Seeing Macbeth Live: A Reflection on the Globe Theatre Screening

Seeing Macbeth Live: A Reflection on the Globe Theatre Screening

 I am writing this blog after watching the screening of Macbeth in our classroom. This was a part of our learning activity using a worksheet by Barad sir. Watching the play helped me understand the story, characters, and emotions better. It showed how visuals and acting bring Shakespeare’s words to life In this blog, I will share my thoughts and what I learnt from the screening.

• William Shakespeare: The Mind Behind the Play

[A visual journey through Macbeth, from the legendary playwright William Shakespeare to the haunting world of witches, ambition, and bloodshed brought alive on screen and stage.]

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is often called the greatest playwright in the history of English literature. He wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and two long narrative poems. His works include comedies like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, tragedies like Hamlet and Macbeth, and histories like Henry IV. Shakespeare had a deep understanding of human emotions and behavior, and that’s why his characters feel real even today. He wrote during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, and his plays were performed at places like The Globe Theatre in London. Even though he lived over 400 years ago, his works are still studied in schools and colleges all around the world. His writing blends poetry, drama, philosophy, and deep emotional insight, which makes every play meaningful and timeless. Shakespeare didn’t just entertain, he made people think. Through his tragedies, he showed how human flaws like ambition, jealousy, and pride can lead to destruction which is exactly what we see in Macbeth.

• The Historical Background of Macbeth

 {Tracing the Roots of Macbeth: History, Legend, and the Bard’s Pen, From medieval battlefields and historical figures to the original 1623 folio, this collage captures the real-life inspiration behind Shakespeare’s Macbeth and its transformation into timeless tragedy.}

• The Political and Social Meaning Behind the Play

Apart from pleasing King James, Macbeth also reflects the political tension of the time. Just a year before the play was written, in 1605, there was the Gunpowder Plot, an attempt to assassinate King James and blow up the Parliament. The theme of betrayal of a king was therefore very fresh in people’s minds. Shakespeare used this theme to show how dangerous it is to kill a rightful king, as Macbeth does. In those times, kings were believed to rule by divine right (chosen by God), so murdering a king was not just a crime, it was a sin against God. Through Macbeth, Shakespeare warns his audience that trying to gain power in the wrong way only leads to fear, madness, and death. The play also shows the breakdown of natural order, where nothing feels right after Duncan’s murder,  nature itself seems disturbed, which adds to the horror of the story.

Main Characters in Macbeth

Character	Role in the Play
Macbeth	A brave Scottish general who becomes king through murder
Lady Macbeth	Macbeth’s ambitious wife who pushes him to kill the king
King Duncan	The kind and noble king of Scotland
Banquo	Macbeth’s friend and fellow general; father of future kings
Fleance	Banquo’s son, who escapes Macbeth’s plan to kill him
Macduff	A Scottish nobleman who opposes Macbeth and kills him
Lady Macduff	Macduff’s wife, killed on Macbeth’s orders
Malcolm	King Duncan’s elder son; rightful heir to the throne
Donalbain	King Duncan’s younger son
The Three Witches	Mysterious women who give prophecies that influence Macbeth
Hecate	The goddess of witchcraft, who controls the witches
Lennox, Ross, Angus	Scottish noblemen who observe the events unfolding

• Watching Macbeth on Screen [A New Way to Understand ]

{ From Page to Performance: Experiencing Macbeth Live on Screen. These powerful stills from the Globe Theatre’s production bring Shakespeare’s tragedy to life, capturing the intense emotions, dramatic confrontations, and haunting presence of the witches that reading alone cannot fully convey.}

Reading Shakespeare’s Macbeth in the classroom is powerful, but watching it performed on screen is a completely different experience. The screening helped bring the play to life. The actors' facial expressions, tone of voice, costumes, lighting, and background sounds added layers of meaning that were not always clear while reading the text. The emotions of fear, guilt, ambition, and madness were easier to understand when we could actually see them being performed. For example, Macbeth’s confusion before killing Duncan or Lady Macbeth’s madness during the sleepwalking scene felt more real and intense when seen on screen.

The Globe Theatre production kept the original language but made it easier to follow through actions and body language. Seeing how each scene was staged helped us understand the structure of a Shakespearean tragedy, how Macbeth rises, falls, and finally faces his end. The witches were shown in a very mysterious and eerie way, which added to the supernatural feeling. Overall, the movie screening helped us not just to learn Macbeth, but to feel it. It created a visual and emotional memory that made the themes clearer and the characters more human. It also made me realize how theatre and film can make classical literature more enjoyable and relatable for modern audiences.

• Symbolic Significance of the Witches in Act I and Act IV

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair”: The Witches Across Time. These contrasting depictions of the Weird Sisters, from haunting classical paintings to eerie modern performances, reflect their powerful symbolic role in Macbeth as agents of chaos, temptation, and fate who blur the line between reality and illusion.

 Act I, Scene I – “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”

The opening scene of Macbeth is very short, but extremely powerful. It introduces us to the three witches standing in a storm, planning when they will meet Macbeth. The line “When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” creates an immediate sense of mystery, darkness, and unnaturalness. The witches are not just ordinary characters, they are symbols of evil, fate, and confusion. Their famous line “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” suggests that in the world of Macbeth, appearances will be misleading, and moral boundaries will be blurred. This opening scene symbolically prepares the audience for a world where good and evil are mixed, and where ambition can destroy even the noblest of men. The witches do not directly tell Macbeth to kill anyone, but they create a dangerous atmosphere of temptation, which begins the tragic downfall of the hero. Their presence also reflects the beliefs of Shakespeare’s time, when people feared witchcraft and thought it could influence human lives.

Act IV, Scene I – “Something wicked this way comes”

In this scene, Macbeth visits the witches again, but this time, the tone is different. Earlier in the play, the witches came to him; now, he goes looking for them. This shows how deeply he has fallen into the world of darkness and supernatural. The witches prepare a magical potion in a cauldron, throwing in strange and disgusting things like “eye of newt and toe of frog”. This scene is full of symbolic horror, showing that Macbeth’s journey is no longer just about ambition, it is now about obsession and destruction. When the witches say “Something wicked this way comes,” they are talking about Macbeth himself, the hero has now become the wicked one. The witches give him three visions (apparitions): an armed head, a bloody child, and a crowned child with a tree. These prophecies are symbolic riddles, giving Macbeth a false sense of security, while actually leading him closer to his doom. This scene shows how the witches control Macbeth through illusions. They represent how blind ambition can make people believe what they want to believe, ignoring the truth. The symbolism of this scene is rich with warnings about trusting evil forces and trying to control fate.

• How Macbeth’s Ambition Leads to His Moral Deterioration

{“Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself”

These scenes capture Macbeth’s haunting descent, from a loyal warrior to a tormented murderer, driven by unchecked ambition. His inner conflict, guilt, and loss of moral control are vividly portrayed on stage, showing how ambition, once awakened, consumes everything.}

At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is introduced as a noble and brave warrior. He is respected by King Duncan and honored as a hero for winning the battle. However, his ambition begins to awaken when the three witches greet him with the prophecy: “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! / All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! / All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter.” (Act I, Scene III). These words plant a dangerous idea in Macbeth’s mind,  the idea that he is destined to become king. At first, Macbeth is confused and hesitant. He says, “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, / Without my stir.” But this shows only the beginning of his struggle. His inner ambition, though still hidden, starts to fight with his sense of morality.

Macbeth’s downfall truly begins when he lets ambition win over conscience. Influenced strongly by Lady Macbeth, who questions his manhood and bravery, he decides to murder King Duncan. Even before the murder, we see Macbeth's inner conflict. He says, “He’s here in double trust... I am his kinsman and his subject” (Act I, Scene VII), showing that he knows the act is morally wrong. But ambition clouds his judgment. After he kills Duncan, he is immediately filled with guilt and fear. He hears voices saying, “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep.” (Act II, Scene II). This line is symbolic, Macbeth has not only killed Duncan but also his own peace of mind. From this moment, his moral world starts collapsing. He becomes paranoid and insecure, unable to enjoy the throne he has gained through blood.

As the play progresses, Macbeth's ambition turns into obsession. He fears Banquo, his once-loyal friend, because of the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s descendants will be kings. Macbeth says, “To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus.” (Act III, Scene I), meaning that being king means nothing if he is not safe and secure in the position. This leads him to plan the murder of Banquo and later the massacre of Macduff’s innocent wife and children. These brutal acts show how far he has fallen. He no longer needs Lady Macbeth’s encouragement; he acts alone, becoming more violent and detached. By Act V, he has turned cold and numb. When he hears about his wife’s death, he says lifelessly, “She should have died hereafter... Life’s but a walking shadow.” (Act V, Scene V). This shows that Macbeth has become empty, morally destroyed by his own ambition. He dies as a tragic figure, not because he was born evil, but because his ambition consumed his soul.

• The Motif of Blood: A Symbol of Guilt and Violence

{Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” This powerful collage reflects how the motif of blood symbolizes guilt, violence, and psychological torment. From Macbeth’s blood-soaked hands to Lady Macbeth’s imagined stains, blood becomes a haunting reminder of their irreversible crimes and moral downfall.}

The image of blood is one of the most powerful symbols used throughout Macbeth, and it first appears even before the murder takes place. Right after Duncan’s murder, Macbeth looks at his bloody hands and says, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?” (Act II, Scene II). This line clearly shows his overwhelming guilt. The blood here is not just real blood, but a symbol of his crime and conscience. He knows that no amount of water can wash away the guilt he feels. This early use of blood imagery shows how deeply the act of murder affects Macbeth’s mental state and marks the beginning of his psychological downfall.

Lady Macbeth, who at first seems stronger and more fearless than Macbeth, also becomes haunted by blood. After the murder, she tries to calm Macbeth, saying “A little water clears us of this deed.” (Act II, Scene II), but by the end of the play, she is consumed by guilt. In the famous sleepwalking scene, she rubs her hands and cries out, “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” (Act V, Scene I), imagining blood stains that are not even there. The invisible blood becomes a symbol of her hidden guilt, which she cannot escape. Unlike Macbeth, she tries to keep it hidden, but the blood becomes a permanent part of her conscience. The repeated image of blood reflects how guilt sticks to both of them, even though they react to it in different ways.

As the play progresses, the motif of blood begins to represent violence, destruction, and the irreversible nature of Macbeth’s crimes. The more blood he sheds, the more numb he becomes to it. He says, “I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er.” (Act III, Scene IV), showing that he believes there's no turning back from the path of murder. Blood now symbolizes the deep trap of violence he has fallen into, each killing makes the next one easier, but also drags him further from redemption. In the end, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are destroyed not just by actual blood, but by what it symbolizes: moral decay, regret, and a loss of humanity. The constant return of this motif makes Macbeth a truly dark and tragic tale of how one deadly choice can lead to a lifetime of invisible stains.

 • The Impact of Supernatural Elements in Macbeth

{"So foul and fair a day I have not seen.”

This collage captures the eerie presence of the witches, whose prophecies ignite Macbeth's ambition and set his tragic downfall in motion. The supernatural elements in the play blur the line between reality and illusion, creating an atmosphere of fear, fate, and fatal temptation.}

Supernatural elements play a major role in Macbeth, especially through the three witches and their mysterious prophecies. Right from the beginning, in Act I, Scene I, the play opens with the witches planning to meet Macbeth. Their chant, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”  sets the tone of confusion, illusion, and evil. These witches are not ordinary characters; they represent the strange and dark forces of the world. When they finally meet Macbeth and Banquo, they greet Macbeth with three titles: “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! / Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! / All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (Act I, Scene III). These words immediately plant the seed of ambition in Macbeth's mind. He starts wondering if fate is helping him, or if he should take action himself to make the prophecy come true. This is the beginning of his downfall.

As the play continues, we see that the witches don’t exactly tell lies, but they twist the truth. Their second set of prophecies in Act IV, Scene I gives Macbeth a false sense of security. One witch says, “none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth” and another says he will not be defeated until  “Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall against him.” Macbeth believes these things are impossible, so he feels invincible. But in the end, both prophecies come true in ways he did not expect. Macduff was born by caesarean section (not “of woman born”), and Malcolm’s army uses branches from Birnam Wood to hide their numbers. The witches use clever words to control Macbeth’s actions, but they never directly tell him what to do. This shows how the supernatural doesn't force people to commit evil, it only tempts and confuses them, and Macbeth makes the fatal decisions on his own.

The supernatural also creates a feeling of fear and mystery throughout the play. After Macbeth kills Duncan, he starts seeing visions, like the bloody dagger before the murder (“Is this a dagger which I see before me...”) and Banquo’s ghost at the banquet. These are not caused by the witches, but they show how Macbeth’s mind is full of guilt and fear. Lady Macbeth also suffers from this, her sleepwalking and hallucinations in the final act show that even she is haunted by the supernatural and her own conscience. All these ghostly elements show how evil spreads in the characters’ lives once they open the door to dark forces. Shakespeare uses these supernatural events to show the inner breakdown of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and how once they give in to evil, they can never go back. The witches don’t just create horror; they represent the idea that unnatural choices bring unnatural consequences.

• Macbeth vs Lady Macbeth: A Tragic Power Couple

{“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t”. These scenes capture the emotional tension and psychological complexity between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. From shared ambition to personal downfall, their relationship evolves into a tragic struggle, Macbeth becoming increasingly violent, while Lady Macbeth is consumed by guilt and madness. Together, they form one of Shakespeare’s most haunting and powerful tragic pairs.}

In Macbeth, Shakespeare gives us two of the most famous and complicated characters in all of drama, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. At first, Macbeth is introduced as a brave and loyal soldier who has just won a battle for his king. The captain praises him in Act I, Scene II: “For brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name.” He is not yet evil, but things change quickly after he hears the witches’ prophecy that he will become king. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, is already thinking ahead. As soon as she reads Macbeth’s letter, she fears he is “too full o’ the milk of human kindness” to grab the crown. This shows that in the beginning, Lady Macbeth is the more ambitious and daring one. She calls on evil spirits to “unsex” her, asking to become cold and cruel so she can push Macbeth to kill King Duncan. This moment sets the tone for their relationship: she leads, and he follows.

But as the play goes on, their roles begin to shift. Macbeth becomes more confident, and more dangerous. After killing Duncan, he becomes king, but he is not at peace. He starts making decisions on his own, without telling Lady Macbeth. For example, when he plans the murder of Banquo and Fleance in Act III, Scene II, he says, “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck.” This shows how he no longer needs her to guide him. His ambition grows stronger, and so does his cruelty. He orders the killing of Macduff’s wife and children, something even Lady Macbeth might not have supported. Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth, who once seemed so fearless, starts to break down emotionally. The guilt she tried to hide slowly eats her from the inside. In the famous sleepwalking scene, she rubs her hands and cries, “Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.” This is a complete change from the confident woman we saw earlier.

By the end of the play, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are destroyed, but in different ways. Macbeth becomes numb, he no longer feels fear or love. When he hears that Lady Macbeth has died, he says coldly, “She should have died hereafter.” He fights until the end, but not with hope, only because he has nothing left to lose. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, is not killed by an enemy, she is destroyed by her own mind. The woman who once pushed Macbeth toward evil is now unable to live with the consequences. This tragic journey shows how their personalities, motivations, and choices all lead to disaster. Shakespeare uses their relationship to explore how unchecked ambition can ruin not just individuals, but also love, trust, and peace.

• Text vs Screen: Comparing the Characters of Macbeth

When reading Shakespeare’s Macbeth, we imagine the characters through their words and actions. In the original text, Macbeth starts off as a brave and noble man, but we can see his inner conflict through his long soliloquies. His famous line “Is this a dagger which I see before me...” (Act II, Scene I) shows his hesitation and fear before killing Duncan. On stage or in a movie, this scene becomes even more intense. In the screening we watched, Macbeth was shown sweating, shaking, and looking haunted, making his emotional breakdown more real and visible. The actor’s facial expressions and body language made his downfall even more powerful than words alone.

Lady Macbeth also appears different when seen on screen. In the original text, she sounds very strong and commanding, especially when she says, “Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here.” In the movie version, her performance adds more emotion to these lines. She doesn't only look evil, but also deeply human. In later scenes, her guilt is shown through her tired eyes, restless movements, and the way she stares into nothing during the sleepwalking scene. These visuals help us understand that Lady Macbeth is not just a villain, but also a broken woman filled with regret.

Other characters also feel different in performance. For example, Banquo seems more fatherly and protective when he talks to his son Fleance in the movie, which adds depth to his role. The witches, who speak in riddles in the text, were shown in the movie with eerie sound effects, lighting, and slow movement, creating a spooky mood. The visual adaptation makes the supernatural elements more scary and mysterious. While Shakespeare’s text leaves much to the imagination, the performance brings out hidden layers of emotions and tension that we may miss while just reading.

•Scene-Wise Comparison: Macbeth in Text vs Movie Screening

In Act I, Scene I, the play opens with the three witches. In the text, we only read their strange lines: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” But in the movie version, the setting adds a lot more meaning. The witches were shown in a dark, stormy landscape, with thunder and eerie music in the background. Their faces were pale, and their movements slow and creepy. This created a supernatural and scary atmosphere, which made their importance clear from the beginning. The text gives us words, but the movie uses visual and sound effects to build suspense.

In Act II, Scene II, the murder of King Duncan is a turning point. In the original script, the killing happens off-stage. We only hear Macbeth’s fearful voice as he returns with bloody hands, saying: “I have done the deed.” However, in the movie, we actually see the murder happen with dramatic camera angles, dim candlelight,  and Macbeth trembling after the act. The film shows his shaking hands, his blood-smeared face, and the heavy breathing, adding realism and emotional weight. This makes Macbeth’s guilt feel stronger and more personal than in the text, where we rely only on his words.

In Act V, Scene I, Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene was especially powerful in the movie. In the text, she says: “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” and keeps rubbing her hands. On stage, this depends entirely on the actress’s skill. But in the movie, it becomes even more haunting. The background is silent, her face is pale and tired, and the lighting is cold. She looks lost, as if she’s not in control of her own body. These cinematic choices make her guilt and mental breakdown clearer. While the text gives us the powerful dialogue, the movie adds facial expressions, camera focus, and silence, which help us truly feel her inner pain.

🎭 Macbeth: Text vs Movie Screening

📚 Scene (Act)	Shakespeare's Text	🎬 Movie/Screening
Act I, Scene I – The Witches	“Fair is foul, and foul is fair” Witches appear suddenly, no stage setting described.	Dark stormy visuals, thunder sounds, eerie music. Witches shown with pale faces and haunting movements.
Act II, Scene II – Duncan’s Murder	Murder happens off-stage. Macbeth says “I have done the deed” after killing Duncan.	Murder shown on-screen. Macbeth seen trembling, with blood on hands and face. Builds emotional tension.
Act V, Scene I – Lady Macbeth’s Guilt	Lady Macbeth says “Out, damned spot!” while rubbing her hands. No setting described.	Dim lighting, pale makeup, haunted expression. Silence and camera close-ups show her guilt deeply.

• Conclusion

Macbeth is not just a story about kings and battles, it is a deep exploration of human ambition, guilt, fear, and downfall. Watching the play as a movie gave me a new way to feel the emotions and struggles of the characters. Shakespeare’s language, though written centuries ago, still speaks strongly about the choices we make and their consequences. Macbeth’s famous line, “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage…” (Act V, Scene V) reminds us that life is short and full of confusion if we lose our values. This blog helped me reflect not only on the play but also on how human nature has not changed, even today, ambition without control can lead to destruction.

Citation

 Best, Eve, director. Macbeth . 2013. 

Raffl Hazim Muhsin, et al. “Macbeth re-imagined on screen: The cinematic adaption of William Shakespeare’s macbeth in the 2021 movie.” The Creative Launcher, vol. 10, no. 3, 30 June 2025, pp. 1–11,

 https://doi.org/10.53032/tcl.2025.10.3.01. 

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Floating Press, 2008.