Macbeth ,Shakespeare , English Literature, Master Degree

1. Prepared by :- Aditi Vala
Smt. S.B.Gardi Department of English, MKBU
Topic :-A comparison of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and it’s film
adaptation by Roman Polanski.
Enrollment no. :- 3069206420200018
Paper no. :- 1
Ma sem :- 1
Roll no. :-1
Batch :- 2020-2022
Email id :- valaaditi203@gmail.com

2. A comparison Of
ShakeSpeare’S
Macbeth and Its film
adaptation By roman
Polanski

3. The Contrast between Shakespeare’s Macbeth and
Roman Polanski’s Macbeth
Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is a tragedy that plots the
fall and death of once a great man, revealing how
ambition can lead to downfal
• One difference between Shakespeare’s and Polanski’s
version is the absence of the scene in England in
Polanski’s version.
• . In the Original MacBeth, MacDuff goes to England to
convince Malcolm to return and fight MacBeth.

4. • In the original, Shakespeare was not allowed to show the death of a divine
right ruler, so he showed MacBeth coming out of the king’s bedchamber
after he had committed the murder.
• This is that the scene detracts from the continuity and action of the play.
. The play is equally effective without the scene, and more streamlined.
. Another difference between the original and Polanski’s version is the scene
where MacBeth kills the king, Duncan.
In the original, Shakespeare was not allowed to show the death of a divine
right ruler, so he showed MacBeth coming out of the king’s bedchamber after
he had committed the murder.
. For Polanski’s version, however, he had no such limitation, and could show
anything that he chose, so he showed the actual murder of Duncan, where
Duncan wakes up, and MacBeth cuts his throat after stabbing him

5. The reason that Polanski inserted this scene was to show how cold-blooded
MacBeth was, and that he would do anything to achieve his goal of
becoming king.
A third difference is the use of the letter that MacBeth writes to his wife
describing how he has become Thane of Cawdor and the witches’ three
predictions.
. In the original, the letter was read by Lady MacBeth, and then not
mentioned again.
In Polanski’s version, Lady MacBeth takes out the letter after everything with
her and her husband’s plan has gone wrong, reads it, and then kills herself.
The reason that Polanski did this is that the letter is a useful device to cause
Lady MacBeth to kill herself.

6. • Tragedy is built on the idea that the audience can sympathize With the
tragic hero and therefore experience a Strong emotional response at the
ending.
• They both were based on the same plot however Polanski’s Macbeth is not
proper tragedy When compared to Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
.Polanski’s interpretation of Macbeth is primarily based around ideas of rapid
change, the cyclic world, violence, greed and power.
. Such themes were very prominent issues in society in the early nineteen
seventies.
Violence and brutality was a theme constantly incorporated into Polanski’s
film, while it was also present in the original Shakespearean play, it was not as
graphic or as commonly addressed.