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... a different approach to the question of Macbeth's role in his fatal outcome in the last scene of his production. In the last minute of this production Macduff stands trembling. He grips the sword, covered in Macbeth's blood, tightly in one hand. Then Ross slowly takes the crown from the invisible crown rack and places it next to Macduff's bloody sword. The camera focuses tightly on the image of the bloody sword side by side with the crown.
Nunn intentionally leaves the viewer with this image of the bloody sword positioned merely inches from the king's crown in order to signify that bloody swords, murder, death, and gore go hand in hand with the kingship. He wants to show that the witches do not create the truth; it just remains a fact of nature. With or without the witches, people will continue to murder for a kingdom. In order to become the next king, the previous king must die. In order to become the next in line for the kingdom, that person must contain enough ambition to do whatever proves necessary to gain that position. Because Macbeth proves an ambitious and well-skilled warrior, King Duncan crowns him Thane of Candor.
The sergeant proudly says, "For brave Macbeth -well he deserves that name-unsealed him [the slave Macdonald] from the nave to th' chops" (1. 2. 16). Primarily, King Duncan rewards Macbeth for his ambition and murdering capabilities on the battlefield and calls him "noble" (1. 2. 67) however, later when Macbeth takes these same actions off the battlefield, his actions lead to a fatal punishment. Though Polanski's version also alludes to a cyclic pattern in history, his production indicates that the witches control this cycle, while Nunn leaves the role of the witches insignificant in comparison to the age-old cycle of the ambitious using bloodshed to obtain the kingdom. The cycle of bloodshed leading to the throne alluded to in the last scene of the Trevor Nunn production answers the second of Shakespeare's ambiguities, whether the kingdom will finally receive peace now that Macbeth lies dead, with a negative. Both Nunn and Polanski allude to a cycle that continuously repeats itself throughout time and never allows for peace. Nunn proves that the fact that a king sits on the throne means that bloodshed also sits nearby, and Polanski alludes that Donalbain will spill the blood next.
The opening and final scenes in Nunn's production show the image of the fair next to the foul. The opening scene of Macbeth introduces the theme of "Fair is foul and foul is fair" (1. 1. 10). The theme repeats in a cyclic fashion throughout the play and thematically appears most prevalent in the last scene. The "fair" king sits next to the "foul" bloodshed when Ross holds the crown next to the bloody sword, the image of fair next to the foul dominates the screen.
Macbeth murders to become king; Macbeth must be murdered for Malcolm to become king. The constant repetition of this cycle throughout the play allows the viewer to realize that the kingdom can never completely restore its peace because the cycle of death continuously repeats. Shakespeare's play also alludes to a cyclic kingdom in the last scene. With the battle newly won, Malcolm says to his people that he will repay those that fought on his side and make "my thanes and kinsmen, / Henceforth be earls" (5. 9. 62 - 63). His speech sounds significantly similar to those words and actions taken by his father in the first scene of the play. Though it stands yet unknown as to whether Malcolm holds as poor of an ability to judge character as his father held, but just the fact that Malcolm represents a part of this cycle allows for the interpretation that Malcolm's fate remains doomed to the same pattern as that of his predecessor.
Roman Polanski supports this same theory that peace will not be restored to this kingdom. In the last scene, Polanski highlights the witches' prophecy of Banquo's descendants becoming king by showing Donalbain gimp after the witches. Presumably the witches will tell him that his lineage will not that succeed the throne, but instead another family will eventually take over the monarchy. Certainly, this prediction will not please Donalbain. As Wells shows in his production, the crown and the sword lie closely related. Since Donalbain stands so close to the throne, undoubtedly his ambitions led him to the witches, and he desires to hear what lies in his future concerning the kingdom and its throne.
Wells' production shows how the ambitious eventually take up their sword in order to obtain the throne, and Polanski plays on this same thought by alluding to the idea that once Donalbain hears that neither he nor his bloodline will succeed the throne, he will take action against this destiny. His actions will not allow for peace in the kingdom. Orson Well's version could not have been more different in its assertion of the future of the kingdom. Wells proves this notion that peace restores itself in the kingdom by adding the witches to the last scene and assigning them the actual word "peace" followed by "the charm's wound up. " In a matter of seconds and with using only five simple words, Wells contrives an ending for the production that unarguably connotes that peace is restored. The witches declare that their past actions stood as merely a part of a spell that they placed on Macbeth, not the kingdom, and now that the spell ran its course and Macbeth lies dead the kingdom may resume to its normal routine of peace. Numerous productions make assumptions and interpretations regarding the play Macbeth, and many of these ideas often oppose those of their predecessors.
Directors often project their own life experiences and beliefs onto their work. Polanski's version is undeniably gory and leads the viewer to believe that more events will follow. In Polanski's personal life, he recently lost his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, to the savage murderer Charles Manson and his followers. His personal longings for a sequel to the bloody events of his life undoubtedly lead to his interpretation of the play. The optimistic Christian, Orson Wells predictably chooses for the evil to end and the good to once again run free. Trevor Nunn takes the safe approach by only alluding to the possibility that peace will not be restored through the veiled image of the cycle.
In these last moments of a production the director contains the most power to explore his creative power and to attempt at an answer for those ambiguities that the author leaves open for interpretations. Bibliography:
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