be era the set of sun.
First witch : Upon the heath
Third witch : There to meet with Macbeth.
All : Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air.
FILM ADAPATION: MAQBOOL :-
Director : Vishal Bhardwaj
Released date : 30 January, 2004 (India)
Adapted : Macbeth
List of Characters :-
Maqbool - Macbeth - Irrfan Khan
Pandit and Purohit - 3 witches - Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah
Nimmi, mistress of abba ji- Lady Macbeth - Tabu
Jahangir khan( abba ji )- king Duncan - Pankaj Kapur
Kaka- Banque - Piyush Mishra
Guddu - Fleance - Ajay Gehi
Riyaz boti - Macduff - Ankur Vikal
These are the important character in the film
Culture :- Gangster of Bombay
Theme :- Sin and Punishment
Now lets evaluate some most important scene from the film with original text :-
Opening scene :-
In the opening scene Vishal Bhardwaj gave some change. instead the three witches he used two police men pandit and purohit, who knows the reading of Horoscope.
Prophecies Scene :-
In the film their are also some prophecies are prescribed by pandit and purohit.
Pandit : Sadesati has descended from today, you will get whatever you want.
1.Like bollywood, Miya ruled on it.
2. Dasam sthan me sukra balvan hai Raj Yog kehte hai ise that means Maqbool will be the God-father of Mumbai. Within six months Miya will take a place of Abba ji- KING OF KING
3. is connected with KAKA's son. according to pandit Guddu is as strong as Miya.
Murder scene :-
very artistically performed in movie. According to original text Lady Macbeth is the wife of Macbeth but in this movie Nimmi (lady Macbeth) is the wife of Abbaji and her love for Miya lead them to murdered Abbaji.
Ghost scene :-
In the movie director use the dead body of kaka and when Maqbool look after the dead body he saw the open eyes of dead body and get afraid. While in the original text writer added Banque's ghost scene.
Maqbool's end predicted by pandit and purohit :-
In Macbeth we find that Macbeth go to meet witches second time but in the movie Pandit, Purohit and Maqbool were meeting at beach and pandit says: that Now when the ocean comes to your house you will drown. These all are tricky words spoken by pandit and purohit.
Death of Nimmi and serenity of scene :-
In the original text we got the idea that lady Macbeth committed suicide but in the movie we find the death of heroin is natural.
End of Maqbool :-
End of the Maqbool is quite different then Macbeth . In the original text we find that their is fighting between Macduff and Macbeth but here in movie Riyaz shoot Maqbool and Guddu under take the place of God-father.
Conclusion :-
In nutshell we can say that Maqbool reflected character of Macbeth theme of sin and punishment. we can find poetic justice also but thing is that how character rewarded or punished ? In the plat ' Macbeth' their is one soliloquy which i would to mention here
Macbeth : To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow
Creeps in this pretty peace from day today,
To the last syllable of recorded time ;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candles !
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more; it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
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