Visions of Blood. Visualising 'Macbeth' on Film

Master's Thesis from the year 2006 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 6 (very good), University of Zurich (Philosophische Fakultät), language: English, abstract: The language of William Shakespeare's plays has inspired film-makers ever since the invention of cinema. Shortly after the invention of film cameras in 1895, first attempts were made to bring Shakespeare to the masses. The popularity of Shakespeare's works resulted in over 600 film versions of Shakespeare's plays, some closely following stage traditions others translating the text into foreign languages or transporting them into present-day settings. One critical aspect film-makers have to consider when they adapt a play by Shakespeare for the screen, is the relation of the play's language to its visual image in the film. In my thesis I examine the ways in which Shakespeare's «Macbeth» has been realized by film-makers, focusing particularly on how the visual language of the play has been transformed into visual images on the screen.