Shakespeare Magazine 9

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Macbeth “Lady Macbeth’s languidness is mesmerising. She makes us feel the terror of Macbeth spinning out of control” Macbeth who transforms from bloodstained warrior into evil tyrant. His Macbeth is attractively brooding and mysterious, though his apparent pleasure in burning Macduff’s family at the stake alienates him from the audience rather definitively. Marion Cotillard is beautiful as Lady Macbeth, though a few of her speeches lack energy and vigour. The interesting choice of starting the film with the Macbeths’ child’s funeral means that Lady Macbeth’s background is that of grief, not of blind ambition. Her languidness is mesmerising and, in her poised interactions with him, she makes us feel the terror of Macbeth spinning out of control. Eventually, the shock of Macbeth’s actions leaves Lady Macbeth speechless and she increasingly disappears from sight, dying quietly. The sexual chemistry between the two is convincing in its easy, familiar manner, and Macbeth holds her dead body like he once embraced her. Macduff is brilliantly played by Sean Harris, whose clipped heroism conveys his integrity as a staunch family man. In his final slaying of Macbeth in an epic sword battle, his pain of losing his family is transformed Marion Cotillard’s nuanced portrayal of Lady Macbeth was widely praised. into murderous rage. Similarly David Thewlis gives us the perfect King Duncan, noble yet diffident, whose death is visceral and messy – the perfect embodiment of the horror of murderous ambition. The witches (Seylan Baxter, Lynn Kennedy, Kayla Fallon and Amber Rissmann) are one of the film’s true triumphs. They appear and disappear in the fog like a dream and are a flawless blend of the supernatural and the earthly. The sense of female wisdom and regeneration, demonstrated by their growing brood, provides a thought-provoking counterbalance to the masculine powerbrokering of the Scottish kingdom. By giving young Fleance (Lochlann Harris) such a prominent role in the story’s ending, the film celebrates the witches’ powerful understanding. Just like the witches, it seems, the film hails the coming of the next generation, underlining the cyclical nature of a history fuelled by ambition and violence. 24 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Planning to perform a short selection from Shakespeare? The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology contains 18 abridged scenes, including monologues, from 18 of Shakespeare’s best-known plays. Every scene features interpretive stage directions and detailed performance and monologue notes, all “road tested” at the Folger Shakespeare Library’s annual Student Shakespeare Festival. “Lays the groundwork for a truly fun and sometimes magical experience, guided by a sagacious, knowledgeable, and intuitive educator. Newlin is a staunch advocate for students learning Shakespeare through performance.” —Library Journal The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology includes one scene with monologue from each of these plays: THE 30-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE is an acclaimed series of abridgments that tell the story of each play while keeping the beauty of Shakespeare’s language intact. The scenes and monologues in this anthology have been selected with both teachers and students in mind, providing a complete toolkit for an unforgettable performance, audition, or competition. NICK NEWLIN has performed a comedy and variety act for international audiences for more than 30 years. Since 1996, he has conducted an annual teaching artist residency with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. The 30-Minute Shakespeare series is available in print and ebook format at retailers and as downloadable PDFs from 30MinuteShakespeare.com.
Page 1 and 2: At last! A magazine with all the Wi
Page 3 and 4: Welcome Welcome to Issue 9 of Shak
Page 6 and 7: Coriolanus Due to massive popular d
Page 8 and 9: Coriolanus ast year in London, Donm
Page 10 and 11: Coriolanus Clockwise from left: Men
Page 12 and 13: Coriolanus the sparse set and costu
Page 14 and 15: Tom Hiddleston “British Shakespea
Page 16 and 17: Hamlet Benedict Cumberbatch’s Ham
Page 18 and 19: Hamlet “Designed by Es Devlin, th
Page 20 and 21: Macbeth 20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Page 22 and 23: Macbeth eeing Macbeth on the big sc
Page 26 and 27: Interview: James Shapiro James Shap
Page 28 and 29: Interview: James Shapiro “James I
Page 30 and 31: Bill “People will remember the na
Page 32 and 33: Bill Testing times for Bill Shakesp
Page 34 and 35: Bill Multi-talented cast members Si
Page 36 and 37: Bill “It’s a delightful comedy
Page 38 and 39: Interview: Paul Edmondson Shakespea
Page 40 and 41: Interview: Paul Edmondson about Sha
Page 42 and 43: Presenting Shakespeare “The Glory
Page 44 and 45: Presenting Shakespeare Julius Caesa
Page 47 and 48: Contributors Brooke Thomas is a fr

Shakespeare Magazine 9

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