"Acting The Horror"

Hmmm...How would I stage Macbeth's hallucination of a dagger in 2.1, when he kills Duncan? If I had to, it wouldn't be a stage production. I'd like to imagine it on film. More visual effects can be added to the scene.

For starters, I wouldn't have the actor playing Macbeth say his lines to the camera (which is how is done on stage and most film adaptations) but instead I would have a prerecording of the actor reading his lines playing as the scene takes place so as to make it seem as if we can hear what he is thinking. It's better this way because it seems realistic plus in real life if Macbeth said out loud everything he in the soliloquy, he might wake up Duncan or his guards.

Sound effects and scoring is important and I will only do it to heighten the emotions of a scene. As Macbeth is approaching Duncan's room and sees an imaginary dagger, I would have soft eerie music (produced by acoustic instruments) playing in the background. As the scene progresses, so will the music until the climax of the scene is reached (when Macbeth kills Duncan). The sound effects would be heard when Macbeth mentions of witchcraft celebrating, a wolf howling, and a ghost silently pacing. Each effect will be heard in unison and then finally hearing Macbeth dagger penetrating Duncan's flesh.

Towards the end of the soliloquy since we don't read about Macbeth actually killing Duncan, I would like to portray it by focusing on their shadows. I would have the camera set in front of Macbeth standing beside Duncan's bed (with a burning candle set on a table beside Duncan's bed opposite of Macbeth) and as the last words of the soliloquy are heard, the camera slowly moves away from the bed (on Macbeth's side), only showing Macbeth's shadow Standing over the shadow of Duncan on his bed and Macbeth thrusting his dagger in Duncan, but never seeing him pull it out (because at this point as the camera is moving away, the shot fades to black).

The lighting which is also key in my portrayal will be dim (being that it takes place at night). For certain, my version wouldn't be shot in HD only because I would want it to have a raw feel to it.

Finally, when Macbeth enters Duncan's room and begins to hallucinate I would shoot close ups of his eyes and what he sees before him. The shots would be done at a quick pace and I would have the room change colors and would mess with the focus of the camera to get viewers an idea of how screwed up Macbeth feels at this moment.

Damn...I wish I could do a shooting of this scene! M