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Men of Respect V.S Macbeth Essay

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Compare and Contrast Essay In 1991, William Shakespeare's great play "Macbeth" was re-created into a modern day version titled "Men of Respect." Was the plays textual fidelity lost in transition during the making of the film, or did the film show total loyalty and devotion to the text and the feelings of the play? A closer examination of the characters/lines, classification between good and evil, and the use of light and dark will compare the many differences and similarities between William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" and William Reilly's "Men of Respect." Set in present day New York (present as in 1991), the various warring kingdoms of the play become organized crime factions in the film, King Duncan becoming …show more content…

2 31-32). This symbolizes the great guilt that Macbeth feels. He has alienated himself from God, even though this was the time he needed to blessed the most by God. This is the start of Macbeth's great decent into insanity and evil. In William Reilly's version of this scene ( which takes place in what seems to be a dark sewer) the lines remain very similar to Shakespeare's, with only a very few amount of words changed, still allowing the audience to be captured by Macbeth's true feelings In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses light and dark to bring out the ideas of good and understanding, and to show the audience the evil and hiding that takes place during the play. Just like Shakespeare, Reilly used light and dark to distinguish between the change of character in Macbeth. Unlike Shakespeare, Reilly also used the colour red in many of his scenes. Red demonstrated evil, and whenever red was used, it was clear that death was near. For instance, just before Mickey killed Charlie, they showed a quick glimpse of Ruthie Bataglia. The light that shown on her face was blood red. The theme of light and dark in "Macbeth" is portrayed with the candles, the shadows, the sun, and the witches. "From its supernatural opening to its gruesome climax, ‘Macbeth' is the Shakespeare play that reads most like a film script." Daniel

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