Macbeth Play / My last blog

                 The Macbeth performance was amazing! This production is directed by Paul Kassel. Before the show started I was thinking of the Macbeth play that I have seen my old High School preform and when they preformed at Shakespeare &Company in Lennox,MA. One of my friends played the role of Lady Macbeth. She used to joke with me that the way she prepared for when Lady Macbeth slips into madness, my friend said "You need to act the right amount of crazy for this role"
             
            The main role I wanted to focus on was Lady Macbeth, but first I want to comment on the way this production used the witches. The effect was for the audience to hear the witches voices ,but  when they possessed the people that were in the same area of Macbeth to show the connection they were getting through to Macbeth. Most times there would be actors for these roles. In this production gave me chilling feelings when the scenes with the witches and also in Act 4 scene 1, where they had multiple actors read the witches lines as they moved around Macbeth.

               The scene I was most interested in was the great and very powerful scene of when Lady Macbeth slips into madness. The actor that played Lady Macbeth is Robin Epes. Comparing her performance to my friends was difficult. Both performances were amazing and I got to see the different styles of how they act as that certain role. I must admit that these are very talented young actors and that they make the audience feel the passion/ intensity of the scene and can send chills down your spine.
        Although I never acted in the Shakespeare & Co performances, I still get the same feeling when I see the plays. This experience is amazing and I am so glad I got to attend tonight's performance!

Lady Macbeth

This is the first time I am reading Macbeth and I had no idea how much I would enjoy reading it. The play is very similar to Richard III but I think that Lady Macbeth adds a little twist to the plot. I was struck by how she was more evil then Macbeth. Lady Macbeth makes him feel like less of a man when he thinks about not killing King Duncan stating “When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more that what you were, you would/Be so much more the man” (1.7.49-51). She wants Macbeth to know that in her eyes her was more of a man when he wanted to kill Duncan and he must do it to be a real man. She clearly gave him the kick in the rump he needed to enact the murder of Duncan. One of her best examples which highlights keeping a promise is when she says:

“...I have given suck, and know

How tender 'tis to love a babe that milks me./

I would, while it was smiling in my face,/

Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums/

And dashed the brains out, had I sworn/

As you have done to this.” (1.7.54-59)

Her words are gruesome and bold because as a mother she is basically saying she would kill her child to keep a promise. To even think about using your child as an example is awful especially when you think of a moment that is supposed to be so tender turned into something so ugly. You have to wonder, would she really do it. Lady Macbeth's speech shows how ludicrous she truly is and it makes me wonder why she is so intent on instigating Macbeth. Does she want the power as Queen? Her words and actions reveal her as one of the most powerful women Shakespeare has created in one of his plays. Unlike the docile female characters, Lady Macbeth has a voice and she wants it to be heard.

Lady Macbeth

              Lady Macbeth is the leading female character in this play. She lusts for power and her position as Queen . She is much more of a stronger character in the beginning of the play. She has more power over Macbeth.

           

             Lady Macbeth proves she has nerves of steel after evoking the spirits, to push Macbeth to commit the stabbing of Duncan. She tells him "screw your courage to the sticking place and we'll not fail."(1.7. 60) After He kills the king, His mental state starts to fall apart. Lady Macbeth insists on keeping a calm face, before Banquo and the others. even as Macbeth is asking if all of Neptune's ocean would not wash the blood clean from his hands, she replies "a little water clears us of this deed."(2.2.65)  Its only later on the guilt begins to erode her sanity that she also starts to hallucinate.

            

           Lady Macbeth cannot sleep, she walks the castle halls all night murmuring to herself in her despair and guilty conscience shown by her saying "all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand." (5.1.42) She becomes frail and unstable. Sleep deprivation exacts its revenge. The Doctor who is called to see about her, comments on her strange actions of wringing or the imitation of washing her hands. He comments "More needs she the divine than the physician."  (5.1.64)        

            

          In the end, Macbeth is strong and lady Macbeth is mad. Macbeth tells the doctor to minister to her "diseased mind" and cleanse her thoughts. He is more concerned with the oncoming battle with Malcolm and Macduff. While Macbeth is pre-occupied Lady Macbeth commits suicide.  

Why Witches?

I’m curious as to why witches play such a key role in the beginning of Macbeth. What is the relationship between their prophecy and Macbeth’s own ambition? And Lady Macbeth’s influence?

I would guess that the witches’ role in the story is to sort of unlock Macbeth’s inner ambition. While Lady Macbeth does not interact directly with the witches, she knows from Macbeth’s letter of their prophecy, and I would guess that the witches unlock ambition in her too.

Shakespeare is playing with human and inhuman sources of ambition. Every person goes through life with some amount of ambition, and some people do truly awful things to reach their ambitions. I’m not convinced that the witches in the play are real witches (I know they are supposed to vanish into thin air, but who knows, right?), so I’m wondering if the witches are kind of a sad “joke” or commentary on human ambition. Some people have to feel like a power greater than themselves has sealed their fate and led them to do terrible things. In other words, it’s apparently really easy to justify something by a made-up twisted logic if the supernatural is involved.

It’s really important to note that the witches never tell Macbeth how he will become King. It’s never implied that he is supposed to do so actively. How old is King Duncan? Old enough to die of old age soon? And Malcolm? He could be killed in another battle. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth decide that Duncan must be killed.

 I also interpret the witches as being a collective physical manifestation of ambition. That is to say, witches are traditionally thought of as ugly, and ambition can be very ugly too. I also think their paradoxes are a linguistic manifestation of ambition. Paradoxes can be confusing, just like ambition confuses your reasoning. They also have double meanings, of course, while ambition has a sort of double meaning—the chasing after whatever is desired and the consequences of getting it.

King Duncan says to Banquo after promoting him, “I have begun to plant thee and will labor to make thee full of growing” (1.4.29-30). I think this is a great allusion to the witches and to Lady Macbeth. They’ve all planted a sort of “seed” in Macbeth’s head (that he should kill the king). If this is the way to think about the witches and Lady Macbeth, then there’s also a sort of reverse fertilization/pregnancy metaphor going on here (maybe?), which is pretty fascinating. 

Emasculation at it's finest

After reading Acts I and II of Macbeth, I was most intrigued by the constant emasculation of Macbeth by his wife.   It is clear that Lady Macbeth “wears the pants” in this marriage.  She is displayed in these two acts as more driven and unshaken; unlike her husband, once she makes up her mind there is no wavering or turning back.

            

We first see Lady Macbeth in 1.5 when she is reading the letter her husband has written her about his encounter with the witches.  Immediately upon reading the letter, she is willing to do anything to realize the prophesy and seize the crown. This is certainly different than Macbeth’s reaction in 1.3; he know what he must do in order to become king, yet he is very uneasy about it and begins to engage in an internal argument with himself.  In Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy starting a 1.5.13, she begins to list all of Macbeth’s qualities that make him less of a man and less able to complete such a task as killing Duncan.  “Yet I do fear thy nature./It is too full o’th’ milk of human kindness/ To catch the nearest way.” (1.5.14-16).  The ability to produce milk is obviously something unique to females.  By stating that her husband is “too full o’th’ milk” is extremely emasculating. 

            

Once Macbeth enters, Lady Macbeth acts as though she is a football coach giving Macbeth the play and a pep talk.  “To beguile the time,/ Look like the time.  Bear welcome in your eye,/ Your hand, your tongue.  Look like the’ innocent flower,/ But be the serpent under’t…/Only look up clear./ To alter favour ever is to fear./ Leave all the rest to me.” (1.5.61-71).  Almost always in Shakespeare’s time, the man takes the position of authority and leadership, while the woman remains submissive.  Here, we have the complete reversal and, strangely, Macbeth doesn’t seem to be upset by this.  He follows his wife’s every direction without an argument of who’s in charge.  Later, in 1.7, Lady Macbeth again mocks her husband and ridicules him for acting “unmanly.”  “When you durst do it, the you were a man;/ And to be more than what you were, you would/ Be so much more the man.../I have given suck, and know/ How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me./ I would, while it was smiling in my face,/ Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums/ And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn/ As you have done to this.” (1.7.49-59).  In this instance, not only is she emasculating her husband, but she is also de-feminizing herself by claiming that she would so brutally and violently abandon her maternal instincts in order to get what she wants.    

Deadly effects of power

Macbeth can be viewed as one of William Shakespeare’s most well known plays. It is one that is commonly taught and enjoyed by high school students. Macbeth’s popularity can be due to several unique elements presented in the play. The first fascinating piece from the play is the three witches. These characters are very unique and different from other characters presented in many of Shakespeare’s plays. Their supernatural powers make them interesting and prophetic. The use of the three prophecies predicted by the three witches shows Shakespeare’s use of foreshadowing. This technique allows for the play to be very interesting and captivating for anyone who reads it. 

Another very interesting theme in the play is the desperation for power that many of the characters feel. Even though Macbeth has just earned the title of Thane of Cawdor after defeating Macdonwald, this title does not seem to satisfy him. His hunger for a higher status leads him to do the unthinkable, to murder the King. This inhumane act is particularly horrific. The King seems to very much respect and enjoy Macbeth and his wife. However, it is obvious that Macbeth does not share these mutual feelings with the King. Macbeth makes it clear that he does have loyalty to the King. His main concern is becoming King, and he is willing to go to any length to achieve this. 

At one point during the play, Macbeth does seem to doubt his reasons for wanting to kill Duncan. Just as Macbeth starts to show some morality, his wife quickly puts an end to it. Lady Macbeth demonstrates her shrew nature by mocking her husbands brief moment of humanity. This is shown when Lady Macbeth says “Wouldst thou have that/ Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life/ And live a coward in thine own esteem,/ Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would,’/ Like the poor cat i’ th’ adage?” (1.7 45-49). This quotation demonstrates Lady Macbeth’s immoral attitude. At this point, it seems as if she is more interested in Macbeth becoming king than Macbeth himself is. Lady Macbeth’s later actions when developing the plan to kill Duncan only emphasizes her desperation for power.

It is particularly interesting to look at Macbeth from a psychological standpoint. In act 2.1, Macbeth begins to hallucinate. He believes that he sees a bloody dagger which is leading him to Duncan’s room. It is clear that Macbeth’s psychological state is beginning to deteriorate at this point. It is fair to assume that his want for power and the effects of plotting Duncan’s murder is affecting his mental health. At this point, if Macbeth is to kill Duncan and become king, his ability to rule a nation successfully is very questionable. 

The Colorful and Compelling Lady Macbeth

The Colorful and Compelling Lady Macbeth

This is my first time reading Macbeth and I must admit to my surprise upon seeing such a fierce and fiery female character.  Lady Macbeth is quite a colorful and intense woman.  Reading her lines after recently completing King Lear makes me recall Regan and Goneril, two other bloodthirsty Shakespearean ladies.  If all three women were in the same play, I think they would be great “frenemies.”  Lady Macbeth, as seen with Regan and Goneril, can be just as brash and ferocious as the male characters of Shakespeare.  Shakespeare cares a great deal about giving a fair representation of power corrupting both genders.  Macduff’s lines after learning of King Duncan’s death  in 2.3 reveal the view of women that is commonly held when thinking about Shakespearean women: “O gentle lady,/ ‘Tis not for you to hear what I can speak./ The repetition in a woman’s ear/ Would murder as it fell” (59-62).  Shakespeare gives us such an ironic speech from Macduff that as a reader one almost can chuckle.  It is interesting how he calls her “gentle lady,” as her actions and eagerness to perform cutthroat duties for power definitely are not tender or “gentle.”  Also the fact that Macduff cannot even imagine uttering what has occurred to Lady Macbeth because it “would murder as it fell” is fascinating.  He believes to be sparing her, when she is the last one that should be spared.  As the reader, we are granted access to some fabulous Shakespearean dramatic irony. 

                In 2.2 a great use of antithesis can be seen with Macbeth and his wife.  Macbeth appears to be a thinker and somewhat more sentimental. These are traits traditionally thought of as “female”.  After the murder he committed he doubts that the entire ocean could cleanse him from this wrongdoing: “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand?” (58-59).  Macbeth immediately thinks to the grand scale and suffers from the guilt of his action.  Whereas a couple lines down, Lady Macbeth views here assistance and guilt quite differently:  “A little water clears us of this deed” (2.2.65).  She believes that only “a little water” will save her and her husband from their wicked deed. Shakespeare gives the reader opposites with “Neptune’s ocean” and “a little water” that are extremely well played in this scene. 

                Lady Macbeth’s hasty nature and feistiness reminded me of Henry IV’s Hotspur.  Her attitude, and intense focus on action are interesting but do not bode well for her character.  In 2.2 she states to Macbeth: “These deeds must not be thought/ After these ways.  So, it will make us mad” (32-33).  Her focus on the immediate is a major character flaw.  She even seems to take pleasure in her treasonous involvement.  The lady essentially yells at her husband for his inaction: “Infirm of purpose!/ Give me the daggers.  The sleeping and the dead/ Are but as pictures.  ‘Tis the eye of childhood/ That fears a painted devil” (2.2.50-53). Again her attitude reminds me much of the reckless warrior mindset of Hotspur.  She is ready to do whatever it takes and has holds an impetuous approach.  It will be great to see how Lady Macbeth’s character unfolds throughout the text.

Lady Macbeth

Sam Montagna

Shakespeare II

Professor Mulready

23 April 2012

Lady Macbeth

In many of Shakespeare's plays, women play a big role. However, usually, the women do not play the stereotypical role. Portia, Kate and Lady Macbeth do not fade behind their husbands but instead take control. Lady Macbeth, like Portia and Kate, is no different. She plays the stereotypical role to everyone except her husband. Macduff refers to her as “gentle lady” (2597.79). Macduff believes that Lady Macbeth is so gentle and good that she should not even hear about the murder. “Tis not for you to hear what I can speak/ The repetition in a woman's ear/ Would murder as it fell”(2597.80-83). The reality is, at this point, she is the most evil and vindictive character in the play. She is even scarier than the Witches. While the idea to kill Duncan was already in Macbeth's head when the Weird Sisters spoke the prophecy, Lady Macbeth coerced him into it. Macbeth is a moral person. He knows the king trusts him because he promoted him to Thane of Cawdor. The last thane betrayed the king so it is a huge honor for Macbeth to be the new thane. Macbeth is supposed to protect the king from harm. The king is not evil or bad. He is well liked and protected. There is no moral reason to kill the king other than Macbeth's need for power to fulfill the prophecy. However, when it seems that Macbeth is questioning his plot to kill the king, Lady Macbeth forces her plan on him. She insists on killing the king. 

 

Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband. Macbeth is a moral thane and Lady Macbeth acts as if this is news to her. She asks where all the guilt came from. She calls him a “coward” (2590.43). She really goes under his skin. She even tells him that he “would/ Be so much more the man” (2590.50-51). She is a very ambitious woman and will not accept failure or doubt. When Macbeth is overcome after killing Duncan, Lady Macbeth takes the king's blood onto her hands and finishes the job by setting up the guards. There is no doubt that Lady Macbeth is not squeamish and very convincing. The question is where does Lady Macbeth's loyalty lie? Her loyalty definitely does not lie with the king. As soon as her husband got a promotion, she aimed to take him out. However, does that mean that she will want to take out her own husband to gain power? Or, if another man came along and accumulated power, would she align herself with him to kill her husband? Based on her actions, Lady Macbeth loves blood and power. Her family and servants are disposable. Lady Macbeth follows Shakespeare's list of powerful women, however, her future is unclear. Macbeth is a tragedy. Will she be the one to cause the tragedy or fall to it?

She's the Man

            One of Shakespeare’s most notable female characters is Lady Macbeth, whose first appearance reveals her to be intense, ambitious, and perhaps most importantly, more masculine than her husband!  Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth displays characteristics that are generally associated with masculine characters, namely her unhindered ambition, her ability to think with her head, not with her heart, and the violent acts she commits.   When Macbeth writes to his wife about what the three witches have predicted, sharing with her how part of what they foresaw has already happened, namely the acquiring of the title Thane of Cawdor, Lady Macbeth reveals her lack of faith in her husband.  She does not feel he is capable of doing what is necessary in order for him to eventually become king, thus fulfilling the three witches’ prophecy.  She states that, while Macbeth may have ambition his nature “. . . is too full of o’th’ milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest [most expedient] way” (1.5.15, 16).  She argues that Macbeth’s lack of wickedness will impede his ambition, and reveals her hastiness for his arrival so that she can “take the bull by the horns,” so to speak – help him carry out the necessary means of attaining the crown as quickly as possible.  Her masculinity skyrockets when she makes her famous speech:

                        Come, you spirits

                        That tend on mortal [attend deadly] thoughts, unsex 

                        me here,

                        And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full

                        Of direst cruelty.  Make thick my blood,

                        Stop up th’access and passage to remorse [pity],

                        That no compunctious visitings of nature

                        Shake my fell [cruel] purpose, nor keep 

                        peace [intervene] between

                        Th’effect and it [My purpose and its accomplishment].  

                                                                           (1.5.38, 39-44, 45)

Her ordering of the spirits to “unsex” her, to take away all of the qualities (emotions, namely) that would make her more womanlike is a powerful declaration, and asserts her masculinity absolutely.  She is relinquishing the qualities of her sex, remorse, compassion, gentleness, in exchange for the wickedness necessary to help her husband take the crown. 

            When her husband enters, Lady Macbeth tells him to “look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t” (1.5.63, 64) and insists that she will manage the plotting that will be used to ensure him the crown.  This is where it is clear that Macbeth is not “wearing the pants” in their relationship.  His wife is the one planning the conspiracy when he’s the one who will be reaping the benefit of it! 

            Later on, Macbeth tries to convince Lady Macbeth that they should hold off on killing King Duncan, but she becomes angry with him.  She exclaims that his hesitation and refusal to take what is his makes him less of a man and more of a coward.  His lack of intensity and zeal to attain the crown makes him less of a man, and her ambition and passion in obtaining it makes ever the manlier!  Macbeth’s response to her claim that he is a coward who is allowing “I dare not” to wait upon “I would” replies by saying “I dare do all that may become a man; / Who dares do more is none” (1.7.43-44, 46-47).  While Macbeth stews over the idea of murdering King Duncan, Lady Macbeth is mastermind behind the whole scheme.  She has the intelligence and deviousness that the men are generally portrayed possessing, but it is clear that it is not Macbeth who is the brains behind the operation. 

            Once the actual murdering of the king has taken place, Macbeth is traumatized by the acts of violence he has committed.  While he is lamenting over the people’s last words they cried out, Lady Macbeth remains completely composed.  While looking at his bloodstained hands Macbeth comments on them as being a “sorry sight,” to which his wife replies “A foolish thought, to say a sorry sight” (2.2.18-19).  Macbeth is so deeply affected by the atrocity he has committed that he forgets to smear the blood on the servants in Duncan’s room to make it look like they were the ones to have murdered him.  Lady Macbeth tells her husband to wash the blood off his hands as she proceeds to cover the tracks he left unhidden. 

            Lady Macbeth truly demonstrates the more masculine characteristics, while Macbeth seems to portray the more feminine role.  She plans the assassination all by herself, keeps her husband on track and prevents him from abandoning his desire for the crown, and carries out the work he neglects in the end.  She remains composed while Macbeth reveals much internal struggle that makes him come across as being wishy-washy and ineffective.  Her ingeniousness, paired off with her ability to carry out her wills unimpeded and the violent acts she commits to help her husband definitely seems to suggest that she’s the man.

Lady Macbeth Meets Sassy Gay Friend!

When I heard about this part of the final, I immediately thought of Sassy Gay Friend. He is absolutely hilarious (aside from the shameless product placement which is not included in his older videos). For those who have never heard of Sassy Gay Friend, he is basically a character that visits many female characters of literature (mostly Shakespeare) in order to steer them away from their imminent doom. I chose this video of the Sassy Gay Friend because it had to be about a play we read this semester, but I prefer the Hamlet, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet editions.

I know this series of videos is more for entertainment than education, and I would sound ridiculous trying to seriously analyze these videos. However, I will say that the satire that Sassy Gay Friend brings to Shakespeare is important. For one thing, it is another way of making Shakespeare accessible to a larger audience. Satire sometimes helps in our understanding of a play and forces us to question it. But also, in all of his videos, he asks the questions that I always ask while reading Shakespeare; I know that part of theater is always about the suspension of disbelief, but sometimes I can't help but wonder how/why characters in Shakespeare's plays do what they do. Yes, Shakespeare's work is amazing, but really, it's also sometimes ridiculous and over-dramatic. I think a lot of Shakespeare's characters would benefit from a Sassy Gay Friend.

Lady Macbeth and Iago

In our discussion in Friday's class, the question of Lady Macbeth's real power and control arose. Is she really the bad-ass that she claims to be, or is she just as insecure as poor Macbeth? While I can see how people could see her instability (ie: her descent into madness as seen in her "Out, out damned spot" speech), I don't think this character trait hinders the control she has over her husband. In fact, I can't help but notice a comparison between  evil Iago in Shakespeare's Othello. Sure, these are my two favorite plays so I may be inclined to find similarities between the two, but the comparison is obvious: Both characters serve as the "little birdie" in the ears of the respective main characters; both characters feed on the emotional weaknesses of others and convince them to murder.

In both cases, the schemer's whispers are the driving force behind the action. While the source of manipulation is obvious in Othello, in Macbeth, one could argue that the witches' prophecies are what really inspires Macbeth to murder the king; after all, without this prophecy Macbeth would never suspect he could become Thane or King. However, in 1.7, we see Macbeth having second thoughts about following through with the act. First, he recognizes that he has the King's "double trust" and that he should "against his murderer shut the door,/Not bear the knife myself" (1.7.12-16). He also refers to Duncan as "meek" and "clear" (blameless), and describes him as a "new-borne babe" and "heaven's cherubim." It is clear that he is still clinging onto his conscience, while Lady Macbeth is ready to take this new-borne babe and "have plucked his nipple from his boneless gums/And dashed the brains out" (1.7.57-58). After this conversation with Lady Macbeth, Macbeth says, "I am settled." Whatever shred of humanity Macbeth had prior to this conversation has been lost. 

Both Iago and Lady Macbeth use careful manipulation in order to achieve their hold over Othello and Macbeth, respectively. In the first interaction between husband and wife, Lady Macbeth addresses Macbeth as "Great Glamis, worthy Cawdor,/Greater than both by the all-hail hereafter." This doting address is obviously ironic to the audience, for it immediately followed her entire speech about how she wishes she could take over for Macbeth, have the spirits "unsex" her and "make thick [her] blood" (1.5.39-41). She also suggests how unmanly her husband is, and how unsuited he is to have such power because he lacks "the illness should attend it" (1.5.18).

This dual behavior is reminiscent of Iago's speech to Roderigo in 1.1 of Othello, when he disparages Othello's choice of Cassio over Iago for second-in-command: "But he (as loving his own pride and purposes)/Evades them with a bombast circumstance/Horribly stuffed with epithets of war,/And in conclusion/Nonsuits my mediators" (1.1.13-17). However hateful Iago is towards Othello, he constantly reassures Othello that he has his best interest at heart when suggesting Desdemona's infidelity.

Furthermore, I find it really interesting that, unlike Othello which focuses on the influence of bonds between men, Macbeth explores the control that a wife can have on her husband; that the female character in one play can be compared to an evil male in the other. I always find Shakespeare's evil characters - especially when they are female - to be the most interesting.

What if the Macbeth's were alive in '75?

First of all, allow me to apologize for the profanity. =)

I chose this clip from Billy Morrissette’s modernized Macbeth retelling, Scotland, PA, which stars James LeGros, Christopher Walken, and as the clip shows, the colorful Maura Tierney. I was able to catch a viewing of this underrated Sundance film a few years ago, and since then, I’ve had a hard time separating my love for Macbeth from this ridiculous movie. The scene here is fairly obvious; Pat McBeth (or Lady Macbeth to all of you) is losing it following the murders of Norm Duncan and Banko (King Duncan and Banquo, respectively), and much like the play’s “blood spots,” she’s hallucinating a burn mark on her hand.

This version focuses on the story of Macbeth taking place in a greasy, fast-food restaurant in Pennsylvania in 1975. The McBeth’s are an underachieving married couple who work as fry cooks for their boss, Norm Duncan, until “Mac” (Macbeth) has one too many drinks one night and wanders off to meet up with three hippies who tell his fortune. Naturally, Mac and his wife conspire to murder their boss and take over the restaurant.

1. What do you think is the effect of modernizing Lady Macbeth’s character into a slightly deranged, emasculated and dirty-mouthed fry cook? How does she measure up against the real Lady Macbeth? Is there a significant correlation?
2. Do you think modern adaptations of Shakespearean works do their written counterparts justice?

I'm including a link to the trailer in case anyone's interested. It's totally worth it:

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1367736601/