Comparing Roman Polanski's version to Josh Freestones version of the film Macbeth compared to the original.

Macbeth is a tragedy that has been performed since 1506 and since then has had many movies made that have re-created the original play written by William Shakespeare. Directors Polanski and Freeston tend to depict Lady Macbeth in significantly different ways from each other and from the original text in different scenes throughout the tragedy. The differences can observed by close study of major scenes featuring Lady Macbeth such as Act 1 scene 5, Act 1 scene 7 'The Planning of King Duncan's murder', Act 2 scene 2 'The Killing of King Duncan and Act 5 Scene 1 'Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking scene'.

From Act 1 scene 5 where Lady Macbeth is first introduced with her notorious soliloquy '...unsex me here And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full Of direst cruelty!...' (Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 41 - 62) it is clear to see in both the interpretations of Shakespeare's Macbeth and the original that Lady Macbeth is presented as a decisive, controlling and influential character, having power over Macbeth.

Elisabet Ney: Lady Macbeth, Detail

Jeanette Nolan in the Banquet Scene from Orson Wel...

Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth by John Singer Sargent...

Gender inequality in evident in early modern times when philosophers assumed that human beings were created for different roles in life. Women were thought to be weaker, less able intellectually and unable to control their emotions. Shakespeare's Macbeth shows that females are capable of being evil. It was a pioneer in its time with its strong female character. Lady Macbeth's ambitious and determined sides are also particularly evident in the planning of King Duncan's Murder 'How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out And dashed the brains out had I so sworn As you have done to this.' (Act...