Joel Coen adapts great William Shakespeare’s immortal play Macbeth for his film The Tragedy of Macbeth. This film marks the maiden directorial venture of Joel Coen without the involvement of his brother and collaborator Ethan Coen. Even though William Shakespeare’s classic play has been adapted for theater and films multiple times, Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth has reached a distinct level altogether. The film is a cinematic version of the play. It shows Macbeth’s greed for power and subsequent downfall. It covers all the important events of the play including Lady Macbeth’s indulgence and involvement in Macbeth’s crimes and bloodshed. Human greed for power is brutally portrayed in the film. Moreover, the film will be remembered for its innovative cinematography which reminds the viewers of German Expressionism.
King Duncan’s (Brendan Gleeson) army led by Macbeth (Denzel Washington), Thane of Glamis, wins against the combined forces of Norway and Ireland led by traitorous Macdonwald, Thane of Cawdor. While returning from the battlefield, Macbeth and Banquo (Bertie Carvel), Thane of Lochaber, meet three witches (Kathryn Hunter) by chance who greet Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor and predict that Macbeth will become the king someday and Banquo will father the line of kings. These pronouncements by the witches make both Macbeth and Banquo shocked and silent. When the witches vanish, another Thane Ross (Alex Hassell) arrives and hails Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth gets shocked again but realizes that the first prophecy of the witches is now fulfilled. Macbeth starts harboring the ambition and dream of becoming the King of Scotland.
However, King Duncan appoints his son Malcolm (Harry Melling) as the Prince of Cumberland. This appointment does not go well with Macbeth who sees Malcolm as an obstacle to the throne. While King Duncan is asleep in Macbeth’s castle, Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand), who is well aware of the prophecies of the witches, instigates Macbeth to murder the King. Meanwhile, she drugs King’s chamberlains. With much hesitation and hallucination, Macbeth stabs Duncan to death. In the morning, Macduff (Corey Hawkins), the loyal Thane of Fife, arrives and discovers Duncan’s dead body.
Macbeth along with Lady Macbeth frames the Chamberlains and accuses them of the murder. He executes the chamberlains as punishments to cover up his heinous crime. Fearing for their lives, Duncan’s sons Malcolm and Donalbain flee to England and Ireland respectively. Macbeth ascends to the throne as the King of Scotland. However, he has not forgotten the second prophecy of the witches which proclaims that Banquo will father the line of kings. Macbeth sends three soldiers including Ross to assassinate Banquo and his son Fleance. The soldiers kill Banquo, and Ross chases Fleance across a field.
Over time, Macbeth becomes more and more paranoid and hallucinated about his incessant crimes. The witches appear again and warn him of Macduff. They also proclaim that he will remain the King of Scotland until the great Birnam Woods come to Dunsinane Hill and no man born of a woman can harm him. Their prophecy assures Macbeth but he orders to have the Macduff family slaughtered. All of them are summarily executed by Macbeth’s soldiers apart from Macduff who fled to England earlier. Lady Macbeth sinks into insanity. She walks down the stairs with a candle and talks about her crimes in a monologue.
Ross secretly reaches England and informs Macduff about his family’s massacre. This news devastates Macduff and he vows revenge. Malcolm forms an army with the help of English soldiers. The soldiers are instructed to camouflage themselves with the boroughs cut from the Birnam Woods. They proceed towards Dunsinane and apparently fulfill the last prophecy of the witches. Macbeth is tormented and devasted by Lady Macbeth’s sudden suicide. He is overwhelmed by the aggressive English army. Macduff defeats and beheads him in a duel. Malcolm elevates to the throne as the King of Scotland. Fleance is revealed to be alive and taken away by Ross when a flock of crows suddenly flies away in the foreground.
William Shakespeare’s classic Macbeth shows how greed and lust for power drive a person towards criminal activities. Once started, these activities don’t have an end. One crime leads him to commit another. He is encircled by a chain of crimes and it’s impossible to get out of it. These crimes and misdeeds ultimately make him insane and cause his downfall. Still, humans are driven by power-lust and over-ambitions for ages. The elevation of a human being to power and prosperity is welcome but not through crimes and massacres. Life always comes as a full circle and humans repay their misdeeds. Macbeth too had to pay price for his crimes. He was devastated by his wife’s suicide and ultimately Macduff beheaded him. The ways of falsehood and crimes are never enduring. Some day, it has to come to an end. Life without a noble purpose is madness and insane. Shakespeare’s timeless Macbeth is still relevant in today’s modern world. Multiple adaptations of the play are done even today. Joel Coen’s cinematic version of the play is brilliant and magnificent.
The Tragedy of Macbeth is built on the premises of Bruno Delbonnel’s eerie and ominous cinematography. The film was shot on sound stages to give it a theatrical setting. Multiple times, Delbonnel plays with lights and shadows. The moods and emotions of the characters are reflected in each shot. The film has a strong and experienced cast. Both Denzel Washington as Macbeth and Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth deliver powerful yet restrained performances. The most striking performance in the film comes from Kathryn Hunter. Her portrayal of witches involves extraordinary physical movements that are rarely seen on the screen. She sets the ominous tune of the film so strongly that it continues to resonate with the rest of the film.
Carter Burwell’s background score, which is mostly filled with a solo violin, is also mysterious and ominous. Burwell himself describes it as “taking a flight out of the darkness”. Joel Coen’s seriousness and attention to detail in this film are extraordinary. Portraying a serious and classic play like Macbeth on the screen is not an easy job. The Tragedy of Macbeth has received many awards and critical acclaim across the world. It was nominated for Best Actor (Denzel Washington), Best Production Design (Stefan Dechant and Nancy Haigh), and Best Cinematography (Bruno Delbonnel) at the 94th Academy Awards. Denzel Washington was also nominated for Best Actor-Motion Picture Drama at the 79th Golden Globe Awards. Bruno Delbonnel was also nominated for Best Cinematography at the 75th BAFTA awards.