Macbeth

1.Film adaptions :-

Comparison of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth to Vishal Bharadwaj’s Maqbool:

The term adaptation itself states that getting into the skin of the work or getting the fundamental idea that the written piece of work tries to present. When adapting a story the essence of the story is woven into the very treatment of the film. There is no clear way of defining how to conceive an adaptation or how to address the contextual problem that occurs during scripting the film. One basic issue that happens with adaptation in contemporary themes is how much can be changed from the actual text and fabric of the story keeping the sublime idea of the novel intact. Some changes are inevitable, like the geographical change, social structure, the time of work, etc. They will have some effect on the quality of the work. Another aspect is the length of the film. Since film is a time bound medium many a times some aspects of the written text are not included in the script.

His first adaptation i.e. Shakespeare’ Macbeth in a gangster based film named “Maqbool”. Vishal accidentally came across an abridged version of Macbeth and connected the basic central theme of ambition and guilt to a contemporary gangster plot. Though the film was not a great commercial success but it was critically appreciated and ushered a new way of adaptation film in contemporary Indian cinema. For the purpose of this study, the adaption can be compared with the text under three broad

Categories :-

1. Plot

2.Characters

3. Context

1. Plot :-

The plot of Macbeth is set in the Elizabethan age displaying aristocracy of Scotland. The story revolves around treachery of a valiant general Macbeth who became a victim of his ambitions. Although an honest kinsmen initially, Macbeth met three Witch sisters on his way back from a battle. The witches’ prophesized that he would be honored with the Thane of Cawdor and Glamis adding that he would one day become the king himself. The prophecies meddled with his naïve self, gave him a hope that he might actually become king one day. Macbeth meets the criterion of a Shakespearean tragic hero. There is a school of thought in Literature which argues that the defeat of Macbeth was his own doing. Although he had people around him who were influencing him but he took the final call. He murdered the king of Scotland (Duncan), for Macbeth wanted to become the King himself, an ambition short lived.

Maqbool on the other hand is set in the backdrop of Mumbai underworld with a Mafia Jahangir Khan replacing the King of Scotland Duncan and Maqbool playing his right hand (instead of General in the army). Maqbool remains a close confidante of Jahangir initially. The witch sisters are replaced by the corrupt inspectors in the film. It was the astrological prediction of the inspectors that led Maqbool to believe that he could one day take over Jahangir Khan. The switch from Scottish aristocracy to underworld mafia of Mumbai could be attributed to the contexts in which the play and the film are based. Variety wrote that while the visuals are great, audiences might need an understanding of Macbeth to fully enjoy the film Whereas Macbeth was composed by Shakespeare around 1600s when aristocracy was prevalent in Scotland, Maqbool was made much later in the 2003 in India. Creating a period drama is one thing, but creating one with a different context altogether is a gamble; reason being, the limited understanding of the audience of the culture of Elizabethan age and the aristocratic gesturesand symbols. The easier and safer way for the director remains to customize the context so that majority of the audience could relate with it. Outlook said that it (Maqbool) "effectively transported the essence of the story to the milieu of the Bombay underworld of our times"

2. Characters :-

Vishal Bharadwaj as an auteur has taken full liberty with the context as well as the characters of Maqbool. The major characters remain the same except for some of their associations; for instance, the witches are replaced by the corrupt policemen duo. Upon close observation, one can see that the policemen (played by Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri) are not completely negative in character as against the witches who actually had evil motives. They have an important role to play in the ‘balance of power’ in the entire plot. In Macbeth, the character of Duncan is positive and his assassination is tragic; it’s a crime for which the Lady Macbeth summons evil forces. But the mafia in Maqbool (Jahangir Khan) is shady himself. He is into contract killings, housing scams and is also suspected to have killed his own Godfather treacherously. So his death is not taken as negatively as Duncan’s. Although Maqbool feels the guilt of killing his Godfather in cold blood, taking over Jahangir’s kingdom as well as mistress (the love interest of Maqbool). A major deviation in the characters can be traced in the role of Lady Macbeth, portrayed by Nimmi (played by Tabu on screen) in Maqbool. While Lady Macbeth is the lawful wife of Macbeth, Nimmi plays Jahangir’s mistress and secretly has an affair with Maqbool. The dynamics of the character of Nimmi is an instrumental factor in the plot of the movie. It is because of her that the otherwise heroic tragedy Macbeth turns into a story of failed love and ambition. The bloodline of Banquo is prophesized to rule by the witches; but they are not shown in any major light in the play. It is assumed that Banquo’s sons later descend the throne. In the movie however, the corresponding role is played by Guddu (played by Anuj Gehi), and this character is stronger than any other character in the entire plot of the movie. It is assumed from the very beginning in the film that Guddu will be the successor of Jahangir Khan once he marries Jahangir’s daughter. This is one of the major factors behind the conspiracy that Nimmi and Maqbool hatch for the murder of Jahangir Khan. The other characters like Macduff, his wife and children, the Thane of Glamis, and many other small but significant characters of the play have been given screen space in the movie.

3. Context :-

Talk about the contextual difference between Macbeth and Maqbool, the gap is huge. Both the contexts are mostly fictitious, or maybe partly based on fact. Macbeth was a real 11th Century King. But the Thane of Glamis as the play mentions didn’t exist. It is noteworthy, that there was a real Duncan, King of Scotland, but he didn’t hold the kind of charisma as King Duncan in the play does. He was weak, fragile and didn’t hold much respect of his peers. Additionally, Macbeth was succeeded by his own sons in real life, and not by Banquo’s. In fact, there is no evidence about the existence of Banquo. Maqbool on the other hand is although inspired by the Mumbai Underworld, but there legitimate factual congruence with reality. The switch from Jacobean aristocracy to a Mumbai Mafia has been applauded (Jain, 2004) iv[12]. What is similar in both the contexts is the way the negative tone has been maintained throughout, a mark of Jacobean period as well as the signature of Vishal Bharadwaj as an auteur.

CONTEXTUALIZING THE PROPHECIES:

A significant amount of attention has been paid by the director in contextualizing the prophecies of the play into the movie. The prophecies of the witch sisters play a major role in the plot of the play. The witches have been replaced by the corrupt policemen, who are also avid astrologers.

Likewise, the prophecies are in the form of astrological predictions in the movie. The gradual promotion of Maqbool from a blood rider of Jahangir to owning the kingdom himself – sums up the astrological predictions before the tragedy sets in i.e. the murder of Jahangir Khan. A similar rise of the character of Macbeth was seen in the play, where he was promoted to the Thane of Cawdor before he assassinated Duncan, the king of Scotland. In the second half of the plot, Macbeth is told to beware of Macduff and the Forest of Birnam which collectively is the reason why Macbeth dies. Similarly, Maqbool is avenged by Riyaz Boti (the corresponding character of Macduff, whose wife and children were butchered by Macbeth).

2. Shakespearean Tragedy :-

Shakespearean tragedies have been a perennial source of inspiration for all filmmakers across the world. While some attempt transpose the text exactly and recreate the period on screen, others like Vishal Bharadwaj have their own ways of mixing and matching.

This play will be based on the in depth analysis of the feature Maqbool, which is loosely based on the Shakespearean tragedy of Macbeth. The plot, context and the characters of the film will be analyzed and compared with the original text of the play Macbeth to mark out the similarities and the differences. But the major attempt of the authors is to appreciate the craftsmanship of the director and not to critically analyze it.

3. Changes in Macbeth :-

Throughout the course of the play, Macbeth’s character changes from good to evil. As the audience we are given ample opportunities to look at the way in which he changes and the influences that help bring about the shift in character. Shakespeare also uses dramatic devices to highlight Macbeths change. In this essay the influences that Macbeth was exposed to and the effect that Shakespeare’s use of dramatic devices has on the audience’s understanding will be explored.

A soliloquy is a classical literary technique it is the act of speaking while alone, especially when used as a theatrical device that allows a character’s thoughts and ideas to be conveyed to the audience. In a play, soliloquies are important because these are the thoughts of the character and he/she will always be telling the truth. The soliloquies let the audience keep up with how the main characters are thinking so that the writer can create the image that there are many sides to every character. Shakespeare uses soliloquies to give us an insight as to what Macbeth is thinking, they are un-edited thoughts and opinion that he is not saying to anyone else. As Shakespeare does not use a narrator who can explain what Macbeth really thinks, it is important for Macbeth that he uses soliloquies; as he is a complex character, his entire personality changes throughout the course of the play. Soliloquies are a window directly into his thoughts and emotions. Without them, we would only know, as much as the other characters and by knowing more there is sometimes some dramatic irony which therefore gives the audience power.

4. Theme of 'Ambition':-

In 21st century Western culture we generally regard ambition as a 'good' thing. The meaning of the word has evolved into something a bit different from its earlier meaning. In Shakespeare’s time, and in his plays, ambition is not a positive drive. The result of ambitious behaviour is a downfall through some counter force, as a reaction to it. That often takes the form of revenge – different kinds of revenge, sometimes by a person, sometimes by fate, and sometimes by nature. It seems that Shakespeare thought.

In many of Shakespeare’s tragedies and history plays ambition plays a role but when we think about ambition in Shakespeare, our minds usually spring to that great expression of human ambition and its consequences, the play, Macbeth, and we can use Macbeth as an example of one of the ways Shakespeare uses the theme of ambition.

Ambition in Macbeth is far from a straightforward illustration of the theme (there are many significant Macbeth ambition quotes). For a start, it engenders a debate in the mind of the audience as to who the ambitious character is. In terms of classical tragedy Macbeth fits the bill. He’s a hero, virtually worshipped by the other feudal lords of Scotland. When he gets the idea that he can become king he believes that all he has to do is kill the king, he will be elected king, and that will be that. The rest of the play works that idea through and throws up its various complications. In the end the hero, by now regarded as a hellish villain, is brought down.

That is a very simple view of it, and one can, of course, see it that way if one would like to: the story is gripping, and that’s what it seems to tell us. But what about Lady Macbeth? Macbeth’s basic decency, his nature, full of ‘the milk of human kindness,’ stalls him, as his rational thinking, with all its implications, almost stops him. However, Lady Macbeth, using all the tactics at her disposal – her sexuality, emotional blackmail, flattery – ensures that he carries out the murder. So where does ambition lie in this play? With him, with her, or with both? Perhaps both, but they are two different models of ambition.

5. Learning lesson:-

In addition to the points made above regarding ambition, Macbeth also teaches readers that we must have patience and allow the natural order of the world to bring good tidings. Early in the play, the witches tell Macbeth that one day he will be King of Scotland, but they never suggest how this will happen. Macbeth's ambition goes unchecked/uncontrolled because he is not patient enough to let things take their natural course. It is entirely possible that King Duncan (and his sons) may have died the following year from some other cause...

6. Play relevant :-

One of the ways in which we can relate plays to life today is by examing the character of Macbeth. He has a number of flaws and is easily manipulated, and, even in the 21st century, we can learn from his mistakes. After he first speakes with the weird sisters and after he learns that he's been made Thane of Cowdar, he comes to believe, whole heatedly, in everything they tell him.

Macbeth's themes of corruption and ambition remain very relevant no matter the time or place. Throughout history and in modern world, people have used violence and underhanded means to procure power for theme-selves, and often once this power is gained, they are paranoid about loosing it.