Excursions in English: Shakespeare on Screen

Harrodian English Trip: Exclusive Screening at the Olympic Studios of ‘Macbeth’ performed at The Donmar Warehouse  - written by 14s pupil Olivia M.

Our recent school trip to the Olympic was a memorable one. On Wednesday morning we made our way down to the Olympic cinema in Barnes to watch the ‘Macbeth’ performance at the Donmar Warehouse -  but on the big screen! We were highly impressed as the performance took us through the tragic story of our main character Macbeth, and his treacherous and fatal journey to becoming king. From thoughtful casting to outstanding visual effects, the performance immersed us into the story and perfectly captured the aspects from Shakespeare’s original words. It was an authentic and accurate adaptation, certainly pleasing to lovers of the written play.

David Tennant, who played the role of Macbeth, embodied the complexity and emotions of our protagonist. Tennant expertly showed audiences the different sides of Macbeth: his ‘vaulting ambition’ but also his more vulnerable moments, allowing us to see the character’s inner thoughts and his inner turmoil. In particular, the delivery of Macbeth’s many soliloquies was a personal favourite. From the beginning, Tennant’s performance captivated us, showing off Macbeth’s descent into madness, especially after he hears of Malcolm's new title ‘Prince of Cumberland’. In this memorable scene, audiences first see Macbeth’s rising ambition as he plots against the king. This is demonstrated in an suspenseful aside: ‘stars hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires.’ Here, Tennant stays true to Shakespeare’s famous lines expertly conveying Macbeth’s descent into madness as he stands ominously behind the destined future king. 

Furthermore, the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth makes for an interesting dynamic. Played by Cush Jumbo as Lady Macbeth alongside Tennant, both explore a new representation of the complicated love of these characters. Both actors developed the undeniably deep connection between the two characters in a convincing way through scenes where they were alone on stage, but also when interacting with other characters. A remarkable example of this was when the two meet for the first time after Lady Macbeth learns of the prophecy claiming Macbeth soon to be king. This scene was an unforgettable introduction to their relationship as they discuss how to move forwards with Macbeth’s wicked plans.

In addition, Lady Macbeth was portrayed as a strong-willed and fearless character when the audience first meets her at the beginning of the play. Nearing the end, following her journey into shock after the consequences of Macbeth’s actions continue to unravel, Jumbo skilfully showed the shift in her character in an admirable way. In particular, when comforting Macbeth as he doubts his decision: ‘O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!’, or in the many scenes where she seizes control over whatever situation comes her way. For example, when she takes the two bloody daggers from Macbeth, after he fails to keep his composure, and swiftly takes them from him and covers up their tracks. This was a wonderful showcase of Lady Macbeth’s independence, creating an engaging atmosphere for audiences.

The main characters were conveyed exceptionally well, including smaller roles like Macduff, Prince Malcolm and the Porter. Although being a smaller role, the Porter scene provided a well needed moment of comic relief, making the audience smile. It was one of the most memorable scenes of the performance, as he interacted with people in the audience, putting a wonderful ‘stand up’ spin on the original character, whilst still incorporating Shakespeare’s work in a comical way.

Despite being quite simple and minimalist, the positioning of characters on stage and use of visual effects helped capture the drama of the story. Throughout the performance, the coloured lighting enhanced the tension for the audience, adjusting perfectly to suit the mood of the scene with the support of ominous sound effects. This allowed them to focus on the words of the characters, intriguing the audience. The sound effects contributed to the supernatural elements and the depiction of the witches in the opening scene with the famous line: ‘When shall we three meet again?’ In addition, the performance included the sound of birds calling, a motif often repeated in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’. Although it would have been great to see the three witches played as characters on stage, the visual effects were very successful in building an unsettling atmosphere for the audience. 

The overall production of Macbeth based on the work of Shakespeare was a new, compelling and incredibly well thought out adaptation of the famous play. The performance is definitely suitable for both those who are unfamiliar with the play and those who already appreciate and admire Shakespeare’s work. I would recommend this to anyone interested in Literature as well as anyone looking for an introduction to Shakespeare’s Macbeth.