I am writing to offer my congratulations on your recent appointment as director of Harcourt Theatre's production of The Scottish Play, the prose that I have come to regard as my finest because of its unique and strong characters. West End productions should be congratulated for appointing a highly talented and capable individual like yourself as director.
Now on to business. I would like to draw your attention to the second scene in the second act of the play. Having watched numerous versions of the play directed by other directors, I felt that none of them have satisfactorily portrayed the scene and conveyed its deeper message to the viewer in the way that I have pictured whilst writing it. Therefore I mean to give you some helpful suggestions.
The scene opens with Macbeth being forced into a state of lethargy due to his murder of King Duncan and is completely unaware of his surroundings.
Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth by John Singer Sargent...
The English actor Charles Kean as William Shakespe...
Sarah Siddons in the Sleepwalking SceneTherefore as Lady Macbeth enters, you might want to instruct you actor to enter from upstage right and move to the center of the stage, where Macbeth is stood with his back turned to her with an empty soulless look in his eyes in order to obscure her from Macbeth's vision. He could appear shaken and unaware of the entrance of Lady Macbeth and as you are probably aware of, Macbeth's morals have been put to sleep due to him murdering God's messenger or representative on earth. He is in the process of realizing the enormity of the crime that he has committed so he is not in a right state of mind. Lady Macbeth should look completely nonplussed and oblivious to this fact and should attempt to sooth her husband's worries. Macbeth hunched down with his knees on the floor as Lady Macbeth enters...