I always say the two most important things I learned at school were how to touch type & Shakespeare. Even here, today, I’m combining them both…
My favourite play then & now is William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Unsurprisingly there is much made of the various themes in Macbeth, such as guilt, ambition, free will versus fate & frankly how suggestible this guy is when confronted by three (four, actually I suppose) strong women, but it’s worth remembering it’s also about change. It’s about not accepting the status quo & where you are. It’s about upward mobility. It’s about greed. & look what happens.
& yet, Macbeth’s story is a tragedy rather than a fable because in the end he is human. So human. He does rather well for himself as a soldier but it’s not enough. Even when he’s (spoiler alert) made king, he’s dissatisfied, realising too late that the end does not justify the means. With his enabling wife & his superstitious nature he gives up on good sense & ultimately he’s ruined.
I strongly associate the play with this time of year – the change of season into autumn, the onset of Hallowe’en, the change in weather, the change in colours, the darkening days & the nights drawing in. That it’s set in Scotland feels like no coincidence.
The interpretation of the supernatural elements of Macbeth, the treatment of mental health as a subject, the roles of women & the breaking down of traditional masculine/feminine traits – indeed explicitly questioning them - all still have relevance today.
For an artist, it’s too generous with the imagery – drama, overwrought characters, witches, ghosts, gore, blood, weaponry, walking forests, death, tragedy, spells, desire, love, several deadly sins, glamour, not to mention blasted heaths. Fair or foul, Macbeth has got the lot.
Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth (1889), John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)
It’s the quintessential portrait of perhaps the most famous female character in theatre, let alone Shakespeare. Here, Lady Macbeth exhibits the power & steeliness required to do what she has done & will do, yet she has reservations. She knows that once this crown is placed on her head, there really is no going back. Her ill-gotten gains are about to become be her undoing. If anything, Sargent’s portrayal of such a striking actress adds to the Macbeth legend. His work is always masterful, assured & impressive. Since its creation, surely countless actors have used this representation as their template for the role.
Lady Macbeth Seizing the Daggers (1812), Henry Fuseli (1741-1825)
“Infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers…” translates as, “Oh for heaven’s sake, give me THOSE,” whilst her husband has a wobble about what he’s just done. You can sense her frustration in Fuseli’s depiction. Fuseli made a number of paintings for Macbeth, this with an ethereal quality – possibly it’s an unfinished work or sketch for a larger canvas.
Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1852-1917) as Macbeth in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, Charles A. Buchel (1872-1950)
This is another interpretation of Macbeth after committing murder. A more complete piece, he is captured experiencing a bewildered horror at his own actions, almost as if he can’t believe it. “I am afraid to think what I have done…”
The Spectrum Appearance of Banquo at Macbeth’s Feast (?), Gustave Doré (1832-1883)
I love this version of Banquo’s Ghost – a properly vaporous presence, rightly annoyed at the damned imposition of being murdered, despite being a true friend & faithful subject. The audacity! He stares down his former friend in judgement & shakes his gory locks for all he’s worth in contempt.
Lady Macbeth (date unknown), Alfred Stevens (1823-1906)
This is where it all goes belly-up for the Lady herself. No matter what she does, she can’t get rid of that stain…
The Three Witches of Macbeth (c. 1767-1768), John Runciman (1744-1768/9)
These wonderful heads may seem wispy & phantasmagorical but the features resemble those of real people. The expressions seem believable & the image blurs the lines between the supernatural & the physical world. Were the weird sisters truly magical or were they simply armed with knowledge or talents that others could not fully understand? Within that question lies the reason so many women through history were burned alive.
The Apparition of the Kings (1856), Théodore Chassériau (1819-1856)
Not only is Macbeth plagued by the ghost of Banquo but of his illustrious forebears, appointed by God to be King. He on the other hand has no business being King. Haunting is about to be the least of his worries.
Charles John Kean as Macbeth (1840), Richard James Lane (1800-1872) & Sir Henry Irving as Macbeth (after 1875), Harry Furniss (1854-1925)
Of course being “the Scottish play” & being stuffed full of drama allows all sorts of liberties by various productions, actors & costume designers. Here are a couple of the more ridiculous examples that I’ve come across. I’ve seen some terrible Macbeths but really…
Wardrobe Sketch with notes. Banquo’s Ghost (?), Hodges C. Walter (Cyril Walter) (1909-2004)
The costume of Banquo’s Ghost would necessarily have to be a bit of a state. I was once on a backstage tour at the Royal Shakespeare Company, where the guide described fake blood as being sugar-based. She said that if an actor had to be in a scene before being “killed” & then appear after (or during) the death, it had to be something that would wash out again for the following night’s show. I wonder if that’s a problem with Banquo. He’s murdered in Act Three, Scene Two & returns as a ghost in Act Three, Scene Three. Is there enough time to change? This drawing suggests a separate garment altogether is required.
Lady Macbeth for cover illustration of Macbeth (2019), Abigail Larson (1988)
Abigail Larson’s Lady Macbeth has all the pout, arrogance & swagger that have abandoned Sargent’s. Here she is confident, malevolent of purpose & ready for action.
The Macbeths (2001), Antony Sher (1949-)
Antony Sher’s Macbeth is a passionate & emotional rendering of a couple’s mutual obsession. A self-portrait with a portrait of his Lady Macbeth (Harriet Walter), the image focuses on the angst, desperation & infatuation in their relationship. It’s almost abstract & certainly Expressionistic & captures the heart of the play. This is a haunting image of two powerful performances.
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