With Sons of Anarchy being a modern take on Hamlet more or less, do you guys think about a show that is a modern take on the play Macbeth?
Modern day Macbeth
- Thread starter Joe Washington
- Start date
Sure, that would be good. How about setting it as a space opera?
No. It wouldn't work. But a modern day Timon of Athens? Oh, yeah. I can see the poster.
In my opinion Battlestar Galactica was very Shakesperean, and mainly because The Sopranos was. The former was redolent of Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear to name a few.
That is all.
That is all.
Been done as movies- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland,_PA for example, and there's also a Bollywood gangster version
No. It wouldn't work. But a modern day Timon of Athens? Oh, yeah. I can see the poster.
Not forgetting the companion piece, Pumba of Sparta
Macbeth? Meh. I'd much rather see a modern day Delilah.
(Keeps her scissors laser sharp! Once she finds your weakness, she'll cut you to the quick, stab you in the heart.)
*pause*
What?
(Keeps her scissors laser sharp! Once she finds your weakness, she'll cut you to the quick, stab you in the heart.)
*pause*
What?
I like that. That would give the show a different spin from all the Macbeth remakes.
And unlike the original Macbeth, this show would have more time to explore certain things like the relationship between the Macbeth-like character and his Lady Macbeth, the rise and fall of the Macbeth-like character's royal reign, and the friendship between the Macbeth-like character and the friend would be his tragic Banquo. Exploring such things in depth would make the inevitable tragic conclusion the more emotionally powerful.
Or just stretched out over 7 seasons when everyone already knows how it's going to turn out...
Well, SoA isn't exactly adhering to the plot of Hamlet with any great fidelity. It's more of an initial premise that they're spinning an original story around.
A space-opera Macbeth could be the same. You have an outer-space warlord who becomes the favorite of the Galactic Emperor (not necessarily Evil) because of his courage in a decisive battle.
Then the warlord and his wife murder the Emperor and take over, blaming the Emperor's heirs, who flee to an adjoining rival empire. The story can deviate from Shakespeare after that setup, which could happen within the first few episodes.
A space-opera Macbeth could be the same. You have an outer-space warlord who becomes the favorite of the Galactic Emperor (not necessarily Evil
) because of his courage in a decisive battle. Then the warlord and his wife murder the Emperor and take over, blaming the Emperor's heirs, who flee to an adjoining rival empire. The story can deviate from Shakespeare after that setup, which could happen within the first few episodes.
It can go from the Macbeth-like setup to a brewing war between these two space empires and characters being forced to choose which side they should align with. But the situation won't be cut and dry because one empire won't be completely good and the other won't be completely evil. It will be all shades of grey. Maybe the heirs find themselves do morally questionable things in the name of retaking their throne.
And here's another idea: maybe whomever fills in for the witches who speaks the prophecy that begins this whoe chain of events is working for someone or something who want these terrible events to happen for its own purposes. This force can be a common enemy that unites the two empires at least temporaily.
And here's another idea: maybe whomever fills in for the witches who speaks the prophecy that begins this whoe chain of events is working for someone or something who want these terrible events to happen for its own purposes. This force can be a common enemy that unites the two empires at least temporaily.
If you're needing your MacBeth (or Midsummer Night's Dream) fix, Gargoyles is the way to go!
Let's see, here are some themes/issues the show could explore or questions it could ask. The relationship between a husband and wife as they committ crime - does one lead the other on, is one subordinate to the other, are they equal in their machinations? Is it possible to corrupt a good man? Do you need outside (superntural) forces? Or is there capacity for corruption in all? What is the nature of loyalty? What is the nature of hospitality and home and hearth? Are the bigger political issues of the country mirrored in how we live our lives inside our own homes? What is mental ill health? What does it take to make someone ill in that way? Will there always be a good man who will step forward and try to restore right? Can the perpatrator of crime also be the victim? What happens to parents when their children become victims? How much does it take before good men will do something?
I think the idea of a space opera Macbeth is awesome as it would allow for the normalisation of otherworldly elements.
Should be enough for a couple of seasons.
I think the idea of a space opera Macbeth is awesome as it would allow for the normalisation of otherworldly elements.
Should be enough for a couple of seasons.
Oh yeah, gotta have the witches' prophecy. To sci-fi-ize it, it could be some kind of computer or biologically enhanced coven (like the precogs of Minority Report) that can predict the future, in some vague way that can be interpreted at least two ways. 
I can see the entire first season building up to the murder of the leader whose throne the Macbeth-like protagonist seeks to occupy.
The second season would cover the aftermath of the murder and the beginning of the Macbeth-like protagonist's royal reign.
The second season would cover the aftermath of the murder and the beginning of the Macbeth-like protagonist's royal reign.
I had the idea ten years ago as a one-shot move, set in a contemporary company. The Witches were the controllers of information that flowed through the company, and could speculate about MacBeth's rise. Banquo's ghost would eb emails and conferenced videos that only McB could see.
It did open with the line: "When can we three do lunch again?"
It did open with the line: "When can we three do lunch again?"
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