Macbeth: Differences Between the Play and Movie

The play MacBeth, by William Shakespeare, which we read and the movie, by Rupert Goold’s, which we watch has several diffrences but all put out the same message. The main diffrences in between the play and the movie is the portrayal and functions of the witches, the changes of the setting and some key scenes, and the diffrences of the functions of the main characters and also the minor characters. The portrayal and function of the witches in the original play of MacBeth and the movie have several diffrences. In the play the witches are discribed as ugly things with beards and are outcasts of society that wear black robes. But in the movie the witches are very creepy. They have a more modern day horror film look. The witches are no showed as witches but as nurses with masks and black framed glasses. Not only are they shown as nurses (witches) but they are kitchen staff, serving women and cleaning maids too. Also throughout the movie the witches are roaming around in the background of pretty much every scene. It gives a feeling that they are there constantly to ensure the MacBeth and his wife, Lady MacBeth, fulfill their tasks that needed to be done. There are several diffrences between the play and the movie but the main diffrence is the setting of the two. In the movie by Rupert Goold the setting of the ‘’play’’ is in the 1900’s when World War II was taking place. MacBeth and all the other characters are in a Nazi-based area. Where as in the play originally created by William Shakespeare, it is taken place in the olden days, way long ago where it is taken place in a castle with kings and such. Another great diffrence inbetween the two are the weapons used. In the riginal play the main weapons are swords and sheilds and daggers and so on, where as in Goold’s movie the weapons are semi-automatic machine guns, bombs and more new-age weapons. A major scene diffrence in the movie from the play is when the 3 murderers go out to kill Banquo and his son. Instead of Banquo and his son on a horse strolling, they are in a train cabin. In the play the three murderers are Caithness, Angus and MacBeth where as in the play thew three murderers are Caithness, Angus and Lennox instead of MacBeth.